Enough about Torain (1 Viewer)

[T J]

Way too many Torain threads.

How about some Helu discussion. He's on my bench and I'm curious what the thoughts are that he becomes the feature back relegating Torain to backup status. Torain hasn't exactly lit it up lately.

Helu has good size, but I honestly don't know a whole lot more about him.

 

[Da Guru]

Way too many Torain threads. How about some Helu discussion. He's on my bench and I'm curious what the thoughts are that he becomes the feature back relegating Torain to backup status. Torain hasn't exactly lit it up lately. Helu has good size, but I honestly don't know a whole lot more about him.

Could be a heluofa RB.

 

[T J]

Way too many Torain threads. How about some Helu discussion. He's on my bench and I'm curious what the thoughts are that he becomes the feature back relegating Torain to backup status. Torain hasn't exactly lit it up lately. Helu has good size, but I honestly don't know a whole lot more about him.

Could be a heluofa RB.

Was hoping for a bit more, but it's a start.

 

[QB Bills]

I am not sure how first and second down carries will shake out in this offense. I'm guessing that Torain will start and get the majority of carries.

However, I think Helu can be a competent PPR running back. He is the unquestioned third-down and two-minute drill/garbage time back. If you look at the snap distribution from last week after Hightower went down, Helu dominated Torain. This is because the Skins were playing from behind.

The good news is that the Redskins will likely be playing from behind pretty frequently going forward. And Beck loves to check down. I could see 5+ receptions per week for Helu going forward. He might also get some goal line snaps.

 

[gethugefast1]

Will Helu start against the Bills?

October 25, 2011, 12:23 pm

R. Tandler

With Tim Hightower out for the season and a third running back for the roster yet to be determined, most are assuming that Ryan Torain will start at running back for the Redskins when they play the Bills in Toronto on Sunday.

A look at how playing time was distributed last week, however, might indicate that that’s not the case.

I knew that Torain did not play much last week but when looking at the snap counts done by Ryan O’Halloran at CSNwashington.com I was surprised to see that he played all of three snaps.

He carried to ball twice, once in each of the first two series of the second half, for a net of minus-five years (one for minus-seven, the other for two) so he was in there for one other snap.

Roy Helu, however, saw plenty of action. He played 33 of the 67 offensive snaps. That is two more than Hightower had and, of course, 30 more than Torain.

Helu played every snap of the Redskins’ final four possessions while Torain watched.

To be sure, the Redskins were trailing by at least 10 on each of those last four possessions and perhaps Mike and Kyle Shanahan wanted Helu, who is more of a home run threat than Torain, in the lineup for those reasons. But that also means that they trust Helu in pass protection since they were in all-passing mode at that point in time.

The game was getting out of hand from midway through the third quarter on but it was never true garbage time. While it never really felt like the Redskins really had a chance to catch the Panthers, Helu wasn’t in the game just because the coaches wanted to give the rookie a little work. He was in because they thought Helu gave them the best chance to score some points.

The fact that the coaches preferred Helu over Torain for the last quarter and a half does not necessarily mean that they will have the same preference at the start of next Sunday’s game. But given how the Panthers game ended up it would not be at all surprising to see Helu lined up to take the first snap against the Bills.

 

[T J]

Will Helu start against the Bills?October 25, 2011, 12:23 pmR. TandlerWith Tim Hightower out for the season and a third running back for the roster yet to be determined, most are assuming that Ryan Torain will start at running back for the Redskins when they play the Bills in Toronto on Sunday.A look at how playing time was distributed last week, however, might indicate that that’s not the case.I knew that Torain did not play much last week but when looking at the snap counts done by Ryan O’Halloran at CSNwashington.com I was surprised to see that he played all of three snaps.He carried to ball twice, once in each of the first two series of the second half, for a net of minus-five years (one for minus-seven, the other for two) so he was in there for one other snap.Roy Helu, however, saw plenty of action. He played 33 of the 67 offensive snaps. That is two more than Hightower had and, of course, 30 more than Torain.Helu played every snap of the Redskins’ final four possessions while Torain watched.To be sure, the Redskins were trailing by at least 10 on each of those last four possessions and perhaps Mike and Kyle Shanahan wanted Helu, who is more of a home run threat than Torain, in the lineup for those reasons. But that also means that they trust Helu in pass protection since they were in all-passing mode at that point in time.The game was getting out of hand from midway through the third quarter on but it was never true garbage time. While it never really felt like the Redskins really had a chance to catch the Panthers, Helu wasn’t in the game just because the coaches wanted to give the rookie a little work. He was in because they thought Helu gave them the best chance to score some points.The fact that the coaches preferred Helu over Torain for the last quarter and a half does not necessarily mean that they will have the same preference at the start of next Sunday’s game. But given how the Panthers game ended up it would not be at all surprising to see Helu lined up to take the first snap against the Bills.

