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Late round RB targets? (1 Viewer)

SameSongNDance

Footballguy
Which late round RBs are you targeting and why? Whether it be a committee back, a handcuff, or a handcuff's handcuff, please share them with me as a prepare for my 20 round ffpc draft.

Bilal Powell - Ivory's injury history is well documented; I simply do not see him holding up for a full 16. Goodson is in the mix but won't be able to make an impact until week 5. Powell looks improved and will have another chance to make an impact this year.

Roy Helu - Who knows how last year would have played out if Helu didn't suffer toe and Achilles injuries. If you've watched him during the preseason however, you would know just how good he's looked. He's essentially solidified his 3rd down/back-up role and is an injury away from serious fantasy relevance. You have to like the upside here.

Joique Bell - Color me impressed but Bell has looked like a man possessed when running during preseason action. Much like Bush, he can be an asset in the passing game but also runs hard downhill. Bush is returning to a turf surface this year, the same surface many have blamed for his injury laden seasons in NO. If Bush were to miss time, Bell is the RB I'd want to own.

Cristine Micheal - Lot's of buzz surrounding a 3rd string RB huh? Well it's merited. In the event that Lynch were to go down I have little doubt that he would beat out Turbin as the lead back. Upside is the name of the game in the later rounds.

 
Chris Polk, Eagles. Going very late in drafts but could get some carries in Kelly's offense. Especially if Vick, McCoy or Brown miss time. Or if Brown loses carries due to fumbling.

 
Stepfan Taylor, RB AZ. Not exactly a leap of faith to believe that Mendenhall and Ryan Williams could have problems staying on the field. Seems like a prime situation for an unheralded rookie to get a shot at playing time. Perfect late, late round pick.

 
Of the 4 listed, I think Joique Bell is most likely to put up solid "what the heck" flex type numbers from week one on. Reggie Bush is overvalued at his ADP, and is bound to get hurt or nicked up and Bell will get his shot to be a primary carrier. Even when Bush is active, Bell can be a good flex player on a dozen or so touches, scoring in double digits PPG in PPR leagues. Very nice value for his going ADP.

I want no part of the Jets running game, starters or backups. I don't trust Shanahan enough to take a flyer on Helu. It will probably be someone else to take over if Morris gets hurt. And "beastmode" is a warrior, unless he has back issues, Michael will only be an end of the roster handcuff who you have to carry during your bye weeks. I agree he's a great lottery ticket. But with limited roster space, it's tough to have non performers on your roster.

 
Stepfan Taylor, RB AZ. Not exactly a leap of faith to believe that Mendenhall and Ryan Williams could have problems staying on the field. Seems like a prime situation for an unheralded rookie to get a shot at playing time. Perfect late, late round pick.
I want to like Taylor. You can see a path to the starting job, but he's not very dynamic and that run game will proably be pretty bad. Not sure what the upside is there.

 
Pierce - Wouldn't be surprised if he took on a McGahee-lite role in Baltimore. If Rice sits, look out. I think the guy has special talent.

C.Michael - Turbin may be the #2, but I'd rather shoot for the moon with Michael.

Moreno - I just can't see Denver going into (or far) into the season unsure of who is protecting Peyton and/or can't hang onto the ball. Not a sexy pick, not really neither is Ball.

B.Tate - Wouldn't be surprised if he had stand alone value early on. And who really knows the deal with Foster's health.

 
Awesome, time to go over these.

EMoney said:
Jordan Todman and Bennie Cunningham for really, really deep 14 or 16 teamers.
I've had a chance to watch Todman run in the preseason and he's looked pretty good. Subsequently, it would seem as if he's moved ahead of Forsett as he's been nursing an injury all preseason. Is it safe to assume he's the handcuff to own?

I haven't had a chance to watch Cunningham run but I'd have to assume he's forth in line in STL (behind Richardson, Pead and Stacy). What's the word on him?

I would add J. Rodgers and Moreno to that list.
I'm not a fan of Quizz to be honest. I owned him last year predicting a Turner decline and although Turner did indeed decline Quizz never lived up to the hype. He just seems slow and doesn't pass the eyeball test. I imagine that SJax will eat into Quizz's reception total and in the event SJax does go down, it'll be a RBBC between him and Snelling.

