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Montee Ball (2 Viewers)

I'm trying to sell. He doesn't look good at all. Plus the schedule over the next few weeks does not help.

Offered him for Lacy. Like his schedule more and think he can bounce back in a big way.
Personally I think you'd be making a mistake. I think they are close as they are both in pass first offenses, but Lacy has looked worse so far this year (granted vs tougher competition) and I am more worried about Lacy's durability than Ball's.

 
Agree with most of the crowd here, Ball looks mediocre at best. He has zero juke to his game, just looks like a plodder type back who will take whats given to him. He'll still be RB2 worthy by default on that offense. But he is far from a special talent. I think anyone who hoped for a top-5 fantasy rb, will be surely disappointed. He's more of a top 12-18 back , which at the end of the day isn't horrible.

 
I think in the grand scheme, he will be fine. That being said, I tried packaging him with a WR2 for Murray. Think I might be a week too late, but still trying.

 
Agree with most of the crowd here, Ball looks mediocre at best. He has zero juke to his game, just looks like a plodder type back who will take whats given to him. He'll still be RB2 worthy by default on that offense. But he is far from a special talent. I think anyone who hoped for a top-5 fantasy rb, will be surely disappointed. He's more of a top 12-18 back , which at the end of the day isn't horrible.
Agreed. Ball looks less talented than Z Stacy, and that is saying something. It is only a matter of time before Ball gets replaced.

 
CJ just looks better I can't pinpoint it but he looks faster and more of a banger than Ball. I just got a new tv and Ball still looks slow to me.

 
This thread is starting to look a lot like last year's Moreno thread. Ball is not supposed to be the star of the offense. His job is to keep Peyton upright, and not fumble the ball when he gets the handoff. Keep the defense honest and not make mistakes. That's it.

When they get in close this year so far, defenses have been letting up the box for some odd reason. That has led to more passing touchdowns and less rushing touchdowns.

Same story different year.
 
Ball looked good to me Sunday the way he ran real hard breaking tackles. Anderson looked quicker with less power. Don't really seeing the situation changing too much. In this day and age, I'm happy for average, consistant performances rather than my other league where I have Lacey. Who knows what you are getting there at this point?

 
This thread is starting to look a lot like last year's Moreno thread. Ball is not supposed to be the star of the offense. His job is to keep Peyton upright, and not fumble the ball when he gets the handoff. Keep the defense honest and not make mistakes. That's it.

When they get in close this year so far, defenses have been letting up the box for some odd reason. That has led to more passing touchdowns and less rushing touchdowns.

Same story different year.
Well I think Ball owners were hoping his skill level would equal the opportunity and he'd be a legit top-5 candidate. That was a popular belief in the preseason. We didn't see enough of him last year to really get a good gauge of just how good he is. Frankly, he looks pretty ordinary. Doesn't have much burst , his speed looks average and doesn't elude tackles, but yes he fights thru them nicely....He does have good hands and will take whats given to him as I said above. But you're right, he's perfectly fine for this Denver offense, provided he protects Peyton and doesn't fumble. He does those 2 things, he'll be a top-15 fantasy back, no doubt about it. Now if he had the skills of say a Leveon Bell, he'd be a top-3 overall rb candidate.

 
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CowboysHomer said:
This thread is starting to look a lot like last year's Moreno thread. Ball is not supposed to be the star of the offense. His job is to keep Peyton upright, and not fumble the ball when he gets the handoff. Keep the defense honest and not make mistakes. That's it.

When they get in close this year so far, defenses have been letting up the box for some odd reason. That has led to more passing touchdowns and less rushing touchdowns.

Same story different year.
This thread isnt even close to Moreno's, simply because Ball was drafted in the 1st round and no later than the 2nd. So its not even close.

 
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It's been two games and he has 172 yards and a TD. I am not sure why people are panicking.
Don't think anyone is panicking , at least I'm not. But clearly he looks pretty ordinary out there. You don't need more then 2 games to see the difference in skill level between him and upper echelon rb's either. He's a middling talent on a superb offense. That's all.

