Former Michigan State running back Le’Veon Bell is a big, bruiser of a back, with deceptive speed and agility. In his three years with the Spartans, Bell showed that he works well as a tandem, as well as on his own as a feature back. The Pittsburgh Steelers liked what they saw so much in Bell, they made him the second running back off the board in April’s draft with the 16th pick in the second round. Let’s take a look at Bells potential fantasy impact moving forward.
College Stats | Year | Att | Yds | Avg | TD's | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD's |
| 2010 | 107 | 605 | 5.7 | 8 | 11 | 97 | 8.8 | 0 |
| 2011 | 182 | 948 | 5.2 | 13 | 35 | 267 | 7.6 | 0 |
| 2012 | 382 | 1,793 | 4.7 | 12 | 32 | 167 | 5.2 | 1 |
| Totals: | 671 | 3,346 | 5.0 | 33 | 78 | 531 | 6.8 | 1 |
Currently Our Lads has Bell listed as second on the depth chart behind Jonathan Dwyer but by the start of the season, Bell will have supplanted him as the team’s No. 1 running back. Bell is a workhorse who will be able to carry the ball 20-30 times, week in and week out, which will likely leave very few extra carries for Dwyer, and also give the Steelers’ offense a nice, balanced attack and will ultimately take some of the pressure off of Ben Roethlisberger.
In 2013, Bell will finish as the third best rookie fantasy running back, behind Giovani Bernard and Montee Ball. Bell projects as a decent RB2 option in standard and PPR leagues. As far as dynasty goes, he’ll likely move into the RB1 discussion a year or two down the road, so if you can pick him up in the middle rounds now, you’re in for years of solid production. Just don’t count on him as your RB1 this season.
2013 Stat Projections: 260 carries, 1,300 rushing yards, 30 receptions, 250 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns.