You know who's in the midst of a true breakout season? New York Jets running back Chris Ivory. Everyone always knew Ivory was good, but an injury would slow him down or end his season all together before he could really make some noise. This is a guy who's never topped 900 rushing yards or eight touchdowns in six NFL seasons. But those benchmarks are well within his reach this year.
As of right now, Ivory may be one of the most underrated running backs in the NFL. That should hit home with fantasy owners.
"Ivory has always been a devastating player with the ball in his hands, but he could never stay healthy and became almost a mythical upside player," ESPN NFL Insider Sam Monson wrote. "This season we are starting to see what he can do with an extended run and it's pretty special.
"He is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 3.2 of those yards are coming after contact. He has broken 18 tackle on his 83 carries, and although he may never be the kind of receiving weapon a player like Le'Veon Bell is, he is showing that if you can just get him the ball in space he will do damage. He has caught six of seven passes thrown his way this season and turned them into 62 yards, with 71 of those coming after the catch."
Overall, Ivory ranks third in the NFL in rushing (460) despite missing one game due to injury. He has also racked up four rushing touchdowns, tied for third in the league. New York's offense, with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, has been simple yet effective this year. Ivory has been the engine that makes it go while wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker have both chipped in with valuable contributions.
Assuming he stays healthy, Ivory is on pace for a clear finish in the top ten among running backs in fantasy scoring .As things stand now, Ivory ranks fourth at the position in standard fantasy points, ahead of splashier names like Bell, Adrian Peterson and DeMarco Murray. All in all, Ivory has delivered one of the best returns on investment considering his mid-to-late round price.