Moreno intrigues me and many in this thread. Hillman is a fumbling machine (not to mention slightly underwhelming) and Ball as a rookie may adversely affect Manning's health via pass protection. For the price, I like it and I will keep an eye on him.

Chris Polk, Eagles. Going very late in drafts but could get some carries in Kelly's offense. Especially if Vick, McCoy or Brown miss time. Or if Brown loses carries due to fumbling.
Sadly, I haven't had a chance to watch Polk run but I do know Brown has a penchant for unnecessarily bouncing runs to the outside and of course, fumbling. I rode Brown into the playoffs before getting burned by him last year. Part of me attributes his early success to fresh legs although he clearly has talent. I'd like to know more about Polk though.

I think Vick Ballard is going to have a really good year for his adp
What's his ceiling though, low-end RB2 in the event Bradshaw goes down? I thought he was pretty underwhelming last year but opportunity is opportunity. There's probably higher upside cuffs you could target in similar rounds though, no?

Stepfan Taylor, RB AZ. Not exactly a leap of faith to believe that Mendenhall and Ryan Williams could have problems staying on the field. Seems like a prime situation for an unheralded rookie to get a shot at playing time. Perfect late, late round pick.
His ADP is not existent in 15-rounders so yeah, very little risk involved in picking him up I'd like the move a bit better if ARI moves Williams.

Pierce - Wouldn't be surprised if he took on a McGahee-lite role in Baltimore. If Rice sits, look out. I think the guy has special talent.

B.Tate - Wouldn't be surprised if he had stand alone value early on. And who really knows the deal with Foster's health.
Agreed, I'm all over Pierce and Tate for the price.

Kendall Hunter late could be huge. He'll spell Gore and would the primary if/when Gore goes down
I was happy to see Hunter rehab completely after the Achilles injury. He was one of my favorite sleeper targets last year and he'll remain a favorite as Gore is going to break down sooner than later. LMJ has looked good during the preseason but IMO Hunter is the much more complete RB. LMJ is still ranked higher on many draft boards and I'm inclined to take advantage of that fact.

 
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Im high on all 4 of the RBs you mention, and 3 of them went earlier than I expected despite being targets of mine. I landed Christine Michael, missed on Pierce. I have Rice, guy after me took Lynch in the 1st. Im honestly thinking of offering him straight up Rice for Lynch because of how things worked out (and I also have Rice and Lynch within 6 pts of each other). I think either backup would be big in an injury scenario.

While I like Pierce also, Im much more sold on SEA's offense than BAL's

 
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.

 
Im high on all 4 of the RBs you mention, and 3 of them went earlier than I expected despite being targets of mine. I landed Christine Michael, missed on Pierce. I have Rice, guy after me took Lynch in the 1st. Im honestly thinking of offering him straight up Rice for Lynch because of how things worked out (and I also have Rice and Lynch within 6 pts of each other). I think either backup would be big in an injury scenario.

While I like Pierce also, Im much more sold on SEA's offense than BAL's
Standard or PPR? I'd be inclined to keep Rice in PPR but yeah it's very close to a wash regardless.

Of all of the handcuffs, I think Micheal has the most upside, even if he's not the clear cut #2 yet (which is amazing). The thing with Pierce however is that he holds value even when Rice is healthy, as Craig pointed out. Only Tate, IMO, has more value as far as back-ups are concerned this year. Many are predicting around 150 rushing attempts for Pierce which depending on how he produces could land him in flex territory.

 
So...I am going to load up on b/u RB's later in my draft and hope to land 3 of the following (just not sure how to rank them).

Certainly, the value of each of these guys is largely based on injury but let's assume each of these guys was starting, how should they be ranked?

Joquie Bell

Bryce Brown

Roy Helu

Ben Tate

Christian Michael

Kendall Hunter

Each of these guys could be gold or at least present trade value.

 
I'd go Tate, Helu, Michael on those. Guys that will absolutely produce well if the starter goes down. The others may be mediocre even if they get a shot.

 
I absolutely love this topic and the suggestions.

There are the obvious ones, most of whom have been thoroughly discussed above: Tate, Pierce, Andre Brown, Shane Vereen, Bilal Powell, Moreno, Joique Bell, Helu, Michael and Hunter, many of whom may not be available in the later rounds.

