Seems like an awful lot of RB1 openings this year prior to the Draft. (1 Viewer)

[msommer]

Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon.

Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

TEN signed Shonn Greene to a back up contract as noted above and if anything that should be a vote of confidence in CJ, but agree he needs to show consistency to continue to get paid, to make more positive plays and to get something out of his speed.

Sure they could take a back, but which type they choose (if they use a high pick) says more about who is on the bubble over time - and it may still be the ex Jet

I think it's more the $17M they'd have in dead money if they cut him this year.

They could have cut him up to and including the fourth day of the league year for a cap hit of less than his salary in 2013 - they signed Shonn Greene on the second day. Same story next year and the year after, only it will be even bigger difference between salary and cap hit. The salary per year is guaranteed only for injury, until the fifth day of the league year - every year. So in essence it is a team friendly contract, a series of one year guaranteed contracts with de escalating cap hits for cutting him.

My point about Shonn Greene was that he doesn't really bring much, and it will not be him that kicks CJ out of the door.

Is there a rookie in the draft that can do that? Not from what I've seen of commentary and certainly not in 2013.

2014 is anyone's guess - and there will be a whole new bunch of rookies to choose from.

In this respect CJ is in charge of his own fortune.

ETA:

Shonn Greenes contract: 2.5m sigining bonus. 2013 1.65m, 2014 2.3m, 2014 3.25m. Nothing other than the signing bonus guaranteed, so 2014 onwards he too is cheaper to cut than to keep.

 

[Billy Ball Thorton]

And your on his jock about it every chance you get. We get it you want to have EBF baby.

 

[Tau837]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

 

[Tau837]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego's got 99 problems, but Mathews ain't one. Sure, the new staff isn't hitched to him, but he's clearly got talent and they've got a ton of holes to fill in other areas. It could happen, but it would be a shocker. Kind of like when Denver took Moreno. It would be nice to see Mathews in a new situation next year, though.

 

[voiceofunreason]

I think the Bengals will take a RB in the first 3 rounds. It is almost 100% in fact.But I wouldn't expect him to come in and be a big fantasy factor right away as they seem pretty set on going with a committee approach.They wanted to sign Reggie Bush and it wasn't the money that was the deciding factor, but the fact that he didn't want to be a committee guy which is what the Bengals told him explicitly they were looking at him for.If they were to take a guy like Gio Bernard in the 2nd, I think people might over value him in fantasy. Gruden seems to want more of a New Orleans type backfield. Likely with BJGE, Cedric Peerman and 2 draft picks.

Huh? Can't imagine Bush seriously thought of going to the Bengals. I don't think they've had a RBBC since Icky Woods. Even awful guys like Benson and Green-Ellis got the lead roles.

 

[Kenny Powers]

The only thing I disagree with is the Giants. Wilson is the guy. And they have a very capable, albeit a little dinged, backup. I don't see them taking anyone before the fourth and only to replace Brown, not Wilson...

Brown still an unsigned RFA though, right?

 

[nightmare]

The only thing I disagree with is the Giants. Wilson is the guy. And they have a very capable, albeit a little dinged, backup. I don't see them taking anyone before the fourth and only to replace Brown, not Wilson...

Brown still an unsigned RFA though, right?

Yes, not sure if it was a second round tender.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

sure they do, but the telesco/mccoy regime needs to follow grigson's lead and get hits on all of the picks. Did the Colts NEED two TEs in their first three picks last year? No? Did they do the right thing taking Dwayne Allen at the top of the third? Hell yes.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Good topic for discussion.

Dallas: I say yes It's very unpopular, but I completely agree that they need to bring in someone new. People here are still on the Murray hype train, but the guy is a glorified 3rd down back. His high reception total keep him fantasy relevant, but he's Steve Slaton 2.0. They need a good between the tackles runner.

I'm not riding any Murray hype train at all, but I don't understand your problems with him. Murray is 6' 215-218 pounds and is solidly built. He's considered one of the tougher tackles in the league because he runs so strong and with his speed and size his velocity at impact is high. His problem has been injuries which are a largely byproduct of the way he runs and his upright running style.

 

[FF Ninja]

Good topic for discussion.