Now we're talking. Good stuff.Thanks!

 

[Breesisdaman]

Helu is enough of a threat that I am keeping Torain on my bench. This will have to play out and I would advise you do the same with Helu.

 

[phillybirds]

Looks like it would still be a huge gamble to start either at this point. Shanny is not going to tip his hand. But obviously both are worth owning and holding onto now. Unless of course another RB comes from somewhere and gets mixed in. Wouldn't put it past Shanny to muddy the waters even further.

 

[Johnny Blood]

How vigorously are people pursuing Helu? Is he worth #1 waiver priority? I suppose its a 50/50 shot to get a decent RB.

He obviously must be owned in every league now but at what cost?

 

[phillybirds]

How vigorously are people pursuing Helu? Is he worth #1 waiver priority? I suppose its a 50/50 shot to get a decent RB. He obviously must be owned in every league now but at what cost?

Not sure, but there is not a lot out there at RB so....but...no telling how it's gonna work out. Could be a huge headache. Could be one guy one week, one guy the next, time share the next. Or you could get a solid starter. It's all going to be speculation and I wouldn't expect Shanny to try to clear it up for any of us.

 

[unckeyherb]

How vigorously are people pursuing Helu? Is he worth #1 waiver priority? I suppose its a 50/50 shot to get a decent RB. He obviously must be owned in every league now but at what cost?

Not sure, but there is not a lot out there at RB so....but...no telling how it's gonna work out. Could be a huge headache. Could be one guy one week, one guy the next, time share the next. Or you could get a solid starter. It's all going to be speculation and I wouldn't expect Shanny to try to clear it up for any of us.

I was offered helu for my tate by the foster owner, fwiw. Prolly going to take it.

 

[doeseatplace]

I think I'll sign Royster this week. In Shanahan's madness we trust

 

[DoubleG]

I think I'll sign Royster this week. In Shanahan's madness we trust

Sadly, this post makes the most sense. In Shanny's backfield, when injuries and poor performance strikes, no one...no matter what they think they have gleaned from stats, past performance, what Shanny is saying (or not saying) not even practice reps - have anything remotely connected to what will actually happen on Sunday. Shanny fancies himself some sort of mad genius when it comes to RBs and their performance. I agree with the first part - and that's exactly what he will drive you to if you to try to guess which one it will be. Will a RB on the redskins have near-RB1 upside every week? YEP. The issue is which one and when will it change? (The answer to the second question is easy - weekly - which is what makes the answer to the first so difficult). I would love to have Shanny RBs in a "best ball" format. In a standard league where you have to pick a starter? Not so much. The point here being, that while Helu saw a ton of snaps last week, he only saw 1 carry and 2 receptions for a grand total of 5 overall yards. He might be worth something in PPR - he may even get more carries moving forward. But with Shanny at the helm, he could also end up being relegated inexplicably to the bench (as Torrain was 2 weeks removed from a 19 for 135 and a score performance).

 

[Ironthumb]

I was offered helu for my tate by the foster owner, fwiw. Prolly going to take it.

With Turner out this week I have to decide between starting Tate or Helu. I'll probably go with Helu because he has higher ceiling while Tate is stuck behind Foster. If Foster were to tweak his hamstring again that would be a different story..

 

[footballnerd]

I was offered helu for my tate by the foster owner, fwiw. Prolly going to take it.

With Turner out this week I have to decide between starting Tate or Helu. I'll probably go with Helu because he has higher ceiling while Tate is stuck behind Foster. If Foster were to tweak his hamstring again that would be a different story..

don't hesitate to get Tate in next week.I'm thinking Helu's receiving game makes him a better play this week, Buf might get up early.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Im starting Helu with absolutely no confidence!

Falcons RBs bye. Bucs RBs bye. Pack RBs bye.

 

[LOCO]

If torain and helu are on the wire, is helu the pickup?

 

[GoBirds]

Better the rest of the way....Helu or Felix?

 

[Ministry of Pain]

What concerns me is all the injuries to the OL, plus Cooley, Moss, teams are going to load up the box and dare Beck to beat them with??? Who exactly?

 

[cr8f]

If torain and helu are on the wire, is helu the pickup?

Long term I think so. He has big play ability and should outperform in a week or 2.