Put the Trent Richardson pipe down! (1 Viewer)

[GreenNGold]

What is FBG's answer to last year's Mark Ingram debacle? They double down on yet another unproven rookie, who just happens to be injured this time and is questionable to even be ready for the start of the regular season. We have seen how holdouts have impacted already proven studs like Chris Johnson, who are healthy yet unable to get into game shape for the regular season. How do they think some unproven rookie who is injured and missing the entire preseason is going to be ready to put up RB1 numbers? Hint: They are insane. Last year they insisted on drafting Mark Ingram in the 2nd round, now they are stating the same thing for Trent Richardson even more vocally. Do not fall for it.

FBG is developing quite the history of completely overrating every single college player. Consider this your wake-up call FBG, put your focus back on the NFL. You aren't in college anymore.

PROTIP: Avoid this scrub.

 

[rocketsauce]

^This guy.

Somebody had to say it.

 

[Zeff]

Who are you seeing as the Cleveland answer to Darren Sproles? You know, the guy who's going to keep Richardson from getting a feature back workload?

 

[Sabertooth]

I hate to say it but there is some truth here. I got burned badly by Ingram last season. The hype was out of control. It is worse for Richardson. Great point about Chris Johnson.

 

[C-Bound]

Got him in the 5th last night (10 team). Seems about right with his current status.

 

[Sabertooth]

Got him in the 5th last night (10 team). Seems about right with his current status.

This is much more realistic. He's a nice RB3 at this point because of opportunity, of course you have to worry about him being dinged all year. What he is doing now isn't helping him get into football shape. That's for sure.

 

[Kree]

I hate to say it but there is some truth here. I got burned badly by Ingram last season. The hype was out of control. It is worse for Richardson. Great point about Chris Johnson.

To be fair, it seemed that that was a reaction to situation and New Orleans moving up for him more than anything. Richardson is a legit top 5 draftee talent, unlike Ingram who was always going late first, more as a reaction to New Orleans thinking they needed the added element pre-Sproles breakout and consistent injuries to Pierre and/or Ivory.

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

See 2006/2007 Vikings... You might point at Taylor having a good season the year before, but it was only a year and a half ago when Hillis had 1000+ yards (4.4 yards a pop) and 10+ TDs with an arguably worse team than Cleveland has at the moment. They had 12 passing TDs to 20 INTs that year across three quarterbacks.Granted Richardson isn't quite Peterson talented, but he's pretty close in the scheme of things nowadays.All that being said, I wouldn't want to walk into the season with him as a RB1, and if I had first dibs at a RB2, he probably wouldn't fill that either. Into the third/fourth with WRs and QBs going higher though, and I think you can do much worse in the days of RBBCs and high end RBs coming in with suspension, injury or holdout worries (The Fad, Murray, Mathews, Peterson, MJD, Charles, Lynch)

 

[Zeff]

I definitely bit on Ingram in a couple leagues last year. But I went in with my eyes open. We were given warning signs, and were given the opportunity to ignore them at our peril (which, again, I did)...

...that Payton didn't typically use anything resembling a single feature back...

...that Payton was saying he was going to continue to use all the tools in his belt...

...that Ingram didn't exactly possess all-world measurables...

...that there were obvious choices on the Saints' roster who might limit his opportunity to gather receptions...

...that there were obvious choices on the Saints' roster who might limit his opportunity in the redzone.

And we had to balance that against the hopes that...

...the Saints would feature him, since they spent such a high pick on him...

...and that we were so impressed by what we'd seen of him in college that it was easy to imagine him succeeding.

The gamble proved to be a losing one, but we can't say there weren't any warning signals.

Contrast with Richardson, who brings crazy measurables, and is the only game in town in virtually every facet of the Cleveland running game. In terms of who and what are on the roster, there is NOTHING in Richardson's way that is even remotely similar to the potential obstacles Ingram faced. And there are no similar questions about his physical skills.

