“Making the Case” for the first pick in Fantasy Football Drafts this season is more important than ever. There are debatably four players at the head of the draft worth your first overall selection, whether your leagues are Standard, Half-PPR, or PPR which is the new standard. The four options being taken at the top of the draft would all be acceptable at first and no one would bat an eye at the choices if selected. First up in our “Making the Case” Series will be Saquon Barkley.
Where is he being ranked?
Saquon Barkley is viewed as the number one overall choice in a number of rankings in Fantasy. Top Fantasy analysts like NFL.com’s Michael Fabiano and ESPN’s Field Yates both have Barkley as the top overall player going into this season and it his hard to deny. Even our own Scott Neville has placed him at the top of his RB positional rankings. When draft day comes around for you, Saquon is going to come off more than likely at one but making his case is important.
Making the Case Reason 1: Usage
Analysts are predicting Saquon Barkley is to average around 400 plus touches as a member of the New York Giants this year. Considering he himself stated there is no such thing as “too many touches”, it has to be a real possibility. That would far and away be the most for any player in all of football which makes him an instant candidate for the number one selection. To continue, his last season stats ranked him as the number one overall RB in points in PPR format. Barkley accounted for 385.8 fantasy points last season, averaging out to 24.1 PPG which is tied for second for most points on average at the position, just behind Todd Gurley.
Making the Case Reason 2: Most Talented Player in Football
Barkley touched the ball 352 times – 261 carries and 91 receptions – which ranked second in all off football just behind Ezekiel Elliott. With Odell Beckham Jr. gone from the Giants, Saquon becomes the de facto one, two, and three option for this team. That may sound ridiculous, but with the skill he has on the gridiron, the Giants will look to utilize him in every way possible. The only part to be afraid of when it comes to Saquon Barkley is that opposing defenses will always be stacking the box, putting pressure on Eli Manning to try and help the win the game. It’s a minor detail considering the ability of Barkley and the fact he was able to manage 5 yards per carry a season ago, but still something of note.
Verdict
Out of all guys at the top of the draft to make a case for, Barkley may need the least of that. He is destined be the top player chosen in Fantasy Football considering he can go for 2,000 total yards like a season ago and his sure to up his total TDs from 15 to even more this year as he will touch the ball even more.
“Making the Case” for Saquon Barkley is one that most don’t even need to see to know he is the most talented in the NFL already, but understanding what he managed to do last year and what he may do with even more touches is certainly something to highlight.
Be sure to check back for more Fantasy Football analysis, including the next edition in “Making the Case” for the first overall selection in drafts this season.