Jahvid Best

Best’s rookie season got off to a great start, as he totaled 268 yards with five touchdowns over his first two games. Dual turf toe injuries ruined the rest of his year, however, as he scored just one more time and never topped 65 rushing yards over the next 15 weeks. The injury forced him to miss only one game, but his lack of burst was evident, and he was virtually useless outside of PPR formats. Best averaged an NFL-low 1.8 YPC after contact last season, but again, it’s possible the toe injuries are entirely to blame. Coaches raved about him in preseason, and if the first two games were any indication, there’s a lot of upside here, especially with his ability as a receiver in what could soon shape up to be an explosive Detroit offense. Unfortunately, the Lions drafted Mikel Leshoure, and while they claim Best will get the majority of carries, he remains an injury risk who’s unlikely to get many goal-line opportunities.

Best’s college numbers speak for themselves — he totaled 1,826 yards with 16 touchdowns his sophomore year and is coming off a junior season in which he got 1,080 yards from scrimmage with a whopping 16 touchdowns over just nine games, and he averaged a remarkable 7.3 YPC throughout his collegiate career at Cal. He also battled injuries, and at 5-10, 199, he doesn’t project as a true workhorse. But with 4.35 40 speed (the fastest of any rookie back), he won’t need 325 touches to do damage, especially on Detroit’s turf. Best landed in a nice situation, as the Lions are perennial losers, but with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh and a strong TE group, there’s a foundation now. Most important, Best is going to get all the touches he can handle, as Kevin Smith is returning from a torn ACL and not only is his Week 1 status in doubt, there’s some worry he did enough nerve damage that he’ll never be the same again. Best, meanwhile, is explosive both as a runner and as a pass-catcher, and Detroit’s coaching staff loves him, already referring to him as the team’s feature back. There’s quite a bit of upside here.