Le'Veon Bell Fantasy Outlook Includes Major Uncertainty With Emergence of Frank Gore in Training Camp


Le'Veon Bell signed a big-money deal with the New York Jets back in the 2019 offseason, but he failed to live up to expectations during his first season with the team. He rushed for 789 yards and averaged a career low 3.2 yards per attempt.
Bell is one of the most unpredictable players in fantasy football heading into 2020, especially since his role with the team may not be as solidified as people think. The Jets signed Frank Gore this offseason to complement Bell in the backfield. Entering his 16th season in the NFL, Gore has never rushed for below 599 yards in a season and isn't being seen strictly as a backup during this training camp so far.
Adam Gase lovessss Frank Gore. Wouldn’t be surprised if that backfield is split more than some Jets fans might want. Gore still has some gas in the tank and plays how Gase likes his backs — downhill, always moving forward, good vision and pass blocking. https://t.co/oLgju0hM4w
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 26, 2020
Gore brings a set of skills to the team that Bell may not have. Bell is known to be a shifty type of running back that works better in open space, while Gore is an old-school ground and pound player who can carry the ball right up the middle. Bell should have the upper hand when it comes to the starting role, but this backfield may become more of a two-man committee splitting carries.
Bell had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2019, Bell will be looking for a bounce-back type of season in 2020. He struggled in 2019 despite seeing the eighth most touches among all RBs, however. And now with Gore in the picture, it doesn't look likely that Bell remains in the top-10 on that front.
The Jets did not have many playmakers to keep defenses honest last season, but Bell faced eight or more men in the box on just 17.4% of his carries, which ranked in the middle of the pack for running backs. That puts some of those efficiency concerns squarely on his shoulders.
Losing volume while suffering from efficiency concerns would obviously be a huge blow to his potential for a bounce-back.
2020 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet ?https://t.co/UJXMW4jTcW
— The Duel (@TheDuelSports) August 2, 2020
Le'Veon Bell checks in as the No. 18 running back in our fantasy football rankings. The opportunity for him to have a high-end RB2 or low-end RB1 caliber year is still there, but its worth keeping an eye on the Jets training camp for the next few weeks as the team solidifies their offensive approach for 2020.
Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.