The Detroit Lions drafted Jahvid Best 30th overall in 2010 because they envisioned a game breaking player that could help them move the chains and catch the ball out of the backfield. In my opinion, that is exactly what they got.
Heralded by many as a top three rookie dynasty selection (behind Dez Bryant and Ryan Mathews), Best's rookie year could be described as a mixed bag, but seemed rather uneventful overall. Now is the time to acquire Jahvid Best for your dynasty squad because, even though he will be a part of a committee, he has excellent pass catching skills and is primed for a breakout.
After just two weeks in 2010, Best had combined for 268 total yards and 5 TD's on 45 touches against Chicago and Philadelphia. Those numbers got people's attention, but Jahvid suffered a grade 2 turf toe sprain in week 3 against Minnesota. To his credit, Best played through the pain, but at some point in the season, ended up with turf toe on both feet. As a result, he lacked the explosiveness that he shown in the first two weeks of the season.
This spring, the Lions spent a second round pick on running back Mikel Leshoure in order to take some of the workload off Best. Coach Jim Schwartz has already hinted that Leshoure will be the “closer” in a two back rotation and will be asked to grind out tough yards between the tackles, especially around the goal line.
What does that mean for Best? For one, he will continue to be relied on heavily in the passing game. In 2010, Best was on the field for 573 plays, 317 of which were pass plays. Let's compare Best's receiving numbers to running backs that had over 50 targets and played over 500 snaps in 2010:
| Player | Snaps | Targets | Rec | % Caught | Yards | Yds./Rec. | YAC | YAC/Rec. | Long | TD |
| Steven Jackson | 908 | 59 | 46 | 78 | 374 | 8.1 | 381 | 8.3 | 49 | 0 |
| Arian Foster | 855 | 78 | 66 | 84.6 | 604 | 9.2 | 620 | 9.4 | 50 | 2 |
| LeSean McCoy | 838 | 84 | 78 | 92.9 | 577 | 7.4 | 768 | 9.8 | 40 | 2 |
| Ray Rice | 836 | 75 | 63 | 84 | 626 | 9.9 | 644 | 10.2 | 76 | 1 |
| Chris D. Johnson | 826 | 55 | 44 | 80 | 245 | 5.6 | 263 | 6 | 25 | 1 |
| Peyton Hillis | 776 | 68 | 61 | 89.7 | 477 | 7.8 | 453 | 7.4 | 47 | 2 |
| Ahmad Bradshaw | 741 | 56 | 47 | 83.9 | 314 | 6.7 | 387 | 8.2 | 18 | 0 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 711 | 75 | 52 | 69.3 | 368 | 7.1 | 366 | 7 | 21 | 0 |
| Matt Forte | 706 | 65 | 51 | 78.5 | 549 | 10.8 | 472 | 9.3 | 89 | 3 |
| Darren McFadden | 669 | 52 | 47 | 90.4 | 507 | 10.8 | 551 | 11.7 | 67 | 3 |
| Cadillac Williams | 620 | 57 | 46 | 80.7 | 359 | 7.8 | 340 | 7.4 | 20 | 1 |
| Frank Gore | 618 | 62 | 46 | 74.2 | 452 | 9.8 | 478 | 10.4 | 41 | 2 |
| Jamaal Charles | 597 | 59 | 45 | 76.3 | 468 | 10.4 | 437 | 9.7 | 31 | 3 |
| Jahvid Best | 573 | 74 | 58 | 78.4 | 487 | 8.4 | 515 | 8.9 | 75 | 2 |
| Felix Jones | 570 | 51 | 48 | 94.1 | 450 | 9.4 | 570 | 11.9 | 71 | 1 |
| Player | Snaps/Trgt. | Yards/Snap |
| Jahvid Best | 7.74 | 0.85 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 9.48 | 0.52 |
| Frank Gore | 9.97 | 0.73 |
| LeSean McCoy | 9.98 | 0.69 |
| Jamaal Charles | 10.12 | 0.78 |
| Matt Forte | 10.86 | 0.78 |
| Cadillac Williams | 10.88 | 0.58 |
| Arian Foster | 10.96 | 0.71 |
| Ray Rice | 11.15 | 0.75 |
| Felix Jones | 11.18 | 0.79 |
| Peyton Hillis | 11.41 | 0.61 |
| Darren McFadden | 12.87 | 0.76 |
| Ahmad Bradshaw | 13.23 | 0.42 |
| Chris D. Johnson | 15.02 | 0.30 |
| Steven Jackson | 15.30 | 0.41 |
Even though Best only played 573 snaps, he had some very impressive receiving numbers when compared to a “who's who” of receiving running backs in 2010.
- Ranked #5 overall in targets
- Ranked #3 overall in longest run
- Best tied for #4 overall in receiving touchdowns
- Best ranked #8 overall in yards per reception
- Best ranked #9 overall in yards after the catch per reception
Most importantly, Best was ranked #1 overall in snaps per target and yards per snap. He is targeted an unbelievable once every 7.74 snaps and he gains .85 yards per snap played. Those are some impressive numbers against tough competition, especially when you consider the fact that he played with turf toe on both feet.
Looking at Best's run distribution from his rushing report, we get a better sense of where Best excels as a runner:
| LE | TE | LT | LT | LG | LG | ML | C | MR | RG | RG | RT | RT | FB | RE | ||
| Att. | 172 | 34 | 8 | 15 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 25 | |||||||
| Yds | 567 | 156 | 33 | 35 | 50 | 68 | 52 | 71 | 102 | |||||||
| Avg | 3.3 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 4.1 | |||||||
| YCo | 308 | 62 | 19 | 20 | 32 | 32 | 27 | 28 | 88 | |||||||
| LG | 45 | 33 | 20 | 8 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 45 |
Best averaged over 4.0 YPC when he ran off either end, but could not do better than 3.1 YPC when trying to run through any of the gaps between the tackles. Not surprisingly, Best also had his longest runs of the season around both left and right end. The Lions plan to pound the ball between the tackles with Mikel Leshoure to wear down defenses and to keep Best fresh. Against a worn out defense, Best's game-breaking speed could result in big chunks of yardage gained.
In 2010, the Lions showed that they were not afraid to get Jahvid Best the ball, even though he only played 573 snaps on two injured feet. Currently, Mike Clay has Best listed as the 16th overall RB in his PPR rankings with 233 fantasy points. That is spot on for 2011, but is his floor for the near future. I am bullish on the Lions in general, but I think one of the best off-season dynasty buys is Jahvid Best.
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