News & Info/Headlines

Fantasy football owners were prepared for Le'Veon Bell to start the season on suspension. But today we learn that suspension will be slightly shorter than initially expected.

Bell will be suspended for three games, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. He was facing a four-game suspension for missing drug tests.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the suspension was reduced in a settlement between NFL and NFLPA. In addition, Garafolo adds the settlement keeps Bell at his current stage of the league's drug program. His next violation will result in another four-game suspension rather than a 10-game suspension.

As Profootballtalk.com notes, it's the second year in a row that Bell has started the season on suspension, and the second year in a row he has had his suspension reduced on appeal. Last year Bell was initially suspended for the first three games of the season but had that reduced to two games.

Bell will now miss Week 1 at Washington, Week 2 against the Bengals and Week 3 at Philadelphia before returning for Week 4 against the Chiefs.

Bell's ADP had fallen to early second round (15th overall). Don't be surprised if this bumps him back up closer to the bottom of the first round. And while this is good news, drafting DeAngelo Williams as a handcuff to cover for Bell's absence those first three weeks (and beyond as injury insurance) remains a sound approach.