I am not quite certain what to make of Bryce Brown. He looked super late last season, yet reports that Polk could win the primary reserve job make me a little nervous.

Stepfan Taylor has been mentioned, and I like him as a blue-collar back who will grind out the tough yards. With Mendenhall's health already in question, Taylor may be a sneaky option, but this is Arizona we are talking about. Ellington is more electrifying, but Taylor appears to be the back to target. If you really want to roll the dice, Ryan Williams is a late-round target with a high ceiling, albeit a more likely basement floor.

If you play in a PPR league, there are a few names to keep in mind who could have value:

The diminutive Kenjon Barner has Darren-Sproles like ability, and with Stewart and Tolbert both injured, and a 30-year old Williams slated for full-time duty, Barner could get some opportunities, if he himself can get and remain healthy.

Another Oregon product, LaMichael James, could have some PPR value as well, although with Kendall Hunter rounding back into form, you have to wonder how many touches James will get.

Knile Davis, Shonn Green, Fred Jackson, Daniel Thomas and Rashad Jennings look like strictly handcuffs to me, but could have starter value if called upon.

Lance Dunbar has been practically forgotten by some, but he had clearly outplayed Phillip Tanner and Joseph Randle until he sprained his foot. Dunbar should be back soon, and playing behind oft-injured DeMarco Murray makes him a great backup. I expect Dunbar to be a major contributor regardless of Murray's health. This is your opportunity to perhaps grab Dunbar late.

 
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.
Isn't it amazing how quickly this situation has changed?!

Moreno became the hot name, in large part because of his later round availability. Now Hillman is dropping like, well, like a Hillman fumble. Is Hillman now the Denver back to target late?

 
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.
Isn't it amazing how quickly this situation has changed?!

Moreno became the hot name, in large part because of his later round availability. Now Hillman is dropping like, well, like a Hillman fumble. Is Hillman now the Denver back to target late?
Ive been of the mentality that if I get any piece of the DEN backfield, itll be the last guy available because I see that as the most value. It would seem to be that is Hillman these days.

 
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.
Isn't it amazing how quickly this situation has changed?!

Moreno became the hot name, in large part because of his later round availability. Now Hillman is dropping like, well, like a Hillman fumble. Is Hillman now the Denver back to target late?
Ive been of the mentality that if I get any piece of the DEN backfield, itll be the last guy available because I see that as the most value. It would seem to be that is Hillman these days.
This. I would not reach for any of them. Reserve a #12/13 pick for either Hillman or Moreno who drop

 
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.
I did two drafts in the last two days, and got Hillman in both. Dramatically falling.

 
So...I am going to load up on b/u RB's later in my draft and hope to land 3 of the following (just not sure how to rank them).

Certainly, the value of each of these guys is largely based on injury but let's assume each of these guys was starting, how should they be ranked?

Joquie Bell

Bryce Brown

Roy Helu

Ben Tate

Christian Michael

Kendall Hunter

Each of these guys could be gold or at least present trade value.
So, assuming they're thrust into the starting role..

Christine Micheal

Ben Tate

Roy Helu

Joique Bell

Kendall Hunter

Bryce Brown

What I like about this list is that each back would be put in a system where they could thrive.

 
Looking at some of these final preseason games..

Todman (9/60/1) continues to make a strong case as to why he should be MJDs primary back-up.

J.Bell (4/28/1) again looked very good (aside from a fumble) on limited carries. This dude is legit, I'm very bullish on him.

Khiry Robinson (22/115) from NO raised some eyebrows. With the recent rumors surrounding Ingram being on trading block he may be worth keeping an eye on.

With Dunbar injured, Tanner seemed to operate as the #2 back, touching the ball more than Randle. It's hard to make anything of this situation.

B. Cunningham (8/76) looked impressive, more impressive than Zach Stacy. I think the first poster in this thread is onto something.

Ryan Williams did not look as bad as the stat line would suggest. I've said this in several threads, but I've been seeing him make cuts on his surgically repaired knee that that have left me scratching my head as I did not think he still had it in him. The talent is there but it would seem that his body is forever destined to be uncooperative.

LMJ sprained his MCL (out 3 weeks), likely furthering the gap between him and Hunter and Gore's primary back-up.

* I didn't realize the links didn't directly take you to the player's highlight but if you scroll down you'll see them.

