What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Are we not giving Benson enough credit? (1 Viewer)

A

All_Day28

Footballguy
After two above average games in a row and a strong finish to last season, Benson looks reborn. From what I've seen, he runs with purpose and is obviously capable of being a workhorse (29 carries for 140 yards?) A Benson owner in one of my leagues offered me Benson for Ray Rice, and with McGahee looking like he's getting a bigger piece of the pie than most of us had anticipated, I'm thinking about jumping on it. What's the verdict?

 
All_Day28 said:
After two above average games in a row and a strong finish to last season, Benson looks reborn. From what I've seen, he runs with purpose and is obviously capable of being a workhorse (29 carries for 140 yards?) A Benson owner in one of my leagues offered me Benson for Ray Rice, and with McGahee looking like he's getting a bigger piece of the pie than most of us had anticipated, I'm thinking about jumping on it. What's the verdict?
Click to expand...
If it's a redraft, I wouldn't hesitate. McGahee is there all year. Benson is all alone. After 4 tough games in the next 6, Benson's finishing schedule is pretty soft.
 
Benson has been on ongoing joke on this board for over 2 years. All he does is joke himself 15-20 fantasy points every week. :rolleyes:

 
Benson looks like the real deal this year. I'm starting him at home against a banged up Pitts. def this week. :rolleyes:

 
I think it's clear that this guy will never going to be what he was "supposed" to be, but he has pleasantly turned into a running back in the NFL that can be counted on to be a horse and move the chains. Every team needs a guy like that.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Rudi Johnson part II. He'll never get respect. He'll just produce well enough to count on. No shine, no glitz, just slow and steady. Perfect RB2.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
thehornet said:
I think it's clear that this guy will never going to be what he was "supposed" to be, but he has pleasantly turned into a running back in the NFL that can be counted on to be a horse and move the chains. Every team needs a guy like that.
Click to expand...
No, he's never going to be what he could have been based on his first two years at Texas, before the head-on collision with his own OL, Mike Williams, in the B12CG. He was never the same after that, mentally, and maybe even physically. Before that, he was destined to be possibly the best back ever to come out of the University of Texas. He was going to at least be mentioned among Texas' greatest backs. He had already been the best HS back in Texas history (statistically) at the time. Before the injury, he was a good sized back who ran way bigger, always finding whatever yardage that was available on every single play, then punishing defenders and finishing well every time, with a strong forward lean. He wore down defenses as the game went on and got stronger and stronger. He was a great combination of good but not huge size , good but not incredible speed, great elusiveness, fantastic vision and equally fantastic strength for his build. Does that sound like the Ced B you saw coming out of Texas his senior year or the one you see now?

After the injury he bulked up, adding lots of muscle mass in an apparent effort to avoid injury of the kind he had in the collision. He was tentative hitting the hole. He was not elusive, and he was slower. He seemed somewhat shy of contact where before he would hunt defenders down. Even though he was bigger, he didn't seem any stronger. Indeed, imho, he ran weaker than before. Before, when he was smaller, he was a load. It was amazing to watch him drag D1 players and push the pile. The post-injury, beefier Ced was much easier to bring down. He was a much, much, MUCH better RB his soph year when he was smaller than he was when he was drafted. I thought he was overrated when the Bears took him and figured it wouldn't go well. He just seemed too slow and not explosive enough to do well in the NFL.

If he's finally getting it back together that's great. If he can even approach his pre-injury potential, he'll be pretty good.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Jury is still out in my opinion. He's had some big games the past 2 years, and a lot of games of 3 yards and a cloud of dust. I'm not sold - yet.

 
I was one of the few Bear fans that did not want the Bears to cut Benson....I was right. The Bears jumped the gun when the BUI incident came out (which Benson was completely innocent in as the cops went way overboard as evidenced by the final verdict by the jury) .... how much better the Bears would be with Forte and Benson bringing the hammer every game with Cutler as their QB. I wish Jerry had not over-reacted with Benson in that regard.

