After Arian Foster and Ray Rice went 1 – 2 in our NFL Fantasy Draft 2012, our next most valuable player is running back, LeSean McCoy, of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Half-Back

Born July 12, 1988 – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Height 5.11 – Weight 208

Previous Three Years Rushing Receiving Season Team GP Att Yds Avg Yds/G TD Rec Yds Avg TD 2009 PHI 16 155 637 4.1 39.8 4 40 308 7.7 0 2010 PHI 15 207 1,080 5.2 72 7 78 592 7.6 2 2011 PHI 15 273 1,309 4.8 87.3 17 47 315 6.6 3 Total 46 635 3,026 4.8 66.4 28 165 1,215 7.3 5

McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 53rd overall pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. He later signed a four-year contract with the team on June 29, 2009. McCoy got his start early once Eagles’ deactivated starter Brian Westbrook due to an ankle injury before their game against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 27th, 2009. He scored his first touchdown on a five-yard rush during the first quarter of that game. He officially got four starts during his first year and finished with 945 total yards and four touchdowns.

On March 18, 2010, McCoy changed his number to 25 from 29 to match the number he wore when he played at the University of Pittsburgh. He also became the starting running back that year once the team released previous starting running back Brian Westbrook. Fast forward to a few months ago, May 17th 2012 to be exact, it was announced that McCoy signed a five-year extension with the Eagles. The contract is worth $45 million with $20.765 million guaranteed.

For many reasons, a top pick in fantasy should be used on LeSean McCoy. For starters, basing your choice on last year’s results, LeSean had a “breakout” season by finishing with career highs in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. A reason for this could be the fact that LeSean was on the field for 81.1 percent of Eagles’ plays from scrimmage, which is well ahead of second-place Ray Rice. One can only assume that he will continue playing well this year also. Rumours coming out of Philadelphia report that the Eagles have come up with some new looks for LeSean to be split out wide, almost as a flanker-type player. This type of play will take advantage of McCoy`s improved receiving skills, and further supports the fact that Philadelphia will do whatever it takes to get the ball in the hands of their dynamic running back.

Additionally, there are many more reasons why LeSean would be great at #3. One reason is his excellent record of health; the last time LeSean had any kind of serious injury was when he broke his ankle at the end of his high school career – knock on wood. Further, as it can be seen in the table, year-by-year, McCoy’s rushing numbers have steadily improved since he entered the league. Lesean’s pass-catching ability make him a dual-threat, and allows him to be a three-down back, just like Arian Foster and Ray Rice.

If LeSean remains healthy as he has in the past, he could post rushing numbers in the 1,250-1,350 yard area. Meanwhile, I see him catching about 45-55 balls for about 350-450 receiving yards. Keep in mind that LeSean is the team’s goal-line back, so he has the potential for about 14-16 total touchdowns. If McCoy can post these stats, he will surely be a great pick third overall in fantasy.

… and that is the last word.