North
Footballguy
After looking at the Rams/Jackson stalemate I'm beginning to rethink my RB rankings (top 6) and just wanted bounce this off of someone else and get your opinion of how SJAX's holdout affects the RB rankings. I admit that if he signs within the next couple of weeks it will change everything again and he will probably move up to # 3, but we have all seen what holdouts can do to a RB productivity.
1. LT- Until he slows it's impossible to knock him off the top. He's averaging over his 7 year career 1521 rushing yds per season, 482 receiving yds per season, 18 tds per season (rushing and receiving combined).
2. ADP- It seems that every year there is a unanimous #2 pick, last year it was SJAX this year it's ADP. SJAX didn't live up to the hype last year with an injury slowing him down but there is no reason to believe that ADP can't live up to this ranking. I would like to see less of a RBBC approach in Minn, but what can you do? The offensive line is too good for him not to do well. Can you imagine what he would have done if he had a better QB that defenses had to respect (not knocking TJ, but come on)?
3. Westbrook- With a new contract I think he will live up to expectations (especially in PPR leagues). His injury history use to trouble me but I've gotten over it with his consistent performance over the past couple of years. It seems as if Philly's offense has gotten better this off-season and BWEST is the centerpiece of this offense. I look for him to put up comparable #'s to last year, which ranks him # 3 on my pre-season ranking.
4. Addia- After last years performance much more is expected from Addai, especially in this offense. Owners were happy with his improvement in TD's last year but were not so happy with his failure to improve in YPC and yardage total, especially after becoming "the man" after Rhodes left. Well now Rhodes is back and you may see some of Addai's carries taken away but I still believe he improves on last years totals.
5. Barber- In the Dallas high powered offense, Barber is a legit #5 pick. With the departure of J.Jones Barber is looking to expand his role as the starting RB. That means an increase in carries and the potential for more yards and more TD's. Some are worried that F. Jones will take some of his workload and I admit that he has talent and will take some of Barber's touches, but not to J.Jones capacity. I look for an improvement on last years totals which solidifies his position at #5. Some are worried that he doesn't have the stamina to handle the feature RB role but this guy is a beast, I think he can handle it.
6. Portis- Gone are the days of the 300 carry RB. With most teams employing the RBBC approach, any RB that gets this many touches is an oddity (a valuable oddity IMO). Washington offensive players are "horny for Zorny!" They love the opportunities they will have this year and I expect big things from the Washington offense as a result. If you are lucky enough to get Portis this year you must realize that you have to draft Betts.
SJAX is the wildcard here, if he signs in the next couple of weeks I expect him to vault up to #3 in these rankings based on the improvements in the St. Louis O Line and the influence that Al Saunders will have on the offense and what he has done in his career with feature RB's (see KC stats 2001- 2005). If SJAX and St. Louis owners can agree to terms I think he could live up to last years expectations. The problem is that he may holdout for a LONG TIME and if that happens people drafting around 5 or 6 will be tempted to draft SJAX, but before you do you must weigh the pro's and con's. A happy healthy SJAX in this improved system could produce incredible #'s, but you also can't disregard the history that holdouts have when they return to action (especially those who holdout and miss the entire preseason). My league drafts 5 days before the season starts and if SJAX hasn't signed by then, I'll have a hard time passing on him at #5 but, I KNOW that the options that will be available to me are just as capable of putting up great #'s. IMO I don't think the risk outweighs the reward with SJAX if he hasn't signed and misses the entire preseason.
What's your opinion of how SJAX's holdout affects the top 6 rankings??
1. LT- Until he slows it's impossible to knock him off the top. He's averaging over his 7 year career 1521 rushing yds per season, 482 receiving yds per season, 18 tds per season (rushing and receiving combined).
2. ADP- It seems that every year there is a unanimous #2 pick, last year it was SJAX this year it's ADP. SJAX didn't live up to the hype last year with an injury slowing him down but there is no reason to believe that ADP can't live up to this ranking. I would like to see less of a RBBC approach in Minn, but what can you do? The offensive line is too good for him not to do well. Can you imagine what he would have done if he had a better QB that defenses had to respect (not knocking TJ, but come on)?
3. Westbrook- With a new contract I think he will live up to expectations (especially in PPR leagues). His injury history use to trouble me but I've gotten over it with his consistent performance over the past couple of years. It seems as if Philly's offense has gotten better this off-season and BWEST is the centerpiece of this offense. I look for him to put up comparable #'s to last year, which ranks him # 3 on my pre-season ranking.
4. Addia- After last years performance much more is expected from Addai, especially in this offense. Owners were happy with his improvement in TD's last year but were not so happy with his failure to improve in YPC and yardage total, especially after becoming "the man" after Rhodes left. Well now Rhodes is back and you may see some of Addai's carries taken away but I still believe he improves on last years totals.
5. Barber- In the Dallas high powered offense, Barber is a legit #5 pick. With the departure of J.Jones Barber is looking to expand his role as the starting RB. That means an increase in carries and the potential for more yards and more TD's. Some are worried that F. Jones will take some of his workload and I admit that he has talent and will take some of Barber's touches, but not to J.Jones capacity. I look for an improvement on last years totals which solidifies his position at #5. Some are worried that he doesn't have the stamina to handle the feature RB role but this guy is a beast, I think he can handle it.
6. Portis- Gone are the days of the 300 carry RB. With most teams employing the RBBC approach, any RB that gets this many touches is an oddity (a valuable oddity IMO). Washington offensive players are "horny for Zorny!" They love the opportunities they will have this year and I expect big things from the Washington offense as a result. If you are lucky enough to get Portis this year you must realize that you have to draft Betts.
SJAX is the wildcard here, if he signs in the next couple of weeks I expect him to vault up to #3 in these rankings based on the improvements in the St. Louis O Line and the influence that Al Saunders will have on the offense and what he has done in his career with feature RB's (see KC stats 2001- 2005). If SJAX and St. Louis owners can agree to terms I think he could live up to last years expectations. The problem is that he may holdout for a LONG TIME and if that happens people drafting around 5 or 6 will be tempted to draft SJAX, but before you do you must weigh the pro's and con's. A happy healthy SJAX in this improved system could produce incredible #'s, but you also can't disregard the history that holdouts have when they return to action (especially those who holdout and miss the entire preseason). My league drafts 5 days before the season starts and if SJAX hasn't signed by then, I'll have a hard time passing on him at #5 but, I KNOW that the options that will be available to me are just as capable of putting up great #'s. IMO I don't think the risk outweighs the reward with SJAX if he hasn't signed and misses the entire preseason.
What's your opinion of how SJAX's holdout affects the top 6 rankings??
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But i sure didn't mind getting him at 1.6 in a PPR redraft yesterday. 
