C.J. Spiller-The Story of the Year in Fantasy Football

Sep 16, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller (28) runs around Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) during the third quarter at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Spiller (28) had 123 yards in the game. Bills beat the Chiefs 35-17. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

After two weeks of fantasy football, the story of the year has been C.J. Spiller’s explosion onto the scene as an elite-level running back. Spiller ran for 169 yards week one against the Jets and Sunday went for another 123 yards against the supposedly-improved Kansas City Chiefs defense.

Spiller has looked dynamic in the passing game as well adding five catches for 72 yards in his two games. The injury to Fred Jackson has definitely put the spotlight and the workload on Spiller, but the best news for Spiller owners is that he hasn’t needed a full complement of touches to make his magic happen. He had just 16 against the Jets with 184 all-purpose yards and 18 against the Chiefs for 170. When Fred Jackson returns, Spiller is sure to continue to get 15-20 touches per game and should be a huge part of Buffalo’s gameplan. When he was involved in series, good things happened for the Bills; when they went away from Spiller, they struggled. Defenses will have their lands full with both the Spiller-unit and the Jackson-unit firing on all cylinders.

Sep 16, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands off to running back C.J. Spiller (28) and Spiller runs for a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-US PRESSWIRE

Expecting Spiller to continue to average over 10 yards a carry is crazy, but he should be a top-level running back the rest of the season. He is the only running back that’s been in the top-5 in standard scoring each of the first two weeks and his use in the passing game helps his value in PPR leagues.

As long as Spiller stays healthy he’ll be remembered as one of the best picks in this year’s fantasy drafts and a player many will be looking to keep heading into next year.