2017 Fantasy Football Outlook: Marshawn Lynch

A fantasy football outlook for Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for the upcoming 2017 season.

With the NFL regular season slowly approaching, now is the perfect time to start preparing for your fantasy football leagues. Mock drafts, research, magazines and online resources are some of the few things that should take up some of your time. With that being said, let’s take an in-depth look at Oakland Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch.

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Lynch is entering his age 31 season and it is known that running backs tend to break down faster than other positions. They take by far the most hits of any positional player on offense, so by the time they are around age 30, most backs are broken down.

But in the case of Marshawn, hopefully the one year break was beneficial, and he’s fresh for the upcoming season. But playing devil’s advocate, he might have lost a step as well. Through OTAs and mini-camp, reports were that he looked good. Here is what Ian Rapoport reported when there was initial interest between the parties.

Marshawn Lynch is in shape. He's thought about playing. Raiders are interested. But would the #Seahawks actually trade him? We'll see.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2017

While being in shape is a big part of the puzzle, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding Beast Mode. No one is sure of what they will get but the Raiders seem confident. McKenzie has expressed his desire for draft capital and the fact that they were willing to trade a pick must say something about their confidence in him.

The Raiders gave up a 2018 fifth-round draft pick in exchange for Marshawn Lynch and a 2018 sixth-round pick. Although it is not much, it is still something.

What We Know

Lynch will enter with one of the league’s best offensive lines. According to PFF, the Raiders offensive line came in at no. 4 last season.
The Raiders still have Jalen Richard and Deandre Washington. Lynch will not get all of the snaps but most likely the majority.
Latavius Murray played 525 snaps (46.9%) last year for this offense. Those snaps are now gone and Lynch projects to get most of them.
Murray totaled 195 carries in 2016.
Murray scored 12 rushing touchdowns last season. The Raiders like to rely on a big back to score the ball when close to the goal line.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding Marshawn Lynch just because no one has seen him play since the 2015 season. Although Lynch is reportedly in shape, it is important to note that he had abdomen injuries throughout the 2015 season which kept him out for several weeks before retirement. This may not be the most crucial concern but is important to note prior injuries before making a decision on where to draft him.

According to FantasyPros.com, the Raiders “Strength of Schedule” for running backs comes in at no. 23 this year. Basically, the Raiders will have to go against some very tough defensive opponents. Playing the Broncos twice may be cause for that that number being high because they have proven to be good defensively. So this stat does not scare me as much — it is important but rosters have a lot of turnover each season.

The biggest thing going for Lynch is his opportunity. He landed in a dream situation with the Raiders. He comes into a team with the opportunity to be the lead back with the majority of the carries and he’ll be running behind one of the better offensive lines in the league. Not to mention, Lynch is Oakland born and raised, so this important for him. He is hungry to go out and make impact plays to help bring a championship to Oakland.

Where Do You Draft Him?

According to Fantasy Pros, Lynch’s current ADP is 19.5, which would be towards the back end of the second round for most leagues. He is also being drafted as the 10th running back off the board. If you really want Lynch on your fantasy team, you may have to reach to get him. It’s also good to point out that ADP’s change dramatically this time of year — come August, it might be different.

In PPR leagues, his ADP is around 30.5. He has never proven to be the pass-catching type back and that figures to stay true in Oakland as well.

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I personally would love to have him selected late second round at the earliest in standard scoring. There are a lot of questions regarding his stability, role and overall ability. But being in a dream scenario like he is in Oakland, there is a good reason to think that he may have a very productive season. Taking over the lead back role in one of the better offensive units in the league, he should have plenty of opportunities to score. It’s important to factor in his passion for the city of Oakland. The Black Hole should be strapped with skittles.

I am a believer that Lynch will be successful with the Raiders, he seems hungrier than ever. We all know how Marshawn can run when he is hungry — watch out. For me, it has to be at the right price. Early second round might be a little pricey depending on who’s left on the board and depending on your team or strategy. I would take a chance on the proven stud.

If you do select Lynch, make sure to have a bag of Skittles nearby. Might be good luck.