LeSean McCoy has been a mainstay in fantasy football leagues of all formats since taking lead back duties in the Philadelphia Eagles backfield in 2010. Though he's in a new city with the Buffalo Bills, he's expected to assume that same role.
Fantasy Football Draft Strategy 2015: LeSean McCoy a risky pick in 2nd round
The Buffalo Bills have a new feature-back in town, but fantasy owners might not share in their excitement. We break down the fantasy implications.
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However, his time with his new team hasn’t gotten off to the best start, as a lingering hamstring injury has had him sidelined for most of the summer. There is now doubt that he will not be healthy in time for Week 1, and there seems to be no concrete date as to when McCoy will return.
Fantasy Spin: Though McCoy hasn’t seen much practice time with his new team, and with the fact that hamstring injuries tend to linger, you wouldn’t know it if fantasy owners are concerned. The reason being, McCoy is still being drafted in the second round and is the 10th running back off the board on average, despite major questions about his durability for the 2015 season.
Though McCoy finished 2014 with 1,319 rushing yards, he was a headache for his fantasy owners from week-to-week. In nine of his 16 games, he averaged 4.0 yards per carry or less, and in three starts, he didn’t manage 2.0 yards per carry. Amid a potentially mediocre Bills offense, the volume may not be there for him to capitalize if that pace continues.
With signs already showing that the wheels could be beginning to fall off, fantasy owners willing to bank on a second-round investment might be disappointed in the returns that McCoy provides. Owners may feel more inclined to address the wide receiver position in that range and wait another round to take guys like Justin Forsett, Lamar Miller or Alfred Morris.
