Isaiah Spiller to the LAC Chargers: 2nd Round Rookie Gem or future JAG?

[mild]

The Athletic's Daniel Popper reports Chargers fourth-round RB Isaiah Spiller is "showcasing his pass-catching ability."

Per Popper, Spiller has "displayed some polished route running, solid hands and a north-south after-the-catch burst in these first two days of camp." It's not a surprise for a 21-year-old (next month) who entered the league with 74 career receptions at Texas A&M. Spiller is battling Larry Rountree and Joshua Kelley for No. 2 duties behind pass-catcher extraordinaire Austin Ekeler, but that does not mean he will be expected to catch zero passes. We would expect Spiller to beat out the unimpressive Rountree and Kelley, creating potential low-end FLEX value.

Let the drum beat begin!

[FantasyFreak]

The Athletic's Daniel Popper reports Chargers fourth-round RB Isaiah Spiller is "showcasing his pass-catching ability."

Per Popper, Spiller has "displayed some polished route running, solid hands and a north-south after-the-catch burst in these first two days of camp." It's not a surprise for a 21-year-old (next month) who entered the league with 74 career receptions at Texas A&M. Spiller is battling Larry Rountree and Joshua Kelley for No. 2 duties behind pass-catcher extraordinaire Austin Ekeler, but that does not mean he will be expected to catch zero passes. We would expect Spiller to beat out the unimpressive Rountree and Kelley, creating potential low-end FLEX value.

Let the drum beat begin!

Is there a "yawn" emoji?

[jetsfan5757]

Still holding, or time to drop???

[Jigga94]

Still holding, or time to drop???

Hasn't been active after seemingly being drafted to be their RB2. Ekeler was obviously going to get his. I wasn't too surprised they signed vet Sony Michel to help out until Spiller gets up to speed. But Josh Kelley too? Sounds like Spiller doesn't have it. I faded him big time with where he was going in rookie drafts early on.

Some will (and have before) reference him being 21 as a positive, but age just doesn't matter for RB early on like it does WR. They either have it or they dont. Plus, hes not going to get any faster as he ages.

Depending on your league, you're probably holding with no better options, but in a shallow league DROP

[Cameron Giles]

So far, this RB class is playing out very predictably. I don't think he's a drop, but definitely the type of player I would've traded for a pick next year if I was on the clock and leaning towards him. Nothing really special about him.

[Jigga94]

So far, this RB class is playing out very predictably. I don't think he's a drop, but definitely the type of player I would've traded for a pick next year if I was on the clock and leaning towards him. Nothing really special about him.

For sure. Hall is in a timeshare and slowly taking over the lead role. Walker tbd. Pierce has the amazing opportunity. Then the rest are pretty much longshots still

[mild]

Still holding, or time to drop???

Still holding, but not a lot to be excited about thus far given that they think Sony Michel is a better player as of right now.

He is young, and he could turn it around. Youngest player in the draft - I think he will benefit from NFL conditioning.

RB's usually take a little longer than other positions to make a dent in a timeshare position, and especially one as ingrained and elite as Ekeler. I would be more worried if it's post-Bye (or an Ek injury) and he still isn't involved.

Worth noting that his contemporaries in Rachaad White, Ken Walker, Zamir, James Cook, etc really haven't done a whole lot yet either. If you're looking to drop those guys too, then yeah, you can drop Spiller.

[bjd5211]

Not a drop, but I'd send out offers to sell for a late 2 - mid 3 and see if I get a bite.

[ericanadian]

Kelley seems to have genuinely improved as a player and given his low number of carries relative to his snaps, he must be coming in on pass protections a fair bit. Michel is the more worrying obstacle because he seems to be no more than a COP back who works solely between the 20s. He also seems to suck at his job for the most part, so not sure why Spiller is unable to unseat him (also not sure why Kelley isn’t able to get more carries)

I’m holding. Need to have patience with a 4th round RB or there was really no point in drafting them.

