Marshawn Lynch Suspended Three Games

The fantasy football value of Marshawn Lynch took a major hit today when the NFL suspended him for the first three games of the 2009 fantasy football season. The announcement was made by Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL.

Marshawn Lynch Suspended (Image: Newscom)

The running back for the Buffalo Bills was suspended due to two brushes with the law. His first incident was when he hit a pedestrian near a bar in Buffalo. The second incident was a gun charge in California.

Three games in a fantasy football season is quite a big chunk. This news could drop him from a second rounder all the way into the fourth a fifth round. Any fantasy team that drafts Lynch would be handicapping themselves in the first three weeks of the season.

The player who will see his value increase is backup Bills running back Fred Jackson. He showed some glimpses last season and he’s likely to start the first three games of the season. If you are thinking about drafting Lynch, be sure to handcuff Lynch with Jackson.

In the second half of the fantasy season, Lynch could hold a lot of value. By then, he should be back into the groove and the Bills offense should be much improved due to the acquisition of Terrell Owens earlier in the offseason. If everything goes as planned, Lynch has a chance to be a sleeper acquisition for the second half of the fantasy football season.