Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Man, you have really got to feel for a guy like Andre Brown.
Throughout his young career, the New York Giants running back has suffered an Achilles injury, a broken leg last November, and now, another broken leg. The 26-year old back fractured the same left leg as he did back in November during Thursday night’s final preseason game. Of course, it had to happen during the final game, right? It really is a shame to see this happen to such a promising player. When on the field for the Giants, he has been awesome. Last year, in place of Ahmad Bradshaw, Brown averaged an impressive 5.3 yards per carry, scored a very strong eight touchdowns and rushed for 385 yards. Fast forward to 2013, and it looks like he’ll be sidelined from anywhere up to eight weeks of the season. I’m pretty upset about this injury, but as always, there are fantasy implications that need to be addressed.
Brown was expected to be the goal line back for the Giants, while more dynamic runner David Wilson handled most of the work between the 20′s. Of course, now that Brown is out, Wilson’s value definitely boosts. The main thing that kept people from listing Wilson as a top-20 fantasy running back were the expected lack of touchdowns. However, perhaps Wilson will get the work from in close as well. Last year, all eight of Brown’s touchdowns were from inside the two yard line. The Giants like to run the ball when inside the five, and if Wilson can establish himself as the goal line back, he will suddenly become more of a top-15 fantasy rusher than top-20.
Is there a David Wilson handcuff?
At the moment, I’m not sold that you should be targeting any of the other running backs on the Giants. Michael Cox may come up in the conversation, but he averaged less than four yards per carry during college, and really hasn’t showed much during the preseason. As a rookie, it’s difficult to believe that Cox will get a ton of work, and considering Wilson has yet to fumble this preseason, there is no reason he should.
Wilson, meanwhile, is definitely worth a look as a top-20 fantasy running back with massive upside. If he is the clear-cut three-down back in New York, he’ll be a stud. The kid has C.J. Spiller type skills and speed, which makes me all tingly inside.
As for Brown, I truly am bummed to hear about this, and hope to see him return to action very soon.
Related:
David Wilson Is Overvalued In Fantasy Football
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
