RADIO
Saquon Barkley 2019 Outlook: A Giant at the Top
6 years agoWe are not here to ask whether the Giants were right or wrong in drafting Saquon Barkley at number two ahead of a quarterback in last season’s NFL draft. It is done and over with. What we are here to ask, is whether Saquon Barkley is already the number one running back for fantasy football? According to most the answer to this question is a resounding yes.
In what can only be described as a monster rookie season Barkley amassed 1,307 rush yards and 11 touchdowns on 261 carries. Add to that 91 receptions for 721 yards and four touchdowns, and you get the fantasy RB2 as a rookie. If not for the amazing season of Patrick Mahomes and the terrible season for the Giants, Barkley would have added NFL MVP to his rookie of the year award.
With Odell Beckham Jr. gone to Cleveland, Barkley is the only true weapon on the roster for New York. The addition of Golden Tate as a possession receiver and the hopeful return of Evan Engram after a down season will do nothing to quell the hype or production of Barkley. We saw in 2018 the continued limitation of Eli Manning, and his inability to push the ball down the field. This should once again lead to a massive volume of passes for Barkley. This will likely be in the same range as the 121 targets he received last season. He may even convert more of these into catches and break the 100-catch threshold. Add to this the 260 or more carries he should garner and at minimum, a top-two finish is virtually guaranteed for the new best back in the NFL.
It is not very hard to give you a draft value on Saquon Barkley. If you do not have one of the first two picks quite frankly you won’t get him. But this price is well worth the return. He is the best player at arguably the most important fantasy position. The Giants are going to run him and throw him into the ground to such an extent the only question will be how many more years they can do this to him before he wears out. But this is a question for next year and beyond. As for 2019? This man is unstoppable.