Yes, there are some questions about the opportunities his limited team-talent will offer. But at least he has a couple bona fide hogs to run behind on the left side. And yes, there are some questions about his heath. Though we're assured at this point his health should be fine as the season begins.

I'm not sure where FBG is projecting him, but I don't think there are nearly enough similarities to be suggesting that we ought to have learned our lesson with Ingram. In Ingram, we saw a guy we hoped might prove to be the most valuable cog in a very competitive machine. In Richardson, we see a guy with the chance to be one of the small handful of most heavily-featured backs in the league.

Sure, maybe there are enough red flags to discount him below other guys in that same boat, but I don't see enough of them to drop him down into the 4th round or anything.

 

[duaneok66]

Hardesty is definitely not all world - but he has looked better this preseason (he wasnt healthy last year). So even though Richardson is in a much better situation (vs Ingram) - it's not as clear clut as most believe. Richardson won't be getting 20+ carries per game early in the season.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

PROTIP: Avoid this scrub.

You pretty damn funny.

Best laugh I've had in a long time.

PRO TIP

 

[Sabertooth]

I hate to say it but there is some truth here. I got burned badly by Ingram last season. The hype was out of control. It is worse for Richardson. Great point about Chris Johnson.

To be fair, it seemed that that was a reaction to situation and New Orleans moving up for him more than anything. Richardson is a legit top 5 draftee talent, unlike Ingram who was always going late first, more as a reaction to New Orleans thinking they needed the added element pre-Sproles breakout and consistent injuries to Pierre and/or Ivory.

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

See 2006/2007 Vikings... You might point at Taylor having a good season the year before, but it was only a year and a half ago when Hillis had 1000+ yards (4.4 yards a pop) and 10+ TDs with an arguably worse team than Cleveland has at the moment. They had 12 passing TDs to 20 INTs that year across three quarterbacks.Granted Richardson isn't quite Peterson talented, but he's pretty close in the scheme of things nowadays.All that being said, I wouldn't want to walk into the season with him as a RB1, and if I had first dibs at a RB2, he probably wouldn't fill that either. Into the third/fourth with WRs and QBs going higher though, and I think you can do much worse in the days of RBBCs and high end RBs coming in with suspension, injury or holdout worries (The Fad, Murray, Mathews, Peterson, MJD, Charles, Lynch)

Talent doesn't always rise to the top. We see it all the time. Blount has more rushing yards than anyone else in his draft class to date. That includes the talented first round pick Ryan Mathews. Was Blount even drafted? I know he was on Tennessee for a while. Jonathan Stewart is a top 10 pick. Reggie Bush is another. These guys have been mediocre fantasy players. Not saying Richardson won't be a good or even a great player, but setting the bar at Adrian Peterson is folly. You are paying full price for upside. And that's a dicey proposition.

 

[wadegarrett]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

 

[Sabertooth]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

 

[LHUCKS]

I said Ingram was overrated last year, emphatically.

This year, same thing for Richardson.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

What did Peterson's team look like before he went there?

 

[Zeff]

What did Peterson's team look like before he went there?

Big. Muscular. Wore a lot of purple.

 

[sho nuff]

Who are you seeing as the Cleveland answer to Darren Sproles? You know, the guy who's going to keep Richardson from getting a feature back workload?

You think Sproles is all that kept Ingram from a feature back role?

 

[bagger]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD

2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106

considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

 

[Zeff]

Who are you seeing as the Cleveland answer to Darren Sproles? You know, the guy who's going to keep Richardson from getting a feature back workload?

You think Sproles is all that kept Ingram from a feature back role?

Not much of a reader?

 

[wadegarrett]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

 

[Sabertooth]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

Richardson couldn't even stay on the field for what, a week?

 

[bagger]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

Richardson couldn't even stay on the field for what, a week?

a sore knee that they're cleaning out. very minor. better now than in october.we're going to need better "analysis" than this.

