Saquon Barkley – 2021 #3 Dynasty Running Back
#26 Saquon Barkley, NYG
bio:
Saquon Barkley is IDPE’s #3 dynasty RB in 2021. Drafted by New York in the 1st round (#2 overall) out of Penn State in the 2018 draft. He was a consensus All-American in 2017 and the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018.
attributes:
An explosive, versatile 4th-year running back, he is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. He was awarded the #7 Elusiveness Rating for RB in 2020, per PFF.com.
He has an above-average BMI and elite athleticism, posting a 98th-percentile pSPARQ score, per 3sigmathlete.com. Barkley has an elite College Prospect Score (CPS); he has the highest CPS of any RB in my model going back to 2011.
| Age* | Height | Weight | 40 | Vertical | Broad | CPS |
| 24.6 | 6’0″ | 233 | 4.40 | 41″ | – | 13.7 |
player grades:
Barkley received poor grades in 2020, per PFF.com, but he was injured in Week 2 and did not play again. He graded out as near elite in his rookie year, which is rare, but his grade has gotten worse each year since.
| Year | Overall | Rushing | Receiving |
| 2018 | 85.2 | 83.8 | 86.3 |
| 2019 | 72.2 | 76.1 | 57.2 |
| 2020 | 60.3 | 62.3 | 62.8 |
injury:
He missed 3 games in 2019 due to a high ankle sprain and 14 games in 2020 due to an ACL tear.
stats:
Barkley had 217 rush attempts (tied for #18), 1003 rushing yards (#16), and 6 rushing touchdowns (tied for #20) in 2019 (his last full season before his ACL tear). He also had a good year as a receiver.
He has averaged over 1700 yards (rushing and receiving) over his first two years in the league. Therefore, he has a high floor in fantasy. He also averaged 72 receptions and 12 total touchdowns over the same period. Therefore, he has an elite ceiling in fantasy.
| Year | Rush | RuYd | RuTD | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | TFP* | Games | FP/G** | A4GM*** |
| 2018 | 261 | 1307 | 11 | 91 | 721 | 4 | 338 | 16 | 21.1 | 338 |
| 2019 | 217 | 1003 | 6 | 52 | 438 | 2 | 218 | 13 | 16.8 | 268 |
| 2020 | 19 | 34 | 0 | 6 | 60 | 0 | – | 2 | – | – |
**FP/G is Fantasy Points per Game
***A4GM is Adjusted for Games Missed
Note: Fantasy Points based on 0.5 Points per Reception, 0.1 Points per Yard
strength of schedule:
New York has the most difficult RB schedule in 2021, per PFF. The bye week is Week 10, and the most difficult matchups are Weeks 4, 6, and 11. Indianapolis, Dallas, and Minnesota RBs currently look like solid options if you want to stream based on RB matchup those weeks.
contract:
Barkley is playing on his rookie contract. New York picked up his 5th-year option, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
summary:
Saquan Barkley is an elite talent, though there is some risk. His rookie year was phenomenal, but his 2nd year resulted in lower production and PFF grade, and his 3rd year was lost due to an ACL tear. Expect Barkley to compete for the overall #1 RB in 2021 and dynasty if fully healthy.