[AZK]

I was super high on him pre-combine, pretty glad I don't have a share. Would still probably buy as a throw in because I do like the skill set but I was wrong about his ceiling for sure.

[MacDaddy123]

Still holding, or time to drop???

I'm still holding, not even considering dropping.
Spiller is the youngest RB in the NFL right now.
I was not expecting instant contributions.

My Spiller comp has been James Conner, both are big backs who can run and catch the ball, not very quick or agile though, so they will have their share of injuries over the years.
Don't forget that Conner didn't do much as a rookie sitting behind Le'Veon Bell, he had 32 touches in 2017.
However, Conner has had two RB1 finishes in his 5 NFL seasons prior to 2022.

I'm just letting Spiller sit on my Taxi and wait for now.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

Still holding, or time to drop???

I'm still holding, not even considering dropping.
Spiller is the youngest RB in the NFL right now.
I was not expecting instant contributions.

My Spiller comp has been James Conner, both are big backs who can run and catch the ball, not very quick or agile though, so they will have their share of injuries over the years.
Don't forget that Conner didn't do much as a rookie sitting behind Le'Veon Bell, he had 32 touches in 2017.
However, Conner has had two RB1 finishes in his 5 NFL seasons prior to 2022.

I'm just letting Spiller sit on my Taxi and wait for now.

Hmm don’t agree with that comp. Conner is a power back and Spiller is the opposite.

[MacDaddy123]

Still holding, or time to drop???

I'm still holding, not even considering dropping.
Spiller is the youngest RB in the NFL right now.
I was not expecting instant contributions.

My Spiller comp has been James Conner, both are big backs who can run and catch the ball, not very quick or agile though, so they will have their share of injuries over the years.
Don't forget that Conner didn't do much as a rookie sitting behind Le'Veon Bell, he had 32 touches in 2017.
However, Conner has had two RB1 finishes in his 5 NFL seasons prior to 2022.

I'm just letting Spiller sit on my Taxi and wait for now.

Hmm don’t agree with that comp. Conner is a power back and Spiller is the opposite.

That's fine, I'm not gonna argue, not worth it.
Lots of folks comparing ETN with Kamara when ETN came out, and I never saw that either.

[lukkynumber13]

Still holding, or time to drop???

Hasn't been active after seemingly being drafted to be their RB2. Ekeler was obviously going to get his. I wasn't too surprised they signed vet Sony Michel to help out until Spiller gets up to speed. But Josh Kelley too? Sounds like Spiller doesn't have it. I faded him big time with where he was going in rookie drafts early on.

Some will (and have before) reference him being 21 as a positive, but age just doesn't matter for RB early on like it does WR. They either have it or they dont. Plus, hes not going to get any faster as he ages.

Depending on your league, you're probably holding with no better options, but in a shallow league DROP

Good point

Same thing with RoJo - it’s crazy when you realize the dude is only 24 or 25 years old when it feels like he’s already had his career cycle, and yet… I don’t get extra fantasy points for “expected years left on the planet”

[Cameron Giles]

Still holding, or time to drop???

Hasn't been active after seemingly being drafted to be their RB2. Ekeler was obviously going to get his. I wasn't too surprised they signed vet Sony Michel to help out until Spiller gets up to speed. But Josh Kelley too? Sounds like Spiller doesn't have it. I faded him big time with where he was going in rookie drafts early on.

Some will (and have before) reference him being 21 as a positive, but age just doesn't matter for RB early on like it does WR. They either have it or they dont. Plus, hes not going to get any faster as he ages.

Depending on your league, you're probably holding with no better options, but in a shallow league DROP

Good point

Same thing with RoJo - it’s crazy when you realize the dude is only 24 or 25 years old when it feels like he’s already had his career cycle, and yet… I don’t get extra fantasy points for “expected years left on the planet”

Yep, great point.

Being a young RB with Day 3 draft capital, who's bad or mediocre, isn't a good thing. Teams will move on from those in a year or two if they haven't done much. Drafting a "project" RB doesn't really make much sense in the NFL.