 

[ppierce]

the year before Ingram it was Nicks who had a very nice season. so IMO they're 1 out of their last 3.

 

[bagger]

the year before Ingram it was Nicks who had a very nice season. so IMO they're 1 out of their last 3.

1 of 2?

 

[Banger]

I would definitely take a gamble on him if the price were right. There are very few feature backs and he certainly has that opportunity. Their line is solid and they have a 2nd year WR as their #1 wr, a rookie QB and not much else. They will lean heavily on him and he may not get a ton of redzone opportunities but he should get a lot of touches. I'm not worried at all about the Ingram effect for many of the reasons that Zeff pointed out....Cleveland has the exact opposite problem of NO...NO had too many weapons and too many mouths to feed and Cleveland has none so they will feed him early and often.

 

[Sabertooth]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

Richardson couldn't even stay on the field for what, a week?

a sore knee that they're cleaning out. very minor. better now than in october.we're going to need better "analysis" than this.

There isn't anything else to analyze. He hasn't done anything. He's done less than Vick Ballard or Robert Turbin at this point.

 

[bagger]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

Richardson couldn't even stay on the field for what, a week?

a sore knee that they're cleaning out. very minor. better now than in october.we're going to need better "analysis" than this.

There isn't anything else to analyze. He hasn't done anything. He's done less than Vick Ballard or Robert Turbin at this point.

other than his college career of course.so based on how he has done nothing, he is undraftable?

 

[Abraham]

I can certainly understand your points but I disagree with many of them. That isnt to say that Richardson will be a star or won't be, but....

1. Richardson and Ingram are different players. Im not sure how last years trumpeting of Ingram applies to Richardson unless it is a point about the staffs ability to rate rookies. If so id point out that we were also down on cam newton iirc but were high on mike Williams, Clinton Portis, randy mcmichael, Aaron Hernandez, on and on. We miss on some. We get a lot right. Not sure how missing on one player at a position one year sets an absolute precedent for a completely different player in another year.

2. Cleveland and new Orleans are different teams. We ignored a lot of signs about Ingram (as someone else mentioned above). The ONLY sign out of Cleveland that could be a bad thing is that hardesty is playing well in practice and preseason. So I suppose he could take some carries from Richardson. But otherwise the team traded up to take him 3rd, has a solid line, has been talking about running a ton, and has a fairly recent history of having great fantasy production from the backfield.

3. I'm sorry Ingram didn't work out for you last year, But his production was far from awful. He was banged up a lot and wasn't used as much as was expected. But if you take what he actually did on the field there is ample reason to think that our "miss" was in evaluating his situation, not his talent.

Skipping on Richardson at his current adp isn't likely to lose you your league. But selecting him in round 4 and getting top 10 production is exactly the kind of thing that can win you your league.

Should be fun to see it play out.

 

[matttyl]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

More than 20 isn't saying a whole lot. Calvin or Gronk might do that by themselves, as a single player. Green Bay, New Orleans and New England could all do that by early October.

 

[MAC_32]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

More than 20 isn't saying a whole lot. Calvin or Gronk might do that by themselves, as a single player. Green Bay, New Orleans and New England could all do that by early October.

Regardless of how you feel about the Browns offense there is no correlation between bad offenses and RB's suffering because of it, if they're talented and get touches they will produce.

 

[urbanhack]

PROTIP: Avoid this scrub.

You pretty damn funny.

Best laugh I've had in a long time.

PRO TIP

really?

 

[Zeff]

And to further the Sproles nonsense...

There's a concept in mathematics/science, about necessary vs. sufficient.

Having a Darren Sproles...a back talented enough on his own merits to potentially receive a ton of touches...on the Browns (if there were one) would not be sufficient cause to expect Richardson to receive a reduced workload. But it would be a necessary condition for that to happen.

Even if Richardson suffers some YPC and scrapes-and-dings struggles (which were additional conditions Ingram dealt with), he has no Sproles to contend with. The necessary condition of a RB talented enough to act as a parasite on his carries doesn't exist. It did for Ingram.

