Le'Veon Bell Apologizes to Last Year's Fantasy Owners, Promises a Better 2019

Le'Veon Bell’s holdout that carried on throughout t2018 resulted in exactly zero games played by the All-Pro running back. This came as a rather large disappointment to his teammates, Steelers management, and their fans. Bell eventually got what he wanted: a long-term contract worth $52 million, instead of risking an injury playing a second year on the franchise tag.

To a lesser degree, his decision also made fantasy football owners unhappy. When most drafts occurred in late August, it was far from a sure thing that Bell would be sitting out. There are thousands of fantasy owners who took a risk on Bell in the early rounds, because when he’s healthy and playing, he’s a top-ten fantasy draft pick. Of course, that didn’t work out for these owners, and they had to accept one of their top draft picks simply becoming a sunk cost.

Bell heard the criticisms, and took the time to apologize on Twitter. It’s no doubt a bit tongue-in-cheek, given how ridiculous the criticism from these fantasy owners towards players can get. But an apology is an apology, and it came with a promise.

This might be the best time to bet big on Bell, who will be playing in an offense without an all-time great quarterback or receiver on the field for the first time. The Jets will be relying entirely upon Bell to help take the load off Sam Darnold. He’ll be getting a lot of touches to prove he’s worth his money. That could alternatively be seen as a good reason to not draft Bell; his injury history is worth mentioning, and he’s never had the attention of an entire defensive unit.

No matter what your opinion is, there will be plenty of people who believe he’s worthy of a top pick. He’ll definitely play this time, they can take solace in that much.