 
The running back that impressed me most this preseason was Fozzy Whittaker. There as been suprising little hype around him and probably going undrafted in most leagues.

 
The running back that impressed me most this preseason was Fozzy Whittaker. There as been suprising little hype around him and probably going undrafted in most leagues.
Is he the blatant Mathews cuff? I mean, Woodhead isn't much of an early down back and R.Brown is over the hill. I haven't had a chance to see Whittaker run, however.

 
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.
I did two drafts in the last two days, and got Hillman in both. Dramatically falling.
Also while I like Moreno, somehow he went in the 10th round of my draft tonight. I took Hillman in the 13th because I figured why not. The DEN backfield and namely Knowshon is getting a lot of hype these days.
I did two drafts in the last two days, and got Hillman in both. Dramatically falling.
And now CJ Anderson will eventually be in the mix when he gets healthy.

 
The running back that impressed me most this preseason was Fozzy Whittaker. There as been suprising little hype around him and probably going undrafted in most leagues.
Is he the blatant Mathews cuff? I mean, Woodhead isn't much of an early down back and R.Brown is over the hill. I haven't had a chance to see Whittaker run, however.
It seems to me that he could get carries if either went down. He caught the ball very well. I would imagine he would fill in for Woodhead if he went down.

 
I'm surprised nobody mentions Shonn Greene. Am I delusional?

I know this guy has been extremely agitating when people thought he'd be a strong performer, but if he's the goal line back in TEN, and their line is so much better, isn't there something here? CJ has hardly been a reliable player.

 
I agree Johnny Blood that Shonn Greene may be more active than people think for a Titans offense that upgraded their guard positions and is likely to try to run the ball more than pass as long as Locker is their QB. If Greene is injured then Jackie Battle could benefit from being in the same role.

I somewhat suspect that Ryan Fitzpatrick may be called upon to be their QB at some point once Locker fails again. That will likely be good for both RB if/when that happens as well.

Outlook from spotlight thread-

Posted 28 May 2013 - 12:22 AM

The main problem with the Titans offense over the past 3 seasons is that it has not run enough offensive plays.

2010 474pa 406ra 907lays
2011 584pa 376ra 984plays is more respectable. Hassellhoff managing most of this season.
2012 540pa 378ra 957plays
So the team has averaged 949plays over the last 3 seasons.

League average
2012 1027.6
2011 1017.8
2010 1010

So the team has been about 70 plays behind the average team the last 3 seasons.

Locker does not look ready to take a huge step forward so what I see the Titans plan being is to run the ball more with Green and Johnson in tandem. Improvements on the offensive line will hopefully be effective enough that the team can be closer to a 50/50 run pass ratio than they have been. The way to do that is to have Green add 100 or so carries to the offense at the reduction of a similar number of pass attempts. I think they will try to run the ball 450 times and if effective pass the ball 480-540 if they can increase their plays closer to 1000. If Green can be effective on 1st downs that might help them accomplish that.

Chris Johnson
240-320 4.5ypc 1180-1440yds 5-8TD 36-70rec 260-504yds 0-3TD

Shonn Green
80-220 4.2ypc 336-924 3-9TD not much receiving
Both players will not hit their highs obviously. If Johnson gets close to 300 carries then Green will not likely have much more than 100. The high carries for Green would be if Johnson missed time or Green was amazingly effective.


 
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With Dwyer cut, Felix Jones is probably worth keeping an eye on. His work ethic is questionable at best (apparently had an awful camp and I recall him failing a conditioning test a few years back) and he seems to have trouble staying healthy. I'd contend however that he's still more talented than LSH and especially Redman. He's a dark horse to see some legitimate work for however long Bell is out.

 
In deep leagues I'm looking at CJ Andeson, Toddman, and one that I haven't seen mentioned yet is Cierre Wood. With Question marks on Foster, and Tate's perchance for being injured, He'd be a guy I'd have on my roster if I had the room, or on waiver wire speed dial if anything questionable happens.

 
Tate.starts season in a 50/50 timeshare, at the very least..it will or could/should take Foster some time to catch up to game speed - but its not Kubiak coachspeak when he says Tate is in for a big year, and with the way Hou has been running in preseason, both Tate AND Foster could each approach / surpass 1k yards..

