I understand the point you’re making here, and I understand that targets are worth way more than carries for fantasy purposes, but, with all due respect, your examples show that these types of RBs are quite volatile, not dependable
Considering weeks of1-17, PPR, excluding anyone who played less than 8 games, these are where those guys finished in PPG:
Ekler: 51 (2017), 26 (2018), 6 (2019, 92 receptions)
James White - going back only 5 years to leave out his rookie season: 22 (2019), 10 (2018 with 97 receptions), 34 (2017), 34 (2016), 33 (2015). Is 2 seasons really “multiple”? I guess it’s more than 1...
Tarik Cohen- 35 (2019), 15 (2018), 38 (2017)
2 of these 3 followed up a spike season with a dud. Ekler is TBD. I did not run Freeman’s stats. I don’t think he fits the same mold as these 3. If the wide belief is that CEH Should be 1.01 because he can be a dependable top 24 RB, sure I can get on board there; although I’d want slightly higher expectations for 1.01. Many here and/or elsewhere are saying top 10, top 5 on a consistent basis, which I’m not sure about that.
I can absolutely recognize the value of targets, but when that’s all you depend on you can see it can be quite volatile. Many here don’t think CEH will be a pass catcher only, but if he is, this lowers his floor quite a bit.
Sure he could become a CMC, Kamara, Cook... but to focus on your claim that these types of RBs have “awesome floors”- I think I would disagree based on the above. Ekler is the only one we can maybe make that claim, but I would give him an “incomplete” grade until we get a 2020 data point. To be a Kamara, CMC, Cook, you need to “be the guy” (maybe not as much to be a Kamara), which many here believe he will be and that’s fine, but the narrative appears (to me) to be even if he isn’t he has a very high floor... I’m not sure I agree with that 100%
If he gets a situation like CMC, Kamara, Cook where he is the lead dog, then he does have a very high floor. At this point that is not a certainty. I can certainly agree that a team that spends a 1st round pick on a player will typically have plans to use them in a large capacity, so he has that going for him at least