Fantasy Football 2009 Preview - Team RB Capsules (Part 1)

Here's PART 1 of our Team RB Capsules. These are snapshots of each teams' RB situation designed to help you plan for your fantasy football draft this year. As always feedback is welcome. PART 2 will be up shortly.

-It's a good idea to own both Titans backs. This is one of the few cases where your handcuff (LenDale White) is a productive player regardless. White and Johnson can easily be started together in fantasy when the match-ups are right. Should Johnson get injured White would be the starter but most likely would lose passing-downs work to another back. Still his value would increase with the Johnson injury, possibly into top-12 RB territory, easy.

-You don't want the starting RB for the Colts, you want "The Closer". Whichever back is going to get the ball in the second half is the back you want. Think Rhodes last year and Addai before that. That's going to be the RB who gets the most carries and probably overall touches. Because of the timeshare and their style it's not likely that the Colts will provide a top-15 RB this season. But it wouldn't surprise me if one of the backs gained the bigger piece of the timeshare and became very fantasy relevant in November/December.

-Not sure entirely what to make of the Cardinals mess at RB. What I do know is that Hightower is probably going to start. Beanie Wells is injury prone. Hightower proved to be a good goal line back last year. In other words, it's questionable how much value Beanie will have barring injury. To further muddy the waters, Hightower and Wells are similar, neither is going to be much of threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. So that means that there most likely will be a 3rd back involved (JJ Arrington last year) which will take carries from Hightower and Wells. I'd draft Hightower over wells (non-keeper) and avoid Arizona RB's until the later rounds unless you're desperate.

-Don't sleep on the Buffalo RB situation. Fred Jackson is going to start the first 3 games. And he's probably going to be pretty good. He's always gotten it done when given the chance. I've always been a Marshawn Lynch guy but I think this is a straight timeshare, maybe 60-40 in favor of Lynch but close. Lynch will probably get the goal line work but I think the Bills are going to pass a ton this year. Rumor has it they are going to use a no-huddle as a base offense. Jackson is a 100% must-have handcuff for Lynch owners and he will be productive in his own right. I would bump of the value of both Buffalo RB's slightly in a PPR league.

-Don't mess with New England RB's. If Sammy Morris is cut that would greatly improve Fred Taylor's value and probably Maroney too. But I'm done with Maroney. Plus Kevin Faulk is going to take away almost all of the passing downs work as well as a bunch of touches around the goal line and in the redzone. In a PPR league I would grab Faulk in the latter stages of the draft. There will be weeks when a New England RB goes off. You just have to guess the right week and the right RB.

-It's Knowshon Moreno time in Denver. They passed up filling a bunch of other glaring holes to draft Moreno in Denver. And he's going to get the rock. A lot. I don't even know if there's a clear-cut handcuff to have here. Buckhalter and Jordan might get some touches, but probably not enough to give them much value, unless one of them puts a stranglehold on the goal line back role. Take Knowshon high. In a 10-team (non-keeper, non-PPR) league whenever Pierre Thomas comes off of the board, it's time to take Knowshon. I can't see him lasting past the fourth round. And don't forget, Denver has one of the best o-lines in the league. Moreno has top-10 RB potential, right now.

-Definitely a mess at RB in Philly right now. I think you have to consider Westbrook in your draft (non-PPR) whenever LT comes off of the board. Probably early-to-mid 2nd round. If he's healthy he will again be a top-5 RB so there's value to be had here. In a PPR Westbrook is still a top-7 pick. Be warned, if you take Westbrook you've just committed to spending a 6th or 7th round pick on LeSean McCoy. And trust me, you need to do that. Not only is McCoy a handcuff with great upside but he should be in line for 10-12 touches a game, even with a healthy Westbrook. The only other back to look at is Leonard Weaver who could see some goal line and short-yardage carries.

-I loved Michael Turner last year. Got him between rounds 3-5 last year in almost every league I was in. Made a killing. But be aware, he was MUCH MUCH MUCH better at home in the dome. Go back and look at his home/road splits. But even with all of that he's a top-2 pick (non-PPR). But you need the Jerious Norwood. Despite all of the talk, odds are Norwood gets less than 10 touches per game. But if Turner were to go down..... Norwood could be a monster. Remember when Priest Holmes got hurt and Larry Johnson stepped in? Norwood isn't quite that good, but he could be a top-10 back in that scenario.