 
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I think the thing that concerns me about Ball is not his talent or ability, but rather that the DEN O-line has looked so bad in run blocking. It's seriously discouraging to watch the D on the wrong side of the LoS so often. There just isn't any push whatsoever in the run game. When there have been seams, Ball has taken advantage and run well. But when D-linemen are across the LoS, even the best RBs are going to struggle to make positive runs. And that's a completely unexpected occurrence. I never expected to see such a drop in the O-line play in the run game, and it's substantial.

That affects Ball's value, without question.
So you have seen a massive drop in o-line run blocking. This "substantial drop" is the result of what?

Is it change in personnel?

Change in offensive scheme?

Just not getting a good push at the line of scrimmage?

Knowshon had no problem running behind that offensive line last year without Clady. In a Peyton Manning lead offense with numerous weapons do you even need a STUDLY o-line to run the ball effectively? I say no....

Monte Ball needs to start producing!!!
I wouldn't say that Moreno had no problem running behind that line last year. He barely topped 1,000 rushing yards (even with a 200+ yard game thrown in boosting his totals) despite facing more defensive backs per carry than any other RB in the league. So far this season, Ball's putting up nearly identical YPG averages (though his per-carry stats are obviously worse).

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/04/09/the-impact-of-defensive-packages-on-yards-per-carry/

I made Moreno the poster boy for this piece and this is where we’re able to discuss him at length. During his breakout campaign, Moreno did, in fact, have the great benefit of facing a ton of Nickel and Dime defenses. He can, of course, thank Peyton Manning for that. Moreno put up a YPC that was 0.3 yards below expected. He was decent on 45 carries (16 percent of his total) against Base, racking up 4.5 YPC. Moreno was worse against Nickel, however, managing 4.3 YPC on 186 carries (66 percent). More troubling was Moreno’s work against Dime. He had the luxury of a league-high 49 carries (17 percent), but managed only 3.9 YPC.
 
Well I am glad we know all about a player's career after 35 carries in his first two starts (while completely ignoring the 4.7 ypc he averaged on his previous 120 carries).

Yeesh.

 
It's been two games and he has 172 yards and a TD. I am not sure why people are panicking.
Don't think anyone is panicking , at least I'm not. But clearly he looks pretty ordinary out there. You don't need more then 2 games to see the difference in skill level between him and upper echelon rb's either. He's a middling talent on a superb offense. That's all.
Exactly. I'm not implying that Ball is a stiff, just stating that I honestly don;t believe he was worth a 1-2 round pick. Now you put someone like L.Bell, Gore, my god even Ingram in this backfield, you have a top 10 fantasy player. Ball just seem ordinary.

 
It's been two games and he has 172 yards and a TD. I am not sure why people are panicking.
Don't think anyone is panicking , at least I'm not. But clearly he looks pretty ordinary out there. You don't need more then 2 games to see the difference in skill level between him and upper echelon rb's either. He's a middling talent on a superb offense. That's all.
Exactly. I'm not implying that Ball is a stiff, just stating that I honestly don;t believe he was worth a 1-2 round pick. Now you put someone like L.Bell, Gore, my god even Ingram in this backfield, you have a top 10 fantasy player. Ball just seem ordinary.
Or they look exactly the same behind poor blocking. For some reason that isn't an option that some of you are willing to consider.

 
It's been two games and he has 172 yards and a TD. I am not sure why people are panicking.
Who is panicking? Ball looks mediocre through 2 games. This is what some of us expected......not a shock. I get the folks in here who are assuming that Ball will remain the starter as long as Manning stays upright. Perhaps. But if CJ Anderson keeps up production in limited touches, there is a real chance he gets more touches. These things have a way of snowballing.

