Fournette - what to do with him

[BeeziBad]

I think every time we hear of someone dropping weight, we dream of a Le’Veon situation where a guy drops 15 lbs and suddenly becomes the greatest in the league. But there is really no way to tell how that weight will effect a players game.

[AussieMate]

On the plus side it might help with his cronic ankle problems, other then that it'll be like the Joe Mixon weight loss.... We'll see soon enough, hope for the best and expect nothing.

[FantasyFreak]

I think every time we hear of someone dropping weight, we dream of a Le’Veon situation where a guy drops 15 lbs and suddenly becomes the greatest in the league. But there is really no way to tell how that weight will effect a players game.

Of course. but this seems to be the weight he played at while at LSU, so it is unlike the Bell situation in that regard. Bell always played heavier in college, and re-invented his physique and was hugely successful with it. Fournette added weight for year 1 of the NFL, and has returned to his college playing weight, so he has played at this weight before.

[hockeyBjj]

So Leonard reported in at 223. Played at 235ish last year. Supposedly he was about 223-224 at LSU. What do we make of this? He ran a 4.51 at 240 at the combine, so he's got to be a mid 4.4 at this point. Will it help his game?

He was never 240. He water bulked up to look like even more a monster at the combine when he hit the scale

He went from 225-230 to 223. Non story imo

[Mjvb5]

Generally speaking a player "losing" or "Gaining" wait is really just that day they reported in high or low or were high or low the last time they reported in, with the amount of training and eating these guys do they probably vary 5-10 pound daily, depending on the prior days meals and regimen and then that also applies to the last weigh in (combine they tend to try and weigh heavy)
Going off this if he truly did lose that much weight (i'd say 25% chance) I'm a touch worried, I dont like my backs losing or gaining weight, as they try to play the same way they did before and it just doesn't work and thats how they get hurt.

[turkjetfan]

I think in Fournette's case dropping weight is a great thing.

1) In this case it should help him stay healthy, since his ankles have been troublesome. That's less weight on those bad boys.
2) He's at the playing weight that got him where he is, from his college career.

I am expecting a big season from Fournette this year, all told.

[UATahoe]

He battled the same injuries in college so I don’t have a lot of faith that this will help that problem. Leonard is always going to rely on volume kind of in the same manner Derrick Henry does. He will rattle off a bunch of 2 or 3 yard carries and then finally find a seam on a run and get you 60 and a TD. To me Fournette will always be a thumper that has elite top end speed so he will need 25 carries to make sure he gets that one big run.

I feel like that’s the aggravating issue with Henry. He could produce the same but needs the heavy volume to get there. I do think Fournette brings a little better receiving game to the table but they are very similar backs.

[SelectDynastyLeagues]

I think every time we hear of someone dropping weight, we dream of a Le’Veon situation where a guy drops 15 lbs and suddenly becomes the greatest in the league. But there is really no way to tell how that weight will effect a players game.

This is a good point, and the same thing happened with Mixon this offseason. The one difference I see here is that Fournette played last year heavier than he did in college, and they he dealt with the kind of leg injuries you’d expect from carrying that weight. I’m very cautiously optimistic, but not because of a shift in style or production; I just think he might stay healthier.

[UATahoe]

He missed almost half of his last year at LSU with an ankle injury....

[SelectDynastyLeagues]

He missed almost half of his last year at LSU with an ankle injury....

Sure, but playing overweight wasn’t likely to help that recovery process.

[notweswelker]

*hot take alert*

If you've read my posts I am pretty low on Leonard Fournette compared to consensus.
This article:

http://www.espn.com/blog/jacksonville-j ... ats-say-no

Compares the Jags Offense with and without Fournette, and it's a pretty compelling split.
I think the time to move on from him is this season. Between his injuries (exacerbated by his punishing running style), his deficiencies as a receiver, and the mounting evidence that having him out there is a net negative to the offense, I think owners should cash in sometime this season before he crashes.

[dm1129]

The article even states that 3 of the 4 games without Fournette were against teams with a winning percentage barely above 30%. In other words, this entire article is really nothing. It is ridiculous to suggest that Fournette is the cause for the passing game to improve when he is not playing. Fournette is not the one throwing interceptions, incompletions, etc.....What is true is the Jaguars play calling with Fournette is painfully antiquated and unimaginative, and as a result the opportunities may be fewer or more limited throwing the ball. The idea that he is deficient as a receiver is simply not true. Fournette with a good play caller would be lethal. So I do not see this as mounting evidence that the Jags are better without Fournette nor do I do not see a crash coming.

[steelman]

There's always been something about Fournette that I didn't like (not for his price anyway). With that said, I also never liked Brandon Cooks, so...

[MEuRaH]

I owned 3 shares of Fournette. I sold all 3 shares during the off-season. I also don't like how he lost weight. RBs have a history of losing weight and then getting hurt MORE because their body takes on more damage without that extra padding.

I think he'll still be near an elite level when on the field, but it'll be a lot of guess work when it comes to injuries for his career (my best guess).

[notweswelker]

The article even states that 3 of the 4 games without Fournette were against teams with a winning percentage barely above 30%. In other words, this entire article is really nothing. It is ridiculous to suggest that Fournette is the cause for the passing game to improve when he is not playing. Fournette is not the one throwing interceptions, incompletions, etc.....What is true is the Jaguars play calling with Fournette is painfully antiquated and unimaginative, and as a result the opportunities may be fewer or more limited throwing the ball. The idea that he is deficient as a receiver is simply not true. Fournette with a good play caller would be lethal. So I do not see this as mounting evidence that the Jags are better without Fournette nor do I do not see a crash coming.

I don't think it's ridiculous. Could be wrong, but the stats so far support it. The way I see it, teams have to account for a good receiving running back in ways that weakens their back end coverage, which leads to easier matchups for the QB throwing the ball. For a guy like Bortles who still has a fair few deficiencies as a passer, this is quite the difference. You may have a point about the play calling, it could definitely be that the Jags simply aren't using as much as a receiving threat that they should, that's something I didn't consider. I'll definitely be watching that aspect next time he's active.