Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott deals rock the RB scene
Two veterans backpacking reportedly found new homes on Monday, with Dalvin Cook Sign with the New York Jets Ezekiel Elliot Landing with the New England Patriots.
The running market was a hot topic of pre-season conversations and it took time for both running backs to receive one-year deals. Elliott could earn up to $6 million with the incentives, while Cook has agreed to an $8.6 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Now that we know where Cook and Elliott will fit in, how will that affect their fantasy value — and their higher-ranked backfield teammates?
Imaginary repercussions of Cook signing with the Gates
Bryce Hall Drafted as a Borderline RB1 on Yahoo. That’s likely to change with news of more competition for touches, but our analysts are giving Hall a slight downgrade at this point.
Famed Hall of Fame hype artist Dalton Dale Donne moved him just one place higher in his back-to-back rankings to the RB10 and was far from concerned about Cook’s speculation when he wrote this in early August:
“Hall is risky and may require patience after ACL surgery, however Every retrospective has legitimate questions. However, it’s Hall who’s made a league run and should be a late first-round pick but somehow come out on top in the third round.
Meanwhile, Cook, who ran for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns last season, is named the RB10 fantasy. He’s spent his entire career with the Vikings, compiling 5,993 yards and 47 touchdowns while having a healthy 4.7 yards per carry since entering the league. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past four seasons while rushing for at least 1,000 yards.
Cook signed a five-year, $63 million contract extension with the team in 2020, but the Vikings released the veteran in June after failing to find him a business partner.
Even though he didn’t have an NFL team as of Monday, fantasy directors drafted Cook around the 70th pick. Our analysts are divided on Cook’s fantasy value, which ranges anywhere from a marginal RB2 to a bench option.
Despite the fantasy community’s questions about what comes next, Alexander Matteson He has no doubt what his former colleague can still do:
Fictional implications of Elliott signing with the Patriots
like hall, Ramonder Stephenson He was also drafted into the RB1 territory of Yahoo. There seems to be more concern about his ability to maintain that fairytale cap, with Elliott now in the mix.
The Patriots were looking for depth behind Stevenson, who finished last season as the fantasy RB11 after he ran for 1,040 yards with six total touchdowns. Stevenson’s Yahoo ADP is currently 25.9, but it’s likely to suffer with Elliott in the fold.
Among Yahoo analysts, Scott Pianovsky’s view of Stevenson has changed the most in the wake of the news, moving him from RB11 to RB16. Conversely, Andy Behrens moved Elliott the most, moving up 15 spots to the RB37. Elliott is only drafted in 27% of Yahoo leagues, a number that will go up. He is currently coming off the plate in the 13th round in the 10-team leagues.
Elliott spent his entire career with the Cowboys before joining the Pats, who took him for the first time with the No. 4 overall pick in 2016. He started 102 games over seven seasons and led the league in rushing twice while achieving four 1,000-yard seasons.
But last year, Elliott ran for a career-low 876 yards and averaged a career-worst 3.8 yards per carry. His massive six-year, $90 million deal with Dallas became too much to handle, and the team released him earlier this summer.
