Fantasy Football: Steven Jackson vs Frank Gore in 2013
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

This is a sample of the exclusive data that will be part of the three year running back study we unroll in our FREE 2013 Fantasy Football Draft Guide. The Guide is complimentary for any member of our community. It’s free. It’s easy. Sign Up Now!

Games Played:
Jackson = 47 (98%), Gore = 43 (89.6%)

Total Points:
Jackson = 540.5, Gore = 535.78

Average Points:
Jackson = 11.5, Gore = 12.46

Median Points:
Jackson = 12.4, Gore = 13.2

Median Scoring Range:
Jackson = 10-15, Gore = 10-15

Modal Scoring Range:
Jackson = 10-15, Gore = 10-15

There’s a reason so many fantasy football players will be choosing between Steven Jackson and Frank Gore in 2013 Fantasy Football Drafts. Both players are late in their careers. Both are on good teams. Their three-year scoring profiles are close to identical.

The edge in weekly upside goes to Gore. Jackson gets a slight nod for durability. Both produce little variance with respect to their scoring averages. Overall, they have been relatively low upside, yet reliable fantasy options over this period.

As the players age, it’s interesting to see the graph recede from the three year chart to the 2012 data. It’s what you would expect. As their physical tools deteriorate, so does their upside. Frank Gore managed to hang in there pretty strong in 2012, and almost duplicated his three year numbers. Steven Jackson’s 15+ point games of the past- turned in to 7-10 point games in 2012. His scoring average eroded to 10.02 PPG- down from his 11.5 PPG three-year average.

The wildcard is that Jackson has switched teams for 2013. The move to Atlanta is a huge upgrade in circumstances- specifically when it comes to potential production in the receiving game and redzone opportunities. Jackson has had a 90 catch season before.

Really, we can only hypothesize about Jackson’s future production. If he gets a 10% bump in production, he’s an 11-13 point guy. If he gets a 20% bump, he’s a 12-14 point guy, and so on. We can see 15 ppg as a fringe possibility. At the very least, we should see continued reliability and the return of some higher upside performances this season.

As for Frank Gore, all the data suggests that we know exactly who he is. His situation stays the same. He is going to be a 12-13 PPG fantasy contributor who provides relatively consistent production. He is currently the better value in mock drafts, being drafted slightly later than Steven Jackson.

All things being even, the allure of some unknown upside make Steven Jackson our choice in 2013 Fantasy Football Drafts.