Jerry A has actually done a pretty solid job drafting offense that people do not seem to realize. Players like Benson, Justin Gage, Mark Bradley, Kyle Orton, Marc Colombo and even Bobby Wade have all been solid contributors, if not with the Bears then definitely with others. Even Rex Grossman was worth the pick given he delivered a SB appearance to the Bears. And Greg Olsen and Forte are definitely the real deal. Let's see how Bennett, Knox, Chris Williams (OT) and Hester pan out.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brutis said:
Benson has been on ongoing joke on this board for over 2 years. All he does is joke himself 15-20 fantasy points every week. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
O RLY?Last year he had 8 games < 8 points, 4 games > 15, and 4 games DNPThe year before that he had 1 game > 15, 5 games DNPThe year before that he had 1 game > 15, 1 game DNPThe year before that he had 0 game > 15, 7 games DNPI'm happy for him, but let's hold the champagne.
 
Benson's just a rock, not a bad football player. Benson wasnt drafted as a versatile running back. Some teams require more versatility than he has. He's slow to pick up things like receiving assignments because he's a rock. He caused problem's in Chicago's locker room because he's a rock. He was cut from Chicago because he's a rock. His interior running skills have alwaybe been solid. Chicago just didnt have the weapons on the outside to keep opponents from stacking the middle. The Bengals have a much more dangerous passing game, so its easier for the rock to run inside.

 
Everyone said to bench him against the great Packers defense, and he did fine. He has tough match-up, but he is the only RB in Cinci, they are committed to the run, so I say go with him, I know I will be as my RB2.

 
Granted I haven't seen much of him this year, but even in his highlights he seems to be brought down by the first tackler an awful lot. :lmao:

Don't have a lot of info on this so I can't say for sure, but...

 
He's the epitome of a matchup play. He averages less than 3 ypc against good run defenses (or defenses that sellout to stop the run). He does over 4 ypc against soft defenses. This year should be better than last because fewer mediocre defenses will be selling out to stop the run since Palmer is back in the lineup.

 
UnknownCoach said:
Benson's just a rock, not a bad football player. Benson wasnt drafted as a versatile running back. Some teams require more versatility than he has. He's slow to pick up things like receiving assignments because he's a rock. He caused problem's in Chicago's locker room because he's a rock. He was cut from Chicago because he's a rock. His interior running skills have alwaybe been solid. Chicago just didnt have the weapons on the outside to keep opponents from stacking the middle. The Bengals have a much more dangerous passing game, so its easier for the rock to run inside.
Click to expand...
I don't know what you mean by "he's a rock" unless you're referring to what's between his ears, but I do believe that redemption is possible with players and that Benson got a wake up call and is making the most of his opportunity with the Bengals, who BTW have more weapons in their offense than the Bears ever had in theirs with Benson. So he's in a better situation with a more focused mindset and he's making the most of it. Good for him, and good for those who bought him low, because he's certainly outperformed his ADP over the last two seasons. I agree that the Rudi Johnson comparison is apt.
 
TheDirtyWord said:
Granted I haven't seen much of him this year, but even in his highlights he seems to be brought down by the first tackler an awful lot. :shrug: Don't have a lot of info on this so I can't say for sure, but...
Click to expand...
ive also heard from a lot of game reviews that there are a lot of missed tackles (not broken, dumb defense).
 
I'm going to target him after week week 9 or 10.

His schedule is brutal for the next 9 weeks (minus Cleveland and Houston). His playoff schedule is pretty sweet, so IMO he is a player to target for playoff purposes.

 
Good post above by HS. Some very insightful stuff regarding his body and runnning style. I didn't watch a lot of him before he became a Bengal, but a few observations I've made:

*While in Chicago, he looked bulky and not as physical and strong as you would expect from a guy with his size. He also didnt seem to have much burst or quickness.

*When he came to Cincinnati during last season, he looked as if he was definitely not in game shape. Kinda similar to the small sample size of him I watched while in Chicago. As the season progressed, he started looking a bit better, but nothing spectacular. He was at least able to take a handoff and fall forward for some positive yards w/o fumbling (something Chris Perry couldn't do). He broke a few open with some decent games towards the end of the season, and I was at least impressed by his efforts and lack of any apparent attitude issues.

*THis preseason, I noticed Benson looked in much better shape. When I saw him run in the first preseason game, I immediately noticed more quickness. He fumbled in that first game, which brought out the masses to rip him apart, but I came away encouraged by his suprising increased quickness and seemingly more fit/better-shape body. As the preseason progressed those same observations held true, and if anything were becoming more apparent. Along with his increased agility, I noticed he caught the ball suprisingly well, which was something I really didn't expect they would even entertain trying w him.