-Here's the deal with the Redskins. Draft Portis easily in the 2nd round. He and Marion Barber should probably go back-to-back in most drafts, they are very close in value. Again you need Ladell Betts if you have Portis but you should be able to get him pretty late. Portis should be awesome for the first part of the season, he always is. Let him go off for a couple of weeks and then seriously consider trading him. The last couple of seasons Portis has really worn down as the season has gone on. If your ballsy you could try to hold him till Week 10. Otherwise I would get out around Week 8, right before the bye. The Redskins last 3 games this year: vs Giants, vs Cowboys and @ Chargers. Sell high, sell early.

-I'm of the mind that it's right back to the way shit used to be in San Diego. I can't see Sproles getting more than some passing downs work and some returns. In a PPR or league that counts return yards he will have some value. LT owners really need to handcuff with Sproles but you should be able to do so in the latter rounds, maybe round 10 in a 10 team snake-draft. I'm expecting a bounce-back year from LT. The Chargers have a nice schedule, LT is healthy, Gates is healthy, the o-line is healthy, Merriman is healthy..... Get the picture? If you get LT in the 2nd round of your draft you are raping the competition. In a PPR league you need to take LT in the top-5. Trust me, LT ain't done yet.

-What to do with Steven Jackson? Limitless potential, horrible team. An injury risk yes, but he is a tough guy. But the Rams are TERRIBLE. With Donnie Avery out, the cupboard is bare at WR, the o-line is a mess and Bulger hasn't been good in almost 3 years. There might be a silver lining here though. Jackson is the reverse Portis. He may start slow or get banged up early. But there is now some young talent on the o-line and Spagnuolo is a good coach. By the end of the year this team might start to pull it together. Their last 3 games? vs Houston, @ Arizona, vs 49'ers. Doesn't look too bad. The crazy part here is there's not even really a handcuff for Jackson. If he goes down, that's it. Seriously.

-I view the Panthers just like the Titans. You need to handcuff Stewart to Williams, but Stewart will have his own value regardless. All signs point to a split of carries similar to last year. Williams will be good but won't score 20 TD's again. But 1800 total yards and 15 total TD's is not impossible, or even really far-fetched. You will have to draft Stewart earlier than you would like (rounds 5-6, 10 team, non-PPR) but you can start both of them when the matchup is right. Pay attention though, Carolina has a tough schedule this year. And don't underestimate the loss of Maake Kemoeatu. When he was out last year the Panther's D fell apart. If they struggle, that will really cut into the Panthers rushing attempts. After the first 3 weeks you should have a pretty clear idea of what they really are.

-The Giants. Brandon Jacobs. Rock solid 2nd round pick (non-PPR). Will score a ton of TD's, will probably clear 1000 yards. And will miss at least 2 games. It's just how it works. So you're going to have to take Ahmad Bradshaw earlier than you would like. Remember the value Derrick Ward has had in this backup role the last two years. Remember it because somebody else in your league will too. But man up and draft Bradshaw because he is a required handcuff and will have some other value, especially in a PPR. But be aware, when Jacobs goes down Bradshaw will see his role expanded but it will still be a split, probably with Danny Ware or Andre Brown. Those two might be worth a late flier in a 14-team (or larger) league.

-I love me some Steve Slaton. He's PPR gold too. I have no problem taking Slaton anywhere from the 4th pick on. That Texans offense can really hum and Slaton will get the ball through the air quite a bit. And this is one of the few situations in the league that really isn't a timeshare. Neither Chris Brown or Ryan Moats is any kind of threat to steal carries. Neither one is even a handcuff really. Look for the Texans to pickup a back before the season starts.

-What do you think of Maurice Jones-Drew (MJD)? I think he's a damn good running back. Has been since his rookie year. But I don't think he's going to get the ball 400 times just because Fred Taylor is gone. In fact I don't think he gets 300 carries. Call it 250-275 carries and 50-70 catches. That can be a top-5 RB territory. There is still going to be some kind of split going on here. I like Greg Jones to get some work, he's always be a Del Rio favorite and he's very comfortable in short-yardage situations. Chauncey Washington is listed at #2 on the depth chart and Rashad Jennings is everybody's sleeper. One of those two will see some touches. If MJD were to go down I would expect all three backs to pitch in, with Jones having the most value. Feel free to take MJD from pick #3 onward, and probably #1 overall in a PPR league.

-Do you prefer AP or All-Day? Either way, Peterson is the man. The man you take first overall in your draft and be very happy about it. He's that guy. I would project him to pretty much duplicate last year's stats, with a couple more TD's tossed in. Chester Taylor is back as one of the most needed handcuffs in the game. And he will have some value by himself, especially in a PPR league. As always the Vikings will try to monitor AP's carries to keep him fresh so look for Taylor to consistently see 10-15 touches per game.