Ryan Mathews (1 Viewer)

[PRAE]

Many were pretty high on Mathews heading in to last year. I havent seen him mentioned much here on the boards recently though. What does everyone think? Anyone think he has a shot at being a top 15-20 RB this year??

 

[Go deep]

If he stays healthy, he will finish in the top 10....maybe even top 5 depending on league type.

 

[Concept Coop]

I like him as a nice buy-low. You have to love the spot he landed in.

 

[Raiderfan32904]

I like him as a nice buy-low. You have to love the spot he landed in.

This.He should have bounce back year. He still hasn't proven he can stay healthy, and if you roll the dice, you have to expect only about 12 games out of him. He'll get dinged up because of his upright running style. Still, in the games he does play, he offers plenty of upside. Especially on that team. I think that top 5, top 10 is very remote. He could be a 1,000 yard rusher this year, but wont see the field enough to challenge the league leaders.

 

[Roc Pile]

for sure top 10 maybe top 5, this guy is a really really good running back... maybe the best balance in the league

 

[mcintyre1]

I don't agree with the estimations that he'll be top 5 or even top 10. Given his difficulty in earning the job back once healthy, I'd temper expectations to something more like back end of the top 15 or top 20.

 

[Go deep]

I don't agree with the estimations that he'll be top 5 or even top 10. Given his difficulty in earning the job back once healthy, I'd temper expectations to something more like back end of the top 15 or top 20.

Why rush back a a guy you just spent a top 15 pick on when the guy you have in there was doing OK? Plus, there are alot of high picks in the top 10 RB's right now who didnt have good rookie years(Jamaal Charles,Lesean Mccoy, Ray Rice, Darren Mcfadden, Rashard Mendenhall).

 

[Sweet Love]

I find it interesting how there is talk of Bilal Powell having an impact in 2011 with LT, Greene and McKnight on the Jets roster, yet there is no concern with Jordan Todman on the SD roster with just Matthews and Tolbert (who could easily be moved to FB) in front of him. I watched Todman play and really liked what he brought to the table...he is small, but so was LT. He is most likely going to be the reason the Chargers do not retain Sproles, yet Powell has someone similar to him in size (in Greene, though he is bigger) and speed (McKnight) in front of him. I am not looking at this long-term (I like Powell more), but Todman has a little more power (IMO) than Sproles and could take some immediate time away if Matthews struggles out of the gate.

 

[Go deep]

I find it interesting how there is talk of Bilal Powell having an impact in 2011 with LT, Greene and McKnight on the Jets roster, yet there is no concern with Jordan Todman on the SD roster with just Matthews and Tolbert (who could easily be moved to FB) in front of him. I watched Todman play and really liked what he brought to the table...he is small, but so was LT. He is most likely going to be the reason the Chargers do not retain Sproles, yet Powell has someone similar to him in size (in Greene, though he is bigger) and speed (McKnight) in front of him. I am not looking at this long-term (I like Powell more), but Todman has a little more power (IMO) than Sproles and could take some immediate time away if Matthews struggles out of the gate.

I think thats the other way around. Sproles was already gone, so they drafted someone to take his place.

I think Powell is the better player and has less obstacles to the startng gig.

 

[Shutout]

People will likely be a little too down on Matthews after such lofty expectations last year so I agree he can be a good(relatively speaking) buy low.

But owning him last year and not needing him, I think I got a pretty unbiased view of him. My take:

-The team WAS willing to feature him with a good workload when he was able to go.

-He DOES have the ability to be the type of player people were expecting.

-He absolutely was a big difference maker in the FF playoffs last year for people who used him.

Yes, I would buy him now and think he could easily be the next chapter of the saga that ssems to be these days in the NFL where the highly touted rookie actually takes a year or two to become a factor (DMAC, Charles, etc).

 

[Chicago Hooligan]

I don't know how many attempts Mathews failed on inside the 5, but all but one of his TDs came from outside the 10 yard-line. Probably this has been mentioned elsewhere.

10 of Tolbert's 11 scores came from within the 5. Even if he is "moved" to fullback why would you stop giving him goalline carries when he's so effective?

A much better season from Mathews wouldn't surprise me because that offense will score a lot one way or another, but I'd rank him ~20th with a mess of other RBs.

 

[LHUCKS]

I'm still undecided on this kid. Great situation, but he didn't show as much as I expected last year when he was healthy.

I think his ADP is about right, but he could easily outperform or underperform...tough player to pin down.

 

[CompetitiveEdgeFootball]

You can get him in the late 3rd early 4th.

The other RBs are tiered with him:

Ced Benson, Shonn Green, Noshow Moreno, Javid Best...

So as far as I'm concerned this guy is a gem for where you can get him. I like him way better than all the other backs in this tier, especially now that Best will be splitting carries along with his injury concerns. I don't see him as a very safe pick anymore.