Cam Skattebo backflip: what it means for fantasy
By Michael
Cam Skattebo backflip goes viral, Harbaugh steps in
Cam Skattebo, RB for the New York Giants, botched his trademark backflip at Fanatics Fest over the weekend, and the video spread fast given that he is recovering from a right ankle dislocation and fractured fibula suffered in Week 8 last season. He addressed it the next day, said he was "perfectly fine," and blamed the fall on "bouncy" floors.
Harbaugh's initial public take was light. On the "Bleav in Giants" podcast he joked, "Dude, at least stick it," before adding that Skattebo has been training hard and is healthy heading into camp. Behind the scenes, Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen still had a direct conversation with Skattebo about it.
What Skattebo said after talking to Harbaugh and Schoen
Skattebo kept his response brief and positive. "The big-picture message is you want to take care of yourself, take care of your team. It's all good," he said. The Giants' preference is clear: no backflips leading into the season. Skattebo says he heard the message.
He had already been doing the flip in the offseason. He stuck one in late May after hitting a home run at the Brian Burns Celebrity Softball Game. When he returned to spring practice, Harbaugh joked they had agreed there would be no backflip that day.
Is Skattebo's fantasy value affected?
No. Schoen confirmed at the start of training camp that Skattebo is "good to go." The Giants did not add a running back in the offseason, which says something about how the new coaching staff views him.
Skattebo averaged 15.6 touches per game in his rookie year and posted 19.1 PPR points per game across six games as the lead back. He scored in each of his final three appearances before the injury. He is projected to go within the first 40 to 50 picks in drafts this summer.
The backflip story is a footnote. If you are targeting Skattebo in redraft or dynasty, his depth chart position and workload projection are the same as they were before the video dropped. The real question remains whether his ankle holds up through a full season, not whether he sticks a backflip at a fan event.