Sankey and Cobb, we can see that Sankey exceeds Cobb in every single athletic metric. In fact, Sankey’s athleticism score (which summarizes a player’s workout scores, normalized by BMI), places him in the 87th percentile. It’s clear he has the requisite physical skills to excel.

Cobb, on the other hand, falls into the 66th percentile in athleticism score. It’s not a deathblow to Cobb’s prospects, but it’s clear which player is the more gifted athlete.

Our own Rotoviz Radio, Shawn Siegele pointed to Sankey as a fantasy asset that could outperform expectations in 2015, and end up as an extremely viable “Zero-RB” candidate.

Following this lead, I dug a little deeper into what Sankey did last season.

In 2014, Sankey ranked 12th in yards after contact per attempt among the 42 running backs who received at least 25% of their respective team’s total carries, according to Pro Football Focus. He also ranked 18th in missed tackles on rushes and ninth in their Elusive Rating, suggesting he was a more elusive runner than both Le’Veon Bell and DeMarco Murray.

This is not to say Sankey is “better” than either Bell or Murray, but it should at least give pause to the notion that Sankey is a no-talent runner just waiting to be passed up by an incoming rookie.

Further, Sankey did show promise in the receiving game. Despite playing on the 30th-ranked team in terms of passing (the Titans recorded -0.06 Passing NEP per play when adjusted for schedule strength) Sankey’s Reception NEP per target of 0.28 ranked 16th among the 36 backs who saw at least 20 targets last season, and he hauled in 75% of his 24 targets, which ranked 14th.

Cobb caught just 33 passes in his final two collegiate seasons, so Sankey’s main contention for targets will again be McCluster (whose Reception NEP per target was 0.34 on 35 targets last season).

Will We Be Doing The “Sankey Leg” In 2015?

Predicting any facet of the Titans offense for 2015 at this point is a difficult endeavor.

First, the outcome largely depends on who will be starting at quarterback, a question that we don’t really have a definitive answer for yet. If Marcus Mariota starts as most would assume, one would hope that the coaching staff will attempt to tailor the playbook to fit what the Heisman Trophy winner does best. Conversely, if Zach Mettenberger starts, we should expect a more traditional, pro-style attack.

And while the additions of Dorial Green-Beckham and Hakeem Nicks are no guarantees of an improved offense, it’s difficult to imagine the on-field product getting much worse than last season’s iteration.

As things stand right now, I am not ready to give up on Sankey altogether. His efficiency metrics were terrible last season but I think he still has a shot to become a serviceable fantasy back in the near future. And he is certainly a post-hype candidate this season that could provide massive value depending on his draft cost.

Call me crazy, but if the price is right, I’ll be investing come draft time.