When you take a step back and think about it, the fact that you can get a 250-plus carry running back at the end of the seventh round in a fantasy draft this season is pretty remarkable. Even if that running back is old enough to wear adult diapers.
Seriously, though: what's Frank Gore got to do to get some more love in fantasy circles? Over the last two years, no running back -- not Todd Gurley, not Devonta Freeman, not DeMarco Murray -- has carried the ball more than Gore has (523 attempts). And Gore's been pretty solid from a fantasy perspective with that volume. Take a look at the number of top weekly performances (PPR) he's had compared to other running backs in 2015 and 2016, sorted by top-24 (RB2), top-18 (high-end RB2), and top-12 (RB1) thresholds:
| Season | Top-24 | Top-18 | Top-12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7 (T-17th) | 5 (T-15th) | 2 (T-31st) |
| 2016 | 10 (T-8th) | 8 (T-8th) | 4 (T-13th) |
For all intents and purposes, Frank Gore was, at the very least, a higher-end RB2 in fantasy football last year. His season-long numbers show that he ended the year as fantasy's 12th-ranked back, but that's mostly because he was able to stay healthy. Even when you break it down, though, like the table shows above, he was a pretty usable asset.
So why is his average draft position so low? To me, it's pretty obvious: it's all about age.
Gore's going to be 34 years old this season, and only one running back in NFL history -- John Riggins -- has rushed for 1,000-plus yards at such an age. Meanwhile, only three separate running backs at 34-plus years old have hit the 200-carry mark: Riggins, Emmitt Smith, and Marcus Allen.
But here's the thing: Frank Gore has already broken the running back age curve. At 33 years of age last season, he ran the ball 263 times, the fifth-highest total for any running back in that age group. And he hit the 1,000-yard mark, becoming the third running back to do so at 33 years or older.
And the truth is, his average draft cost clearly -- clearly -- already factors in his age. He's coming off a strong fantasy season where he was usable as a high-floor RB2, and he's being drafted at RB34.
While he may not bring an insanely high ceiling, pairing him with a higher-variance running back -- a player who does have that ceiling -- makes total sense this season.