Running back Frank Gore fractured his hip, missing the final four games of the 2010 season. The following offseason, he turned 28, so at that age and coming off a serious injury, many fantasy owners believed Gore’s days as an elite fantasy option were done.
All he’s done since, however, is rush for 5,626 yards and 35 touchdowns while playing every single game over the last five years. Incredibly, Gore has only left a game due to an injury once in that span, and he returned to play the following week.
Every year, there’s a discussion about whether or not this will finally be the year Gore declines, and each season, he answers that question with a resounding no. He’s been Mr. Reliable for 11 years, rushing for over 12,000 yards and earning at least 150 fantasy points every season since his rookie year.
There were definitely some signs of slowing down in 2015, but Mr. Reliable still has enough left in the tank that at the right ADP, he can be a valuable asset for a fantasy owner.
Early on in 2015, his first with the Indianapolis Colts, it didn’t appear as though offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton was using him the right way. Indianapolis had Gore on a “pitch count” so through the first eight weeks of the year, he only received 20 carries in a game twice.
Apparently that and some other offensive issues didn’t sit well with Colts management because Hamilton was fired on Nov. 3. The following week, Indianapolis threw out Gore’s “pitch count”, as new coordinator Rob Chudzinski handed him a season-high 28 carries.
Gore didn’t get 20 carries in a game again, but he did average 17.5 attempts during the second half of the year. Over the first half under Hamilton, he had only 15.0 carries per contest.
But unlike in years past, Gore didn’t get better with the more work he received.
In his final season with the 49ers in 2014, he recorded 20 attempts in four separate games. During those contests, he averaged 5.1 yards per carry. In the first 10 years of his career, when Gore received 20 or more carries in a game, he gained 4.45 yards per attempt.
Last season, though, Gore averaged just 3.49 yards per carry in games where he made 20-plus attempts.
What was once his bread and butter – carrying the ball at least five times per quarter and wearing down the defense in the second half – was no longer his strength in 2015. Gore averaged over 5.00 yards per carry in a game three times last season, and in all of them, he made 15 or fewer attempts.
Apparently the “pitch count” was the way to go.
Unfortunately, Gore still isn’t effective enough in the limited carries to make up for fewer attempts. He finished with fewer than 1,000 rushing yards (967) while playing all 16 games for the first time since 2005, and last year was the first time ever he didn’t post at least one 100-yard game.
Fortunately, the 32-year-old was able to reinvent himself a bit to stay fantasy relevant. He made 34 catches and went for 267 yards, both of which were more than his receptions and receiving yards in his last two seasons with San Francisco combined.
That helped Gore finish with 159.4 fantasy points. In other words, he still nearly averaged 10.0 fantasy points per week in standard leagues.
Assuming the Colts return the 33-year-old to a reasonable “pitch count”, and he continues to contribute in the passing game, owners can do much worse than Gore for a bye-week replacement.
Age has certainly caught up to Mr. Reliable, but Gore is still worth a seventh-round selection, which is where he is going in 12-team leagues according to his 74.0 ADP at Fantasy Pros.
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