Dallas: I say yes It's very unpopular, but I completely agree that they need to bring in someone new. People here are still on the Murray hype train, but the guy is a glorified 3rd down back. His high reception total keep him fantasy relevant, but he's Steve Slaton 2.0. They need a good between the tackles runner.

I'm not riding any Murray hype train at all, but I don't understand your problems with him. Murray is 6' 215-218 pounds and is solidly built. He's considered one of the tougher tackles in the league because he runs so strong and with his speed and size his velocity at impact is high. His problem has been injuries which are a largely byproduct of the way he runs and his upright running style.

First of all, he wasn't impressive in college. He was a stat compiler, but looked like nothing more than an NFL third down back during his junior and senior seasons. Second, outside of a fluke game in his rookie year, he hasn't been that impressive considering the high powered offense he's on. He's barely sniffed the end zone and runs for less than 4 ypc more often than not. He just looks like another Steve Slaton to me. Third, he sure appears injury prone. For me to weather an injury prone player, he needs to be special when he's healthy. I think he's a solid third down back, but on 1st and 2nd down his production would be easy to surpass.

To me there seems to be a lot of writing on the wall for him, but people are heavily invested in him and/or still riding the hype of his short rookie year, so I'll always be outnumbered in this discussion. People who want to hear that he'll be a stud for years to come won't have a hard time finding ways to discount the evidence to the contrary. In the end, this is a numbers game. I think the chances of him being a starting RB in 2015 are less than 20%. But there's probably a 20% chance that he's top 10 this year. This offense moves the ball and defenses are geared up to stop the pass, so despite the o-line, I consider the starting RB for Dallas to be a top 10 positional job. But Murray is just kind of a middling talent as far as an early down runner, so he's wasting the fantasy potential of that position. But in all likelihood, if they were to bring in a better early down runner, his value would be offset by Murray's 3rd down ability.

 

[Dirk Digler]

Might be that we are going to see more and more teams with duel RB2's.

Bet half those teams mentioned have a fairly low level of urgency to address the RB spot.

Teams seem to be more focused on ball control passing and aquiring better (slot) WR3's and Joker/Move TE's.?

Dunno, but the RBBC is here to stay, IMHO.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Good topic for discussion.

Dallas: I say yes It's very unpopular, but I completely agree that they need to bring in someone new. People here are still on the Murray hype train, but the guy is a glorified 3rd down back. His high reception total keep him fantasy relevant, but he's Steve Slaton 2.0. They need a good between the tackles runner.

I'm not riding any Murray hype train at all, but I don't understand your problems with him. Murray is 6' 215-218 pounds and is solidly built. He's considered one of the tougher tackles in the league because he runs so strong and with his speed and size his velocity at impact is high. His problem has been injuries which are a largely byproduct of the way he runs and his upright running style.

First of all, he wasn't impressive in college. He was a stat compiler, but looked like nothing more than an NFL third down back during his junior and senior seasons. Second, outside of a fluke game in his rookie year, he hasn't been that impressive considering the high powered offense he's on. He's barely sniffed the end zone and runs for less than 4 ypc more often than not. He just looks like another Steve Slaton to me. Third, he sure appears injury prone. For me to weather an injury prone player, he needs to be special when he's healthy. I think he's a solid third down back, but on 1st and 2nd down his production would be easy to surpass.

To me there seems to be a lot of writing on the wall for him, but people are heavily invested in him and/or still riding the hype of his short rookie year, so I'll always be outnumbered in this discussion. People who want to hear that he'll be a stud for years to come won't have a hard time finding ways to discount the evidence to the contrary. In the end, this is a numbers game. I think the chances of him being a starting RB in 2015 are less than 20%. But there's probably a 20% chance that he's top 10 this year. This offense moves the ball and defenses are geared up to stop the pass, so despite the o-line, I consider the starting RB for Dallas to be a top 10 positional job. But Murray is just kind of a middling talent as far as an early down runner, so he's wasting the fantasy potential of that position. But in all likelihood, if they were to bring in a better early down runner, his value would be offset by Murray's 3rd down ability.