 
It's been two games and he has 172 yards and a TD. I am not sure why people are panicking.
Don't think anyone is panicking , at least I'm not. But clearly he looks pretty ordinary out there. You don't need more then 2 games to see the difference in skill level between him and upper echelon rb's either. He's a middling talent on a superb offense. That's all.
Exactly. I'm not implying that Ball is a stiff, just stating that I honestly don;t believe he was worth a 1-2 round pick. Now you put someone like L.Bell, Gore, my god even Ingram in this backfield, you have a top 10 fantasy player. Ball just seem ordinary.
Or they look exactly the same behind poor blocking. For some reason that isn't an option that some of you are willing to consider.
Denver definitely has below average run blocking.
 
Anyone thinking about sitting him vs. Seattle this week?

I might play J. Hill over him.
So would it be wise to just drop hillman for cj Anderson or do we need to see more? Cj looks like the clear second rb to me.

And I know it's sea, but ball is still starting for me this week. He could have multiple tds vs any opponent in this offense
with all the injuries, id love to see the roster of the team that benches ball this week
 
Anyone thinking about sitting him vs. Seattle this week?

I might play J. Hill over him.
So would it be wise to just drop hillman for cj Anderson or do we need to see more? Cj looks like the clear second rb to me.

And I know it's sea, but ball is still starting for me this week. He could have multiple tds vs any opponent in this offense
with all the injuries, id love to see the roster of the team that benches ball this week
I'm not that worried about Montee Ball but I plan to start Ahmad Bradshaw over him - just like the matchup vs. Jax better than Ball vs. SEA. Hopefully not making a big mistake.

 
Anyone thinking about sitting him vs. Seattle this week?

I might play J. Hill over him.
So would it be wise to just drop hillman for cj Anderson or do we need to see more? Cj looks like the clear second rb to me.

And I know it's sea, but ball is still starting for me this week. He could have multiple tds vs any opponent in this offense
with all the injuries, id love to see the roster of the team that benches ball this week
I'm not that worried about Montee Ball but I plan to start Ahmad Bradshaw over him - just like the matchup vs. Jax better than Ball vs. SEA. Hopefully not making a big mistake.
This would seem pretty obvious to me. Ball vs the toughest D in football , or Bradshaw who's looked stellar vs the worst Defense in football? Hmm.

 
I'm in a tough spot. I have to start 2 between Asiata, Ball, and Ellington (vs 49ers).

I think Ball could see some holes open up but the Broncos aren't playing as well as last year. I don't know what I'm going to do.

I think they may rely on him more than in other games because Peyton might be a little scared to throw the ball from what happened last year.

 
call me crazy but I think the broncos play well sunday and get the win. ball will be a big part of it. we all know peyton is a regular season champion

 
Isn't Seattle pretty banged up on defense? It seems like they had a lot of players limping off the field during Sunday's game.

 
unckeyherb said:
Half-seriously considering going with Asiata over him. Bah.
FWIW, my other RB's are Foster (starting) and Lacy (starting). Push comes to shove, I'll almost certainly start Ball this week. But I am entertaining the idea of going with Asiata

 
I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.

 
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I'm in a tough spot. I have to start 2 between Asiata, Ball, and Ellington (vs 49ers).
I'd start Ball over Ellington.

Forte didn't have much luck against SF, and I don't think Ellington will either.

I'm starting to warm up to the idea of Ball having a decent game vs. Seattle. Probably changed my mind and will start him now. It feels like one of those "don't overthink it" moments.

 
I'm starting Ball with A Morris but benching A Sanders. Need to decide who is flex - Bradshaw or K Davis. I agree Denver will need to run.

 
I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.
Wait, what? You think he's going to have a big game @ Seattle??

I think if you believe in Ball, u wont find him any cheaper then AFTER this week 3 game.

 
I drafted ball as my rb2. What I see is what I kind if expected: he is a pretty good back, worthy of being a starter, on one of the best offenses in the league. He has the benefit of manning.

Right now he is producing like a rb2.

I'm happy. I drafted him knowing his floor was rb2, and his ceiling was top 5 rb. It's just two weeks into the season, so there is still time for him, but so far he is showing exactly what most people should have been drafting him for- low end first round/high end second round rb with unlimited upside and a rather high floor.