 
In deep leagues I'm looking at CJ Andeson, Toddman, and one that I haven't seen mentioned yet is Cierre Wood. With Question marks on Foster, and Tate's perchance for being injured, He'd be a guy I'd have on my roster if I had the room, or on waiver wire speed dial if anything questionable happens.
Just got done watching Wood run vs. DAL and I came away impressed (19/107 and 3 catches for 29). Although he was playing against dudes who were soon to be out of a job, he broke of some big runs (41 and 22 yards) effortlessly. I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on him tonight when I delve into the later rounds of my 20 rounder. He's in a good system and as you said, Foster and Tate aren't exactly known for being super durable.

 
Mike Goodson is the Jets RB who I'd target, although he scores much better in the "most likely to win a starting RB job" category than the "most fantasy value if he does win a starting job" category. He's been away from the team for awhile, but come week 5 it looks like he'll be back, and I suspect that he'll be the leading candidate if Ivory doesn't come through. My rule of thumb: a player's off-the-field problems don't matter much if they don't cost him his roster spot.

 
James Starks. DuJuan Harris is out for the year, Alex Green was cut and Franklin has been unimpressive to date. Lacy has had a series of injuries since high school. Who else is there?

 
Mike Goodson is the Jets RB who I'd target, although he scores much better in the "most likely to win a starting RB job" category than the "most fantasy value if he does win a starting job" category. He's been away from the team for awhile, but come week 5 it looks like he'll be back, and I suspect that he'll be the leading candidate if Ivory doesn't come through. My rule of thumb: a player's off-the-field problems don't matter much if they don't cost him his roster spot.
I'm convinced Ivory won't finish the year as NYJ's starting RB after taking a look at his injury history dating back to his college days. Goodson definitely has more upside than Powell, and the rule of thumb in mostly every situation like this would be to take the higher upside handcuff. Goodson isn't absent baggage himself however, as he's had some durablity (IR in 2011 due to hamstring injury, missed three games in 2012 due to toe injury with various nicks through-out) and ball security issues in the past. If he puts it all together I think he hands down wins the back-up job and the starting job in the event Ivory goes down, but that's a big if.

 
In terms of value, do you guys value big time handcuffs like Pierce and Tate higher than a guy like Moreno, who could win the job outright? I seem to lean with the latter category, but it seems like most people tend to go with the handcuffs and hope the starter gets injured.

 
I know it is preseason but...Michael was 4th in rushing yds with 201, Khiry Robinson had 228 and will not sniff the field. Todman looked good with 223. Randle took 5 games to get his. Michael was 4th but did it in 3 games.

Go back and watch his 43 yd TD. He looks like a starting RB. Watch his highlights from college. He will be a top 10 back within 3 yrs.

 
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In terms of value, do you guys value big time handcuffs like Pierce and Tate higher than a guy like Moreno, who could win the job outright? I seem to lean with the latter category, but it seems like most people tend to go with the handcuffs and hope the starter gets injured.
More than Arian Foster's handcuff: Ben Tate looks like best backup in the NFL, future starBY CHRIS BALDWIN

8.25.13 | 5:28 pm

Being called the best backup running back in football is sort of like getting branded the best beauty pageant runner up ever. This isn't a supporting actors situation. No one is handing you a golden statue no matter how well you do in the role.

Still, it's a title Ben Tate needs to own. He's in a contract year. His chances of getting a major money deal as another team's starter in the offseason depends on how well he establishes himself as the ultimate No. 2.

And the New Orleans Saints certainly are not going to question Tate's bona fides.

Not after Tate darted and rumbled through new Saints defensive coordinatorRob Ryan's revamped D for 74 yards in one half of preseason work Sunday. Tate averaged 6.7 yards per carry, scored a short touchdown. He did what he usually does against New Orleans (Tate went off for 95 yards against the Saints in a 2011 preseason game and picked up 82 yards a few weeks later in a regular season shootout rematch).

He became the man with Texans coach Gary Kubiak wisely continuing Arian Foster's preseason rest. Tate ran like a future star — and like his old self.

"I was definitely out there to prove a point," Tate said after a 31-23 Saints win that's scoreboard and standings meaningless. "And I felt like I got my point across."

You could say that.

There were shredded tackles (including a nice stiff arm) and more darting moves than Tate's generally shown before. He also unleashed a vicious block on a should-have-been Texans touchdown pass (it was dropped).

