The Vikes were already giddy of Chester Taylor coming in and they were talking him up something fierce--something like 20-30 touches a game. I don't see Mewelde having much value at this point except as a capable backup and mid to late round pick.
Talk is cheap. Chester Taylor has less carries in his 4 year NFL career than Mewelde has had in 2. Taylor may be a 20-30 touch RB but he hasn't proven it yet.
I myself never said Taylor was a proven or deserving 20-30 touch back. All I'm saying is the Vikings said that after signing him. Is he liekly to really get that big a workload? I doubt it. Almost every time a coach says PLAYER X is going to touch the ball 30 times a game I say
, as very few every really average that much (Larry Johnson notwithstanding).I admit I am intriuged by Taylor, as he will undoubtedly be a RB that many people will shy away from in redraft leagues. I suspect he will fall into the 3rd round (probably around RB20) and could be a decent value pick if he comes anywhere near the workload they are pimping him at.
I said the same thing last year about Lamont Jordan and IIRC correctly I had him ranked higher than anyone else on staff. A full time NFL starter is worth a lot fantasy wise, and given the amount that the Raiders had utilized RB out of the backfield (116 receptions in 2004) led me to conclude that Jordan was a borderline fantasy RB1 (12 team leagues). And I NEVER was a fan of Jordan and thought he was an average RB, but admitted that he was in a good spot in OAK. (My two value picks at RB really panned out in Jordan and TJones last year.)
It's far too early to decipher what to expect from Taylor, but for now he looks like he has a decent opportunity to be productive.