Rams fan here.
Benny Cunningham looks like he's the most talented RB on the field for the Rams at all times. He's got the skillset of Zac Stacy but he's got the extra burst to turn 20 yarders into 40-50 yarders.
Stacy also had tendency to get banged up in almost every game. In that prime time game against the Seahawks last year, the Rams probably would have won with Stacy running so effectively, but he had to come off the field once they got inside the 10.
I see some people still holding out hope for Tre Mason, but the fact is he can't pass block. He may not even be dressing on Sundays if our ST coordinator Fassel decides that Trey Watts can contribute more on special teams.
If this continues it's going to open the door to a split. As a Stacy owner in multiple leagues, Benny Cunningham is sitting on my bench in all of them.
Good post.
What can be vexing for fantasy is a good thing from the Rams perspective, to have potentially three RBs capable of starting at some point (again, probably Mason's time will come in the future).
Below are the last four entries at Rotoworld for Cunningham, dating from mid-August. What team beat reporters Wagoner and Thomas wrote aligns with what you are describing, he does sound like an ascendant player. Even last year, Cunningham flashed more burst than Stacy. He should, since his listed weight is lighter. Same with Mason. All three RBs have varying degrees of power and elusiveness, but Stacy is more about power, with Cunningham and Mason more about elusiveness, imo. Cunningham is in between size-wise, compared to Stacy and Mason, offering better size than Mason and better elusiveness than Stacy, so that may be a more effective combo of traits and attributes for a RB. Last year he was returning from a torn patellar tendon, and could have regained additional burst and explosiveness in the year since, which fits the latest reports.
The only somewhat mixed message in the recent Roto reports is making Cunningham a kick returner. Probably if he becomes the starter, they take him off that detail. I can't think of too many starting RBs that return kicks (though Spiller is set to in BUF). Patterson did last year, Harvin has, it is easier to think of starting WRs that have done it. That goes for punt returners, too (Austin did last year, Antonio Brown will continue to this season, many examples at that position/return-type). Knile Davis is a kick returner, though he is clearly a backup. Maybe this is common, for backup RBs.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/8953/benny-cunningham
1) ESPN Rams reporter Nick Wagoner suggests second-year RB Benny Cunningham "could play a more integral role" in St. Louis' offense this season.
Cunningham topped 5.0 YPC as a rookie and can pass protect, solidifying him as the clear-cut backup to Zac Stacy, ahead of raw third-rounder Tre Mason. While we don't see Cunningham as a serious threat to Stacy's carries, this is a reminder that he's the preferred handcuff over Mason at this stage of August. Aug 14 - 11:29 AM
2) Benny Cunningham made a surprise start in Saturday's regular-season dress rehearsal against the Browns, rushing five times for 32 yards.
He caught one pass for six yards. Zac Stacy checked in on the Rams' second series, but Cunningham out-touched him 6-5. As has been the case all preseason, Cunningham was more productive than Stacy, out-gaining him 38-11. For the month of August, Cunningham now has 15 carries for 80 yards (5.3 YPC) to Stacy's 15-39-2.6. Stacy should still open the season as the Rams' starter, but Cunningham is his clear backup, and perhaps not terribly far behind on the depth chart. Beat man Nick Wagoner says Cunningham has been "sharper" than Stacy throughout camp and preseason. Aug 23 - 10:44 PM
3) The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that "if Benny Cunningham isn't challenging Zac Stacy for the starting job, he's certainly pushing him for playing time."
Beat man Jim Thomas says Cunningham has been the best Rams running back this preseason, echoing similar statements from ESPN's Nick Wagoner. This comes on the heels of Stacy playing off the bench behind Cunningham in the third preseason game. While we fully expect Stacy to hold the starting job and be the main back, he can't afford to lose too much volume. He averaged just 3.89 yards per carry and 5.42 yards per reception last year. Cunningham is worth a late-round flier until the uncertainty here shakes out. Aug 28 - 11:36 AM
4) Benny Cunningham is listed as the No. 1 kickoff returner and No. 2 running back on the Rams' updated depth chart.