I was only asking about you labeling him a 3rd down back who can't run inside - not whether he has any long term value. I'm not all that high on him either for various reasons (many that you mentioned), but when I hear some one called a "glorified 3rd down back" I assume it's because of size/strength issues which I don't think apply. I guess I could have misread what you were trying to say.

 

[nightmare]

Teams that need more RB depth-Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Vikings, Raiders, Steelers, and Seahawks. Teams that

have a bunch of RB2's-NY Jets, Green Bay, Steelers and Rams. Richardson/Pead might be the answer but I wouldn't

bet on it. San Diego is not going to stand pat with a 4th year RB that hasn't played a full season. I'm not saying the

rookies/free agents will win the starting job but the opportunity is there (excluding Houston, Vikings, Dallas, and Seahawks). I didn't list Denver Because I have no idea what their going to do.

 

[EBF]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

sure they do, but the telesco/mccoy regime needs to follow grigson's lead and get hits on all of the picks. Did the Colts NEED two TEs in their first three picks last year? No? Did they do the right thing taking Dwayne Allen at the top of the third? Hell yes.

That's one big reason why I don't bother with mock drafts. It's easy to assume that all of the top RB prospects will go to places with an acute and immediate need, but it rarely works out that way in practice. Most years you get head scratcher picks like Stewart to Carolina, Gerhart to Minnesota, and MCGahee to Buffalo because a team with moderate need decides that the player in question is too good to pass up at a particular draft slot.

So while we can project Lacy/Bernard/Michael to Green Bay/New York Jets/St. Louis/Pittsburgh, there's a pretty good chance that the draft will throw us some curveballs. How about Eddie Lacy on the Bills and Gio Bernard on the Texans? That would be fun.

 

[joey]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

sure they do, but the telesco/mccoy regime needs to follow grigson's lead and get hits on all of the picks. Did the Colts NEED two TEs in their first three picks last year? No? Did they do the right thing taking Dwayne Allen at the top of the third? Hell yes.

That's one big reason why I don't bother with mock drafts. It's easy to assume that all of the top RB prospects will go to places with an acute and immediate need, but it rarely works out that way in practice. Most years you get head scratcher picks like Stewart to Carolina, Gerhart to Minnesota, and MCGahee to Buffalo because a team with moderate need decides that the player in question is too good to pass up at a particular draft slot. So while we can project Lacy/Bernard/Michael to Green Bay/New York Jets/St. Louis/Pittsburgh, there's a pretty good chance that the draft will throw us some curveballs. How about Eddie Lacy on the Bills and Gio Bernard on the Texans? That would be fun.

Exactly. As I sat with Gore/Hunter on one dynasty team and thought I had the SF running game locked down for the next 5 years, they go and draft LaMichael James. That's just one example but it seems to happen all the time. And in leagues where you can't keep loads of players (my two dynasty leagues are both Keep 12) having to take up another keeper slot gets tougher and tougher for these kind of close calls. Gotta throw guys back in the pool and hope you can get them back in the rookie/free agent draft. What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds and then the wind goes out of the Wilson sails a bit?

 

[nightmare]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

sure they do, but the telesco/mccoy regime needs to follow grigson's lead and get hits on all of the picks. Did the Colts NEED two TEs in their first three picks last year? No? Did they do the right thing taking Dwayne Allen at the top of the third? Hell yes.

That's one big reason why I don't bother with mock drafts. It's easy to assume that all of the top RB prospects will go to places with an acute and immediate need, but it rarely works out that way in practice. Most years you get head scratcher picks like Stewart to Carolina, Gerhart to Minnesota, and MCGahee to Buffalo because a team with moderate need decides that the player in question is too good to pass up at a particular draft slot. So while we can project Lacy/Bernard/Michael to Green Bay/New York Jets/St. Louis/Pittsburgh, there's a pretty good chance that the draft will throw us some curveballs. How about Eddie Lacy on the Bills and Gio Bernard on the Texans? That would be fun.

Exactly. As I sat with Gore/Hunter on one dynasty team and thought I had the SF running game locked down for the next 5 years, they go and draft LaMichael James. That's just one example but it seems to happen all the time.And in leagues where you can't keep loads of players (my two dynasty leagues are both Keep 12) having to take up another keeper slot gets tougher and tougher for these kind of close calls. Gotta throw guys back in the pool and hope you can get them back in the rookie/free agent draft.What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds and then the wind goes out of the Wilson sails a bit?