 

[Banger]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

More than 20 isn't saying a whole lot. Calvin or Gronk might do that by themselves, as a single player. Green Bay, New Orleans and New England could all do that by early October.

Regardless of how you feel about the Browns offense there is no correlation between bad offenses and RB's suffering because of it, if they're talented and get touches they will produce.

especially if they are running behind good lines....FBG had them ranked as the #2 unit this year.

 

[Sabertooth]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

Richardson couldn't even stay on the field for what, a week?

a sore knee that they're cleaning out. very minor. better now than in october.we're going to need better "analysis" than this.

There isn't anything else to analyze. He hasn't done anything. He's done less than Vick Ballard or Robert Turbin at this point.

other than his college career of course.so based on how he has done nothing, he is undraftable?

#### college. There are a million examples of great college players who failed to live up to the hype in the pros. Look no further than Mark Ingram...you know the kid who started OVER Trent Richardson in college.

 

[MAC_32]

Regardless of how you feel about the Browns offense there is no correlation between bad offenses and RB's suffering because of it, if they're talented and get touches they will produce.

especially if they are running behind good lines....FBG had them ranked as the #2 unit this year.

Been defending the Browns o line all offseason as so many seem to think this unit is still a mess. Good to see one site outside of PFF gets it.There's a lot to dislike about the Browns, but the o line is not one of them.

 

[Sabertooth]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

That is a cop out. Truth is you have no idea and you are just in here to stir the pot. Which is fine, but don't expect to be taken seriously.

 

[Abraham]

RANK NAME TM AGE EXP RSH YD TD REC YD TD FPT VBD2 Peyton Hillis CLE 24 3 270 1177 11 61 477 2 244 106considering this offense had the #2 RB in fantasy 2 years ago, i don't think it is unheard of for Richardson to put up some real good #s. Compare that with the Saints offense who you knew was pass first, had 2 other viable fantasy RBs, there is a reason why i avoided ingram last year but grabbed Richardson this year.

Richardson couldn't even stay on the field for what, a week?

a sore knee that they're cleaning out. very minor. better now than in october.we're going to need better "analysis" than this.

There isn't anything else to analyze. He hasn't done anything. He's done less than Vick Ballard or Robert Turbin at this point.

other than his college career of course.so based on how he has done nothing, he is undraftable?

#### college. There are a million examples of great college players who failed to live up to the hype in the pros. Look no further than Mark Ingram...you know the kid who started OVER Trent Richardson in college.

Good point. All rookies should be drafted at random.

 

[sweetness34]

I'm with Banger, Abe, & MAC_32:

<Open-mind>

I agree with many in here about the knocks on TR. Does FBG have him ranked too high? Quite possible. As do many other sites this year. He should not be a top 12 player or even a top 10 RB. HOWEVER, those saying they wouldn’t take him in the 4th round…5th round? Really?

The way people talk, you’d think this guy had no talent, was undrafted, has a terrible O-line, and is fighting 3 other RBs for playing time. The talent + situation is at least present for good fantasy #'s. This is a no-win situation for FBG's rankings...

I’m not defending TR at all, but I find it slightly laughable all the “Mark Ingram was so overrated and I called it last year!!!” posters. I’m sure you were the one who LOVED CJ2K in 2008 and ADP in 2007, right?? It’s easy to look like a genius……after the fact.

I’m not trying to argue for or against drafting TRich. I’m definitely not advocating taking him in the 1st round. I’m just saying rookie RBs and/or RBs on “bad” teams can still produce good fantasy #’s – which is all that really matters. I’m not expecting TRich to be close to ADP or CJ in their rookie year, but I’m also not expecting him to be Ingram either.

 

[Sabertooth]

I can certainly understand your points but I disagree with many of them. That isnt to say that Richardson will be a star or won't be, but....