The first two games of this season, I again am seeing a different Cedric Benson. To put it simply, he's gone from a guy who plodded forward for 3 or so yards, to a guy who has been able to run physical, yet change direction quickly, make defenders miss with some impressive moves, and with a pretty good burst when he gets in open space. Palmer is also not affraid to throw him dump-off passes, and he's caught them suprisingly well. He doesn't look uncomfortable catching the ball at all. I've said it in a few other threads (many before this recent and productive Packers game) and I'm happy to say it again, that Benson is a very underrated back. I guess he's starting to get some notice, given the nature of this thread, but it's nice to see a guy bounce back like he has; especially when it's for my favorite team. I think some of the people who have been so quick to criticize and rip him in this forum need to watch a more current version of him. He may have deserved it before, but I'm convinced that he doesn't suck, and I think he's starting to have the look of an above average back in this league; more than just adequate, which I would've been ok with before the season started.

 
All_Day28 said:
After two above average games in a row and a strong finish to last season, Benson looks reborn. From what I've seen, he runs with purpose and is obviously capable of being a workhorse (29 carries for 140 yards?) A Benson owner in one of my leagues offered me Benson for Ray Rice, and with McGahee looking like he's getting a bigger piece of the pie than most of us had anticipated, I'm thinking about jumping on it. What's the verdict?
Click to expand...
I have hated Benson and always viewed him as a slug, however this maybe the year to own him, and kills me to admit it.
 
I agree that if he gets in the HOF it will be because he bought a ticket but he has turned himself into a serviceable back this year.

be it situation or newly found dedication he is showing this year he is worthy of spot starts for match ups, injuries or bye weeks.

I have no problems considering him in my line up depending on situation.

 
i thought about picking up benson in my league and dropping either t.jones or jacobs. but man going against steelers and ravens twice a year is a recipe for disaster

 
Moved into the top-10 for my league looking forward (wks 4-16 with varied weights, heavier in the playoffs)

 
All_Day28 said:
After two above average games in a row and a strong finish to last season, Benson looks reborn. From what I've seen, he runs with purpose and is obviously capable of being a workhorse (29 carries for 140 yards?) A Benson owner in one of my leagues offered me Benson for Ray Rice, and with McGahee looking like he's getting a bigger piece of the pie than most of us had anticipated, I'm thinking about jumping on it. What's the verdict?
Click to expand...
Just found this...
Ced's last 4 games, dating back to week 16 of last year:

171 yards

111 yards

76 yards

141 yards

Total: 499 yards.
Click to expand...
 
Four out of the next seven games are against the Pittsburgh and Baltimore defenses. That would concern me if I were a Benson owner and counting on him as my RB2. I'd sell high in redraft.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm a big Benson fan this year in redraft, but I sold high on him with Wells for Slaton and Manningham (deep at RB needed depth at WR). .5 ppr and I like Slaton's sched going forward.

 
There might be a few more believers out there today after a tough game against the Steelers.

 
jafo said:
There might be a few more believers out there today after a tough game against the Steelers.
Click to expand...
He looked like he was shot out of a cannon on that TD run. It's like he's picked up two extra gears in the last couple years. :unsure:
 
Sometimes a change of scenery will get a player untracked. (I can't believe that a player could get untracked in Cincinnati, but...)

He was on my league's WW last week, and I pounced all over him.

After watching him the past two games, I'm sold on him. I did bench him this week (didn't like the Steeler matchup), but I can't see not starting him next week against Cleveland.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Very underrated player going into this season. FF groupthink is right sometimes (Tenn's CJ last year) and wrong sometimes (Ray Rice overhyped, Benson underhyped this year). I landed him late in a couple of drafts and am not surprised that he is playing well.

 
two_dollars said:
I'm very happy for Benson :useless:
Click to expand...
Me too. I said it when he was cut that he was not getting a fair shake. His BUI was a racist motivated incident (everyone saw how bad the Texas cops are in the other incident too), the jury set him free and he was not that bad running the ball. I wish we had Benson and Forte running the ball right now. That would be an awesome 1-2 punch with Cutler throwing the ball. Oh well, good luck Cedric.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

EBF
2024 Rookie Thoughts
Replies
32
Views
7K
EBF
EBF
T
Travdogg's top-150 (8-21 update)
2
Replies
68
Views
8K
travdogg
T
T
My final 2022 mock draft, 3 rounds
2
Replies
56
Views
7K
travdogg
T

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top