Patience is a BIG word in fantasy. It’s hard to wait on a player that’s underperforming or dealing with nagging injuries most of the year. Christian McCaffrey owners have certainly felt the latter in 2020.
If you had the patience to wait on D’Andre Swift, your reward might be invaluable. Coach Matt Patricia gave Swift his first official “start”, which at the very least just means he’s out there for the offense’s first snap. But instead of being a meaningless technicality, D’Andre took the reigns and made a great case for why he should continue to start, and lead, the Lions’ backfield.
Out-carrying Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson combined 16-to-5, Swift ran it a shade over 5 yards-per-carry, logging 71-percent of the team’s snaps. He caught all five targets for another 68 yards and a TD, finishing as the PPR RB4 after Sunday night.
He doesn’t look to have trouble keeping up with the speed of the game.
Stafford to Swift! #OnePride pic.twitter.com/rEC2dLBt1f
— Roto Street Journal (@RotoStJournal) November 15, 2020
And he doesn’t look to be taking any yard for granted.
D’Andre Swift saw a career-high in rushing attempts (16), receptions (5) and receiving yards (68) on Sunday. The kind of guy who looks like he should be a full-time player.
(🎥: @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/ZiE3aHzG6g
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 16, 2020
Swift has healthy marks of 4.7 yards-per-carry and a 79-percent catch rate this season. It can’t be easy to cap a rookie’s momentum with this kind of production considering the other aging or injury-riddled options in the backfield.
It also helps that Washington’s run defense is no pushover, tied for 12th-lowest yards-per-carry allowed at 4.3, even after Swift’s performance.
It helps furthermore when it assists your team to get the W, as the Lions won in dramatic fashion off of Matt Prater‘s 59-yard game-winner as time expired. More wins equal fewer reasons for coaches to change their schemes or personnel.
Through week 10, at least, Swift has league-winning-legend written all over him. Do you have any other, more ideal candidates? Don’t hesitate to comment below.
And don’t hesitate to check out The Wolf’s Rest of Season Big Board and Rankings to see what other potential league-winners may enter the conversation. The 4th-ranked participant (entering week 10) in the FantasyPros Accuracy Challenge updates the Big Board every Monday, and more often, on Facebook, Youtube, and Periscope.
