Kelly Cox – USA Today Sports
Christopher Ivory might be getting his shot at being a feature back after his trade to the New York Jets. So this means he could again be an RB of interest in fantasy football this season.
Ivory has been a curiosity in fantasy circles, due to his potential and his explosiveness off the line. But his history of injuries has damped the enthusiasm. When he was at Washington State for three years, his playing time was limited by injuries. After his transfer to Division II Tiffin, he played only five games then suffered a season-ending injury. While he was not drafted in 2010, the New Orlean Saints did sign him soon after the draft. His 76-yard touchdown run on a swing pass in pre-season had fantasy mangers rushing to the waiver wire to pick him up.
Ivory started the season third on the Saints depth chart behind Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas. But injuries quickly resulted in Ivory moving to the top of the depth chart. He rewarded his fantasy owners in Week 6 with 158 rushing yards. He followed this up with 99 yards in Week 11 and 117 in Week 13. He finished his rookie season with 716 rushing yards and five TDs.
But soon the injury bug bit again. Ivory suffered a foot injury, missed the post-season games and did not play until Week 8 of the 2011 season. The 2012 season wasn’t much better. Again he did not play until Week 9 and ended the season with only 40 carries. This week he signed a three-year deal with the Jets and should join Mike Goodson at the top of their depth chart.
While his injury history and lack of pass-receiving skills certainly are a consideration, Ivory certainly should be roster-able in fantasy leagues this season. Lacking an elite wide receiver, the Jets might have to depend heavily on the running game. So I see him maybe being the 25th RB off the boards, which means that he could be in a team’s starting lineup frequently this season.
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