The New York Jets didn't take long to replace Chris Ivory, adding veteran running back Matt Forte to their offensive attack. The fantasy superstar should move right into a featured role for Gang Green and retain his stock as a valuable runner in fantasy football leagues.
Forte might be coming off a "mediocre" 2015 season based on his past success, but he still finished ninth in fantasy points at the position despite missing three games. The skeptics will remind us that he's 30 years old, which can be a statistical death sentence for runners. Furthermore, just two running backs (John Henry Johnson, Herschel Walker) have rushed for 1,000-plus yards when moving to a new team at the age of 30 ... and Walker did it in 1992. I'm looking past this trend, though, due in part to the fact that Forte doesn't need to rush for 1,000 yards to produce fantasy points.
The Tulane product brings a versatile skill set to the Jets, as he's hauled in a combined 220 receptions for 1,791 yards with 10 touchdowns as a receiver out of the backfield over the last three seasons. Fantasy owners and Jets fans remember too that it was Bilal Powell, not Ivory, who was the better fantasy runner in the final month of the 2015 campaign. What do Powell and Forte have in common? That's right, both have immense abilities as a pass-catcher, and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is certain to utilize Forte often in that capacity.
Another fact to keep in mind is that Forte hasn't endured massive workloads (in terms of carries) in his career. In fact, he's carried the football 270 times or less in six of his last seven seasons.
With Ivory in Jacksonville and both Powell and Stevan Ridley now free agents, there's no doubt that the Jets will be looking to add another running back to the mix in the near future. That could cloud the backfield situation. But for now, it's hard not to like Forte has a high-end No. 2 fantasy runner with added value in PPR leagues.
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Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