1. Richardson and Ingram are different players. Im not sure how last years trumpeting of Ingram applies to Richardson unless it is a point about the staffs ability to rate rookies. If so id point out that we were also down on cam newton iirc but were high on mike Williams, Clinton Portis, randy mcmichael, Aaron Hernandez, on and on. We miss on some. We get a lot right. Not sure how missing on one player at a position one year sets an absolute precedent for a completely different player in another year.

2. Cleveland and new Orleans are different teams. We ignored a lot of signs about Ingram (as someone else mentioned above). The ONLY sign out of Cleveland that could be a bad thing is that hardesty is playing well in practice and preseason. So I suppose he could take some carries from Richardson. But otherwise the team traded up to take him 3rd, has a solid line, has been talking about running a ton, and has a fairly recent history of having great fantasy production from the backfield.

3. I'm sorry Ingram didn't work out for you last year, But his production was far from awful. He was banged up a lot and wasn't used as much as was expected. But if you take what he actually did on the field there is ample reason to think that our "miss" was in evaluating his situation, not his talent.

Skipping on Richardson at his current adp isn't likely to lose you your league. But selecting him in round 4 and getting top 10 production is exactly the kind of thing that can win you your league.

Should be fun to see it play out.

I think his point is that the FBG staff tends to overrate rookies, and not just a little bit. I think this is a function of footballguys coming up during the Edge, Fred Taylor, Curtis Martin era of rookie production. Truth is, rookie RBs haven't put up those type of numbers lately. And in the scramble to "discover" the next great thing, they put forth what amounts to hyperbole and unobtainable hype. Instead of doing the actual work that made you the best resource, you are forming opinions and rationalizing them. I've noticed it for a couple years now and I've been on this site since it was Mr. Football and the yellow boards. You've got great tools here, and your infrastructure is unparalleled, but your analysis and hype isn't as good any more.

 

[urbanhack]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

Which is fine, but don't expect to be taken seriously.

 

[jaylasoul14]

Damn i must be drinking the kool aid, we are considering him at 1.12 (or Mathews) to go along with Jimmy Grham or Julio. I dont try and predict injuries and this guy is a lock for over 300 touches. Clevlands line is awesome, if Hillis could do it this guy can

 

[Sabertooth]

I'm with Banger, Abe, & MAC_32:

<Open-mind>

I agree with many in here about the knocks on TR. Does FBG have him ranked too high? Quite possible. As do many other sites this year. He should not be a top 12 player or even a top 10 RB. HOWEVER, those saying they wouldn’t take him in the 4th round…5th round? Really?

The way people talk, you’d think this guy had no talent, was undrafted, has a terrible O-line, and is fighting 3 other RBs for playing time. The talent + situation is at least present for good fantasy #'s. This is a no-win situation for FBG's rankings...

I’m not defending TR at all, but I find it slightly laughable all the “Mark Ingram was so overrated and I called it last year!!!” posters. I’m sure you were the one who LOVED CJ2K in 2008 and ADP in 2007, right?? It’s easy to look like a genius……after the fact.

I’m not trying to argue for or against drafting TRich. I’m definitely not advocating taking him in the 1st round. I’m just saying rookie RBs and/or RBs on “bad” teams can still produce good fantasy #’s – which is all that really matters. I’m not expecting TRich to be close to ADP or CJ in their rookie year, but I’m also not expecting him to be Ingram either.

 

[Sabertooth]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

Which is fine, but don't expect to be taken seriously.

Hey, I know more than most. I was villified last year for suggesting people sell on Adrian Peterson before the season happened. Jokes on me I guess.

 

[Sabertooth]

Damn i must be drinking the kool aid, we are considering him at 1.12 (or Mathews) to go along with Jimmy Grham or Julio. I dont try and predict injuries and this guy is a lock for over 300 touches. Clevlands line is awesome, if Hillis could do it this guy can

You don't have to predict injury, he's already hurt.

 

[mikel0254]

A rookie RB on an offense that won't score many TDs? I'm not touching this guy.

