The premise of a Pick-a-Player question is as follows:
- You need a player at that position and all three are available.
- The draft is at a stage where these players are usually drafted, and none of their bye weeks are duplicated on your current roster.
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In this case, it is a PPR league, and you are up at Pick 10.04. Would you take Corey Clement, DOnta Foreman, or Nyheim Hines? Or would you pass on all three?
The Results
And the winner is mixed. See the percentages below.
Group
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Percentage Picking...
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|||
Clement
|
Foreman
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Hines
|
None of the Three
|
|
Footballguys Staff
|
11.1%
|
11.1%
|
11.1%
|
66.7%
|
Footballguys Facebook
|
28.1%
|
34.4%
|
12.5%
|
25.0%
|
The Reasons (from the Staff)
Jason Wood: Corey Clement or bust, but I don't think Clement is a must target in the 10th, either. D'Onta Foreman is trying to return from a torn Achilles. It's more likely than not he'll start the season on the PUP list. Even if he steers clear of PUP, it's unrealistic to expect a running back to be productive immediately after an Achilles injury. Nyheim Hines profiles as the kind of running back I rarely draft. He's a speedster and a receiver, but he isn't willing or able to take a pounding. I'll pass and take Jordan Wilkins five rounds later.
Clement is No. 2 on the depth chart for an Eagles offense that spreads the ball around. He showed a burst last year, particularly in the playoffs, and would be a commodity if Jay Ajayi gets hurt. There's no reason Clement can't be the feature back in the Eagles offense, but it's not a likely outcome given the team's depth.
Daniel Simpkins: I would rather pass on these options and have someone like D.J. Moore here. As I detailed in this piece, Moore is a perfect fit in Norv Turner's offense and has a great chance to contribute right off the bat.
Chad Parsons: I have yet to draft any of them this season. I trust the talent of D'Onta Foreman the most, but he is returning from a late-season Achilles injury and makes Lamar Miller one of my targets at running back, not the likely slow-back-to-the-field Foreman. Which is a shame as Foreman was rising late in 2017 before his injury.
Will Grant: If I'm taking a running back at 10.04 and these are my three options, I'd go with Hines because of his upside. Even if he takes a back seat to Marlon Mack, Hines has enough upside for the Colts to keep him involved in the offense. In a PPR league, he could be decent value with a 10th round pick.
Justin Howe: Indeed, the only answer here can be Foreman at this spot. I love Hines as a prospect, and I like his landing spot quite a bit. But this area of the draft is for ceiling, and Foreman is the only option here with a legitimate chance of being a productive bell cow.
Foreman's recovery throws a huge wrench into his value, for sure - I'd have him pegged as a Round 6/7 target otherwise. I don't believe in Miller, who always looks gassed and worn-down in the second quarter, as a featured guy. If Foreman returns at 90% of his pre-injury form, I think by midseason we'll see a full-blown timeshare. Miller would be a solid passing-down back and change-up option, but Foreman would boast the talent to churn out a lot of 18-carry, 85-yard games.
As it stands, he's hands-off until Round 12 or so. But of this group, he's the one to target. As Jason said, Hines isn't a value here at all - he's extremely small and may be a Darren Sproles-type specialist on this level. Waiting several rounds for potential lead dog Wilkins is much more shrewd. And Clement is a shot in the dark; he could leapfrog Sproles for the third-down gig while stealing a few series from Jay Ajayi, but he likely wouldn't be featured even in the case of an injury ahead of him.
Ryan Hester: This might be the easiest call of the series because, throughout draft season, the first pick I have after the middle of the ninth round has been reserved for Patrick Mahomes II II.
In a scenario where quarterbacks have all fallen beyond expectations and a passer with a higher ADP than Mahomes is still available at this point, I'll simply wait longer and take Mahomes in the next round or two.
It's choices like this one that speak to why drafting quarterbacks early is a risky game. If you're relying on one of these players as an RB4 or higher, your team is dangerously thin at a premium position in fantasy football.
Bob Henry: I like Clement, but I'm not taking him this early nor am I taking the bait for any of these three backs in the 10th round. I've landed Hines consistently in the 11th, 12th or even 13th rounds so there's no reason for me to reach for him this early either.
If Foreman is legitimately healthy, I'd strongly consider him, but I'm not sold on him being ready out of the gate following the Achilles tear and I'll have to see what he looks like in camp/preseason before venturing into those waters.
Phil Alexander: Hard pass on these guys. Until his ADP gets out of control (it's going to happen sooner than later), my 10th round pick is reserved for George Kittle. You can find out why by clicking here.
As for this trio, Darren Sproles is back to cannibalize Clement's passing down and red zone work. Foreman was high on my list earlier this summer, but upon further review, the Achilles tendon is the new ACL. And Hines is interesting for best ball formats, but it's looking like industry hype will make him a poor value proposition for redraft leagues.
If I'm in need of a running back in this ADP range, I would rather target an ambiguous backfield that figures to produce a lot of fantasy points -- guys like Ty Montgomery in Green Bay and Matt Breida in San Francisco come to mind.
Andy Hicks: At this spot, it is an easy pass. I would rather take a quarterback here or, depending on the rest of my roster, look at wide receivers or tight ends. None of the players mentioned are worth missing out on a starter elsewhere. Foreman has the best upside, but a running back with a torn Achilles is not the risk I want to take. I like Corey Clement, but the price is too high for a back that will more than likely have fewer than five touches a game. The Indianapolis running game has disaster written all over it. Maybe the 19th or 20th round is where that situation is worth investigating.