The new depth chart was released Tuesday. Zac Stacy remains atop the tailback pecking order, while Cunningham will work in as a breather back and focus on special teams. Cunningham and Chris Givens will line up deep on kickoffs. Sep 2 - 7:33 PM
* Cunningham is an unknown commodity in a larger role at this level (so was Stacy this time last year). Other than the CHI game (13 carries), he never had more than 7 carries in 14 games during 2013.
Favorable scouting projection for Cunningham vs. the STL RB field, from BEFORE the 2013 season. My only question is he doesn't seem to be factoring in level of competition at all, Cunningham might not have been as productive in the SEC, and Stacy may have been more so playing in Middle-Tennessee State's conference. I'm not sure where the 40 time came from (supposedly about 4.50, but estimated faster if not rehabbing the knee injury during the pre-draft process, his 26 BP reps is very strong for a RB, like Stacy), not sure he ran one at the Combine or even at a pro day. He was injured multiple times in college, a torn patellar tendon in 2012, and broken foot that caused him to miss 4-5 games in 2011. Maybe he would have been drafted if not for that?
http://sportswunderkind.com/benny-cunningham-the-rams-darkhorse-backfield-candidate-2/
Cunningham seems to have gained weight, I think he is now listed at about 217 lbs. (5'10"). So did Zac Stacy, who was listed in college at close to the weight Cunningham is now, and is now 224 lbs. (5'8", so noticeably thicker, if he was 5'10" and proportionately heavier, he would be about at 235 lbs.). Carlos Hyde is considered a big back (6'0" 235 lbs.), as are Jeremy Hill (6'1" 238 lbs.) and Andre Williams (5'11", 234 lbs.). Again, if Stacy were lengthened to the height dimensions of Williams, Hyde and Hill, and made proportionately heavier, he would be around 240-245-250 lbs. He was specifically asked by STL to gain weight, perhaps thinking it would enable him to better handle the pounding, but maybe it has counterproductively slowed him down? Ray Rice has been in the news for this. We won't see him play in the 2014 regular season until the third game due to supension, but he was much faster and quicker in 2012, and while there were OL problems and the wheels fell off the offense last year, he looked more sluggish and plodding when he was reportedly 10-15 lbs. heavier (we will find out of it was just accelerated skill erosion, not weight gain, and he is no longer the same back he was even just two years ago). Stacy is strong (Fisher stated in the Summer he was able to BP 500 lbs.), but did show some explosiveness at his combine. I think he was one of the best performers and about top 3 from the RB position group in both the BP and cone drill, probably an unusual combination, and had a 10'6" broad jump at his pro day. Some of these measureable don't fit the profile of a plodder.
Stacy had 250 carries as a rookie, with 1 carry in the first month, he may have led the league in carries per game after the first month. Than we have a situation where STL may want to run more (drafted Robinson and Mason, when they could have gone in a different direction both times). If they move from a 45% to 50% run/pass ratio, like SEA and SF (top two in the NFL on a percentage basis, though it helps to be in the lead or at least close in score to do that, it awaits to be seen if STL can execute what they intend), clearly they need to get a second RB more involved than last year, whoever it is (imo, it is a given there will be some form of RBBC, the question is the distribution of carries). If Stacy maintains the work horse role, and cedes a few carries to Cunningham (or Mason), to about 18 carries a game, he could still preserve a lot of his value. If Cunningham outplays Stacy, even if he doesn't actually supplant him but pushes for something like an even split of 12-15 carries, that will definitely hurt Stacy, but could still potentially offer some value for where Cunningham was taken. If Cunningham does quicky pass Stacy on the depth chart and dispatches him as the feature RB, he could end up being quite the steal.
** What are the chances you estimate Cunningham pushes for a lead role in a RBBC, or even becomes the feature RB?
