By Tom Kessenich

Were it not for Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch may have been the most talked about rookie in the NFL last season. He was talented, productive and a valuable fantasy running back.

He’s been a hot topic during the offseason thus far, but unlike last year, the conversations haven’t been positive.

Buffalo police believe Lynch was driving when his car was recently involved in a hit-and-run accident. The victim was not seriously harmed, but Lynch’s legal woes may not be resolved anytime soon. And once they are, he still faces a possible suspension from commissioner Roger Goodell, who hasn’t shown a propensity to turn a blind eye to suspect off-the-field during his tenure thus far.

Fantasy owners are paying close attention to this situation given how Lynch has become a Top 10 running back in many preseason rankings. He has consistently been slotted in that range for our Fantasy Sports Magazine rankings since I first began putting them together back in late March. In fact, I have considered Lynch to be one of the biggest upside picks of any top running back this year.

But now? Well, my belief in Lynch hasn’t changed. As long as he’s on the field, I am confident he will excel. The question is will he be available for all 16 Bills’ games this season?

His ADP hasn’t been effected by the legal mess he’s in. According to Mock Draft Central.com, Lynch’s current ADP is 14.15. That is only slightly down from his ADP of last week (13.58). At this point, it appears fantasy owners aren’t about to panic with Lynch just yet.

I agree with that assessment. It's certainly possible a huge suspension could be headed Lynch's way if he's found guilty, I'm guessing it may be of the one or two game variety. Even if that occurs, I believe his talent and potential still make him a quality RB1 option – especially given how the Bills have talked about utilizing him more as an everydown back this season. And if you can grab him in the second round as your RB2 or as your RB1 after taking a stud WR in the first, all the better.

So while the news surrounding Lynch hasn’t been positive, the good news is it’s only June and we still have plenty of time to see how this situation will unfold. If you’re drafting this early, my advice would be to keep Lynch ranked where you had him before this mess. At worst, you lose him for maybe a game or two and you’ll still have a strong talent to anchor your RBs this season.

Tom Kessenich is the Managing Editor of Fantasy Sports Magazine and the Events Director of the National Fantasy Football Championship. Click here to find out more information about the NFFC.