He's RB18 in my league, and arguably has not had really good games yet.

Forte only has 5 more total points than Ball in my league, and no one is talking about selling him...

 
I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.
Wait, what? You think he's going to have a big game @ Seattle??

I think if you believe in Ball, u wont find him any cheaper then AFTER this week 3 game.
Small sample size, but Seattle has given up the 15th most fantasy points to RBs this season... And they faced the packers who lost Lacy with a concussion and SD who lost Matthews. They haven't faced anyone good (for an entire game), and still 15th most

 
Ball vs Seattle

Rainey vs Atlanta

West vs Baltimore

Leaning towards Ball.....but the other guys are intriguing.

 
Denver has been using the 2TE set as their base offense (~75% of the time) this year with Welker out.

That should revert back to a 3-wide base set when Welker returns which may impact defensive personnel in a way that allows Ball to see more space and less congestion inside.

Just something to consider for those worried about his efficiency numbers.

 
Denver has been using the 2TE set as their base offense (~75% of the time) this year with Welker out.

That should revert back to a 3-wide base set when Welker returns which may impact defensive personnel in a way that allows Ball to see more space and less congestion inside.

Just something to consider for those worried about his efficiency numbers.
Never considered this as I haven't watched any Broncos games, but it is a legitimate point.

I think Ball will be fine. Rb top 5? No, probably not, but I honestly didn't draft him to be. I drafted him to be rb 12-15 with upside of maybe rb8. Given this is his first time being the bell cow for Denver, I'll give him some time before I sell.

 
Denver has been using the 2TE set as their base offense (~75% of the time) this year with Welker out.

That should revert back to a 3-wide base set when Welker returns which may impact defensive personnel in a way that allows Ball to see more space and less congestion inside.

Just something to consider for those worried about his efficiency numbers.
Great point and observation

 
I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.
Wait, what? You think he's going to have a big game @ Seattle??

I think if you believe in Ball, u wont find him any cheaper then AFTER this week 3 game.
Small sample size, but Seattle has given up the 15th most fantasy points to RBs this season... And they faced the packers who lost Lacy with a concussion and SD who lost Matthews. They haven't faced anyone good (for an entire game), and still 15th most
I'm starting to see a pattern here

:scared: :ph34r:

 
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I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.
Wait, what? You think he's going to have a big game @ Seattle??

I think if you believe in Ball, u wont find him any cheaper then AFTER this week 3 game.
Small sample size, but Seattle has given up the 15th most fantasy points to RBs this season... And they faced the packers who lost Lacy with a concussion and SD who lost Matthews. They haven't faced anyone good (for an entire game), and still 15th most
I'm starting to see a pattern here

:scared: :ph34r:
Yeah Lacy tried to run over Kam and instead Kam was just a brick wall, that's what happened there.

 
I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.
Wait, what? You think he's going to have a big game @ Seattle??

I think if you believe in Ball, u wont find him any cheaper then AFTER this week 3 game.
Small sample size, but Seattle has given up the 15th most fantasy points to RBs this season... And they faced the packers who lost Lacy with a concussion and SD who lost Matthews. They haven't faced anyone good (for an entire game), and still 15th most
I'm starting to see a pattern here

:scared: :ph34r:
Yeah Lacy tried to run over Kam and instead Kam was just a brick wall, that's what happened there.
So the real shark move is to start CJ Anderson.

 
I don't understand folks calling Ball ordinary. He has good jukes for a man his size, and obvious power. Ball maybe doesn't have the burst/speed of an elite talent, but that doesn't make him JAG.

Buy low before Seattle.
Wait, what? You think he's going to have a big game @ Seattle??

I think if you believe in Ball, u wont find him any cheaper then AFTER this week 3 game.
The idea would be to buy on the assumption that he'll have a down game in this bad matchup. His "value" may go up if he just has a halfway decent game this week.
 

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