Workhorse Frank Gore Fantasy 2016: Defying All Odds

By Michael Hauff

Posted on August 14, 2016

Even the definition of a Colt contradicts Frank Gore: A colt is a young male horse, in particular, one less than four years old. The irony is that the average NFL running back only lasts four years in the league, but not Frank.

Frank Gore Fantasy 2016

[the_ad id=”63198″]If you’re anything like me, you’ve been immersing yourself in Fantasy Football this summer. While most folks are working on their tans and playing volleyball, I’m sitting here with a farmers tan debating draft philosophies. All of this preparation likely has you downloading podcasts, scouring the magazine racks, and if you’re really smart signing up for exclusive content from Gridiron Experts (Yes. I just went there). Although some of the rankings between different industry experts may not be identical, there are still some prevailing thoughts that are universally regurgitated. One of these thoughts among a majority of fantasy football enthusiasts is that Frank Gore is finished. They want you to believe that Frank the tank is coming up on ‘E’ and is sputtering out just short of Canton,Ohio.

Even the definition of a “Colt” contradicts Frank Gore: A colt is a young male horse, in particular, one less than four years old. The irony is that the average NFL running back only lasts four years in the league, but not Frank.

So what exactly happened to Frank Gore that he now finds himself in Fantasy Football exile?

For the majority of his career, he has been one of the most consistent running backs in recent memory. From 2006 till 2014 Gore had only had one season in which he failed to reach 1,000 yards rushing. In that same nine-year span he never finished below 1,200 all-purpose yards. One would have to assume that Gore must have fallen off significantly in 2015 to garner so much heat right? Last season Frank Gore finished just 33 yards short of 1,000 yards on the ground but still amassed 1,234 all-purpose yards. His touchdown input doesn’t really signify the end for Gore either as he finished with 2 more total touchdowns in 2015 (7) than he did the year prior. He had five rushes for twenty yards or more in 2015 which was the same as 2014 and averaged one more rushing attempt per game in 2015 than he did in 2014.

Frank Gore’s Career Stats

Year	Age	Tm	G	Att	Yds	TD	Y/G	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD
2005	22		14	127	608	3	43.4	22	15	131	0
2006	23		16	312	1695	8	105.9	86	61	485	1
2007	24		15	260	1102	5	73.5	69	53	436	1
2008	25		14	240	1036	6	74	66	43	373	2
2009	26		14	229	1120	10	80	75	52	406	3
2010	27		11	203	853	3	77.5	72	46	452	2
2011	28		16	282	1211	8	75.7	31	17	114	0
2012	29		16	258	1214	8	75.9	36	28	234	1
2013	30		16	276	1128	9	70.5	27	16	141	0
2014	31		16	255	1106	4	69.1	19	11	111	1
2015	32		16	260	967	6	60.4	58	34	267	1

To continue with comparing 2015 with his previous seasons it is also important to note that he ended up with 34 receptions last season. Not only was that more receptions than he had tallied in the last 5 seasons but his 34 receptions are more than the previous two seasons combined. Does this sound like a guy who is fading?

Frank Gore finished 9th in the league in rushing yards last season which ironically was right where he finished in the previous two seasons. He managed to pull this off in an offense that ranked 28th in the league. An offense that was riddled with injuries from the star quarterback along with other players along the offensive side of the ball. This year Andrew Luck is healthy and they invested half of their NFL draft selecting offensive lineman. Matt Hasselback will not be under center this season so you will not have as many men in the box to combat the rushing attack. Stephen Holder of the IndyStar has even gone out and said that there is no mistaking that Frank Gore is the number one back and will receive the bulk of the Colts carries.

In 2014, Gore finished 17th in standard and 21st in PPR.

In 2015, he finished 12th in standard and 14th in PPR.

The upward trend of his rankings does not coincide with Fantasy Pros consensus ADP chart for this upcoming season. Among players at his position, Gore is sitting with an ADP of 32nd in standard and 29 in PPR. Just marinate on that for a moment and think about why those ADPs are what they are. He still maintained 1,200 all-purpose yards, he added to his touchdown total, and his reception total.

[the_ad id=”58837″]Make no mistake that 2015 was an off year for the Indianapolis Colts. Every single piece that you read on a Colts player will suggest that they should get a mulligan for being on a team that had an off year. Let’s not forget that before the start of last season the Colts were a Super Bowl pick and Frank Gore was a part of that. Considering all of the numbers and statistics, I have provided I don’t know what makes Gore so different from other players on this Colts roster. It could only be because of fear over the amount of birthday candles he has to blow out because from what I’m looking at I don’t see a tremendous amount of regression from his previous seasons.

Gore Fantasy 2016: My Personal Prediction

To close this out with a bold statement, not only do I think that Frank Gore will be a value at where he is being drafted (ADP 6.08) but I will go out and say that at the age of 33 he will be the first running back since John Riggins in 1984 to rush for 1,000 yards. Let those naysayers pass Gore by on the way to draft their team. He will have more year left of NFL relevancy in him and will be one of the biggest fantasy values in your draft(s).

See where Gridiron Experts has Frank Gore listed in their Running Back Rankings for 2016

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Michael Hauff

Mike is a hardcore fantasy football fan. He has been doing serious writing for a couple of years now and loves finding the next big sleeper that no one is talking about. He also isn’t afraid to go against the grain and predict the next big bust. The fantasy community is as strong as ever and Mike is ready to help you win a title!