Yes, b/c they're rolling out the exact same guys on offense as they had last year. This guy knows things.

How many touchdowns are you predicting for Cleveland?

More than last year.

Which is fine, but don't expect to be taken seriously.

Racism won't be tolerated in here...

 

[Clifford]

I hate to say it but there is some truth here. I got burned badly by Ingram last season. The hype was out of control. It is worse for Richardson. Great point about Chris Johnson.

I'm sorry but if you can't tell the difference between Trent Richardson and mark Ingram you deserve to get burned. Late 2nd early third seems about right for TR. after the top three there are nothing but question marks. I'd rather have Fred Jackson this year, but I bet Richardson is a top 10 rb after the first four weeks.

 

[matttyl]

I’m not expecting TRich to be close to ADP or CJ in their rookie year, but I’m also not expecting him to be Ingram either.

Ok, CJ rookie season - 1,600 yards and 10 total TDs

ADP rookie season - 1,600 yards and 13 total TDs

Ingram rookie season - 500 yards and 5 total TDs

average - 1,233 total yards and 9 total TDs - pretty close to what Reggie Bush did last year. 3rd round seems to be about where you start considering him.

 

[Abraham]

I can certainly understand your points but I disagree with many of them. That isnt to say that Richardson will be a star or won't be, but....

1. Richardson and Ingram are different players. Im not sure how last years trumpeting of Ingram applies to Richardson unless it is a point about the staffs ability to rate rookies. If so id point out that we were also down on cam newton iirc but were high on mike Williams, Clinton Portis, randy mcmichael, Aaron Hernandez, on and on. We miss on some. We get a lot right. Not sure how missing on one player at a position one year sets an absolute precedent for a completely different player in another year.

2. Cleveland and new Orleans are different teams. We ignored a lot of signs about Ingram (as someone else mentioned above). The ONLY sign out of Cleveland that could be a bad thing is that hardesty is playing well in practice and preseason. So I suppose he could take some carries from Richardson. But otherwise the team traded up to take him 3rd, has a solid line, has been talking about running a ton, and has a fairly recent history of having great fantasy production from the backfield.

3. I'm sorry Ingram didn't work out for you last year, But his production was far from awful. He was banged up a lot and wasn't used as much as was expected. But if you take what he actually did on the field there is ample reason to think that our "miss" was in evaluating his situation, not his talent.

Skipping on Richardson at his current adp isn't likely to lose you your league. But selecting him in round 4 and getting top 10 production is exactly the kind of thing that can win you your league.

Should be fun to see it play out.

I think his point is that the FBG staff tends to overrate rookies, and not just a little bit. I think this is a function of footballguys coming up during the Edge, Fred Taylor, Curtis Martin era of rookie production. Truth is, rookie RBs haven't put up those type of numbers lately. And in the scramble to "discover" the next great thing, they put forth what amounts to hyperbole and unobtainable hype. Instead of doing the actual work that made you the best resource, you are forming opinions and rationalizing them. I've noticed it for a couple years now and I've been on this site since it was Mr. Football and the yellow boards. You've got great tools here, and your infrastructure is unparalleled, but your analysis and hype isn't as good any more.

That may be a fair criticism. It may be that we publish so much content that we end up having a pro and con position on most every player. Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Sabertooth]

I hate to say it but there is some truth here. I got burned badly by Ingram last season. The hype was out of control. It is worse for Richardson. Great point about Chris Johnson.

I'm sorry but if you can't tell the difference between Trent Richardson and mark Ingram you deserve to get burned. Late 2nd early third seems about right for TR. after the top three there are nothing but question marks. I'd rather have Fred Jackson this year, but I bet Richardson is a top 10 rb after the first four weeks.

You were pimping Ingram as a buy low last year. Said he was running angry.

 

[Area51Inhabitant]

I think of him as a much younger Marshawn Lynch with hopefully better off the field decision making. If he's still there in round 3, he doesn't last beyond my pick.