Unfortunately for fantasy owners, consensus top-three pick LeSean McCoy has failed to live up to his vaunted draft status. Sure, some of his struggles have to do with injuries to the offensive line. But the Philadelphia Eagles rang up 45 points and 365 total yards against the Carolina Panthers this week, yet McCoy managed just 17 yards on 13 total touches. A third quarter one-yard touchdown helped to salvage what was an awful fantasy day until that point.
We're past the point where fantasy owners should be legitimately concerned. Now we're wondering if there is any hope that McCoy will turn it around.
"This is a running game that has struggled due to injuries at times this season, but I think it's McCoy's style that hurts him more," ESPN's Merril Hoge wrote. "Don't get me wrong, he is a special player; but he likes to play on the perimeter. In the NFL, the game is won in the middle of the field, not out on the perimeter. And while he's a guy who thrives on freedom and flexibility, that can get you into trouble sometimes. He's a creative, lateral and very dynamic runner overall, but sometimes you need several of those 2- or 3-yard runs up the middle before you can make the defense vulnerable for those home runs."
It's true that McCoy likes to look for the big play. His career yards per carry average is an impressive 4.6. But McCoy is producing just 3.7 yards per rush this season, while he has been unable to generate electric long runs.
"McCoy has been a frustrating guy for fantasy owners, because for whatever reason the Eagles seem like they just can't get him on track in what has been in a very good offense by almost any other measure," ESPN Fantasy Expert Matthew Berry wrote. "If you do own McCoy, it's not as if you're likely to have better options than him -- he's still the featured back in a great offense -- but he's more of an RB2 in fantasy at this point, which is definitely disappointing for a consensus preseason top-three pick."
McCoy ranks sixth in the NFL with 641 rushing yards, but he has just two touchdowns on the ground this season, and didn't top 100 yards rushing until Week 6. Philly's next three opponents (Packers, Titans, Cowboys) all rank 13th or lower in rushing defense. If McCoy was ever going to regain his dynamic form this season, it will be during this upcoming stretch.
