L.T. won’t hurt Greene’s draft value next season
Michael Fabiano | Tags: DeAngelo Willliams, Jamaal Charles, LaDainian Tomlinson, Leon Washington, Rex Ryan, Shonn Greene, Steven Jackson, Thomas Jones
When the Jets released Thomas Jones earlier this offseason, I wrote a column claiming that Shonn Greene was now the No. 1 breakout player in fantasy football.
I’m not backing down from that statement even with LaDainian Tomlinson in green and white. The Jets have signed the one-time fantasy superstar to a two-year deal, during which time he’ll serve as a complementary option to Greene.
The move is by no means a negative for Greene, who remains the favorite to start for coach Rex Ryan after showing flashes of absolute brilliance as a rookie.
Greene carried the ball a combined 29 times and averaged an impressive 5.4 yards per attempt in the final two regular-season games.
He went on to take over the featured spot in the first two weeks of the postseason, rushing for a combined 263 yards and two touchdowns.
Aside from his impressive playoff run, Greene also had a tremendous yards-per-carry average. In three regular-season games where he received 13 or more rushing attempts, Greene rushed for a combined 301 yards with a 6.3 yards-per-carry average.
In three postseason games, he averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
Tomlinson, 31, is past his prime and will see a change-of-pace role that will include time on passing downs and around eight to 12 touches per game. If anyone’s fantasy value has been affected, it’s that of Leon Washington.
The Florida State product moves back to third on the depth chart and could end up seeing more time as a return man on special teams than as a runner out of the Jets backfield. Tomlinson is also a better low middle-round fantasy handcuff, so Washington is now little more than a flier pick.
As for Greene, he’s still worth a first-round selection ahead of Steven Jackson, Jamaal Charles and DeAngelo Williams.


