Fantasy Focus – The Fall of Mike Bell

Travis Henry is “the man” in the Denver – something the Broncos really haven’t been able to say since Clinton Portis. Since then, it’s been all about the running back by committee philosophy in Denver, often in spite of fantasy football players everywhere. Go to a live draft, mention you’re a Broncos fan, and see what happens – chances are you’ll hear some variation of “God, I hate Mike Shanahan!”.

For any Mike Bell owners out there, they’re still shouting it.

Most fantasy players have already drafted – league kickoff, after all, is in a few hours – and already the news that Mike Bell has fallen off the wagon is spreading. (In case you haven’t heard, Selvin Young seems to be the guy you should pick up in Bell’s stead). Bell has gone from #2 at tailback to #2 at fullback in the matter of a few weeks.

Rumors were also swirling that Bell was on the trade block, but it has since been reported that those rumors were unfounded.

A fan favorite, Bell grew up a Denver Broncos fan in Arizona and made a big impact last year as an undrafted rookie with eight touchdowns. Gripes against him include his struggles in blitz pickup and his inability to finish his long runs – he would sometimes get caught from behind. He was suffering a hip injury during the second half of the preseason – combine that with the impressive display of Young and Andre Hall, and Bell finds himself on the outside looking in.

If you are a Bell owner, drop him now, pick up Selvin Young if he’s still available (or even Andre Hall), and sleep like a baby.