Tate ripped off a 39-yard run on his third carry of the game and he'd have 69 yards by the end of the first quarter. This was the 2011 Ben Tate, the guy who came close to picking up 1,000 yards on only 175 carries. The dramatic falloff in Tate's production last season (279 yards on only 65 carries) is an underrated factor, one that helped drastically limit Foster's opportunities in the passing game.

Kubiak clearly never felt confident he had a difference maker capable of taking some of the ground burden off Foster in 2012. It doesn't matter how much fantasy football players love Ben Tate, how often he's promoted as the ultimate Arian Foster insurance. It only matters how much Kubiak trusts him.

If that changes, if Tate can stay healthy and productive, the Texans offense instantly becomes more dangerous.

"I'm right where I want to be," Tate said. "I'm feeling good, excited. I'm ready for the season to get going."

Texans Offensive Promise

Even with Foster and big-play rookie wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins both sitting the Saints game out, the Texans' first-team offense produced five plays of more than 20 yards in just a half of football. That's with second year receiver Keshawn Martin seeing several chances for big plays bounce off his hands and usually sure-handed tight end Owen Daniels outright dropping a pass in the end zone.

This Matt Schaub-orchestrated attack has the potential to be one of the most explosive offenses in the entire league. If secondary stars like Ben Tate play at a high level.

"He's been having a great camp," Johnson said of Tate. "Nothing has surprised me about what he is doing. He has been working his butt off. I am a big fan of Ben."

The production of guys like Johnson and Foster — No. 23 missing the entire preseason isn't a worry, it's a huge legs-saving bonus — is a virtual certainty. Tate is still anything but a sure thing though.

Sunday is a good tease, but nothing more yet. Ben Tate's equally capable of being a difference maker or a disappointing bust.

And based on how the Texans' first-team pass defense looked against New Orleans, the Texans could need another offensive difference maker.

The Texans played without three starters on offense (Foster, Hopkins and Wade Smith) and four starters on defense (J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, Ed Reed and the suspended Antonio Smith). Anyone who tells you that the third preseason game is all important is reaching. It's important unless you're talking about really important players.

It's important for a Ben Tate. But even the best No. 2 running back in the NFL will make his money in the fall.

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/sports/08-25-13-more-than-arian-foster-handcuff-ben-tate-looks-like-best-backup-in-the-nfl-future-star/
"I think Ben is ready," head coach Gary Kubiak said. "I think he's going to have a really good year. I've been impressed with his camp." http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Ben-Tate-proves-a-point-on-Sunday-afternoon/aef77ab7-6775-4451-b3ba-5bf8822373e6
 
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In terms of value, do you guys value big time handcuffs like Pierce and Tate higher than a guy like Moreno, who could win the job outright? I seem to lean with the latter category, but it seems like most people tend to go with the handcuffs and hope the starter gets injured.
The interesting thing with Pierce and Tate is that they aren't strict back-ups anymore, as their respective backfields are looking more and more like they're going to be timeshares this year.

Let's take a look at Pierce for instance. Over the course of the first half of last season he racked up 30 rushing attempts (18%) to Rice's 131 (82%). Over the course of the second half, Pierce's attempts more than doubled to 78 (38%) where as Rice's, for the most part, stayed the same (126). There's a real posibility that BAL continues with a 60/40 timeshare in Rice's favor this year making it quite possible for Pierce to hold value even if Rice remains healthy.

I essentially feel the same about Tate this year. I think he's going to hold value regardless as HOU, a team with SB aspirations attempts to keep Foster as fresh as possible. They clearly view him as a real talent.

I feel as if both players have transcended mere "handcuff" status.

 
I know it is preseason but...Michael was 4th in rushing yds with 201, Khiry Robinson had 228 and will not sniff the field. Todman looked good with 223. Randle took 5 games to get his. Michael was 4th but did it in 3 games.

Go back and watch his 43 yd TD. He looks like a starting RB. Watch his highlights from college. He will be a top 10 back within 3 yrs.
There was a huge hole on the 43 yard TD run. However, he showed good vision and speed on the play. He's very fluid and has the ability to fake out defenders while running full speed. I'm more impressed with some of his power runs between the tackles. He is the most impressive runner of all the rookies. He has some Frank Gore attributes.

 

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