I think it would be A Brown owners crying. Wilson would be the top ranked RB in this draft.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds...?

Jerry Reese gets fired?

 

[ConnSKINS26]

What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds...?

Jerry Reese gets fired?

I think he's earned enough benefit of the doubt to avoid that fate if he did such a thing. But I understand the point you're making.

 

[joey]

What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds...?

Jerry Reese gets fired?

I think he's earned enough benefit of the doubt to avoid that fate if he did such a thing. But I understand the point you're making.

Agreed that it's not likely but, lately, it seems just when I think I have a team's RB situation figured out in the offseason, the team goes and drafts yet another young RB that seems to throw me a curve ball. The Giants were just a kind-of-random example since I'm a Wilson (and Bradshaw) owner in one league and feel like I handled the transition from former starter to current starter just right. That seems to be when things go all cockeyed for me.But I ain't as smart as your average bear.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Might be that we are going to see more and more teams with duel RB2's.

Bet half those teams mentioned have a fairly low level of urgency to address the RB spot.

Teams seem to be more focused on ball control passing and aquiring better (slot) WR3's and Joker/Move TE's.?

Dunno, but the RBBC is here to stay, IMHO.

DD, I agree with your post. But when you have a 50/50 split, one guy goes down, seems like at that point the true RB1 emerges and a guy like Murray who seems brittle despite maybe being a tough tackle, add in a Dallas team that must must must make the playoffs this year. They have play makers on defense, they need an OL and they need another RB to share the load and also help give Dallas some options when they are playing with the lead.

 

[cstu]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

sure they do, but the telesco/mccoy regime needs to follow grigson's lead and get hits on all of the picks. Did the Colts NEED two TEs in their first three picks last year? No? Did they do the right thing taking Dwayne Allen at the top of the third? Hell yes.

I get what you're saying but the Chargers are seriously screwed this year. Despite what anyone thinks of Mathews (I don't own him in any leagues) the RB position is probably one of the team's strengths. I won't be surprised if they take a RB in the draft (particularly Lattimore in the 3rd) but it won't be in the 1st or 2nd.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds...?

Jerry Reese gets fired?

Many picks that have looked like they are unnecessary because of lack of glaring need end up being terrific picks. If Reese has Franklin as a top 50 player and he's still there in third, or if they love Lattimore and he's still there in 3rd, no reason to pass. Most important thing is to hit on the picks, not make sure that you fill an immediate need with each one. Teams are looking at need in a 2-3 year window anyway. Andre Brown is talented, but has never been able to stay healthy. A pick like Lattimore in 3rd or maybe a Taylor/Gilleslee in the 4th makes some sense.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

What happens when the Giants pick one of the top RB prospects in the first 3 rounds...?

Jerry Reese gets fired?

I think he's earned enough benefit of the doubt to avoid that fate if he did such a thing. But I understand the point you're making.

I was joking here, but at least as far as I can recall the Giants have used only one high pick on a RB in... forever. To use two in back to back years when there's no need would be a big surprise. I do think they'll take a back late, just not in the first few rounds.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Good topic for discussion.

Dallas: I say yes It's very unpopular, but I completely agree that they need to bring in someone new. People here are still on the Murray hype train, but the guy is a glorified 3rd down back. His high reception total keep him fantasy relevant, but he's Steve Slaton 2.0. They need a good between the tackles runner.

I'm not riding any Murray hype train at all, but I don't understand your problems with him. Murray is 6' 215-218 pounds and is solidly built. He's considered one of the tougher tackles in the league because he runs so strong and with his speed and size his velocity at impact is high. His problem has been injuries which are a largely byproduct of the way he runs and his upright running style.

First of all, he wasn't impressive in college. He was a stat compiler, but looked like nothing more than an NFL third down back during his junior and senior seasons. Second, outside of a fluke game in his rookie year, he hasn't been that impressive considering the high powered offense he's on. He's barely sniffed the end zone and runs for less than 4 ypc more often than not. He just looks like another Steve Slaton to me. Third, he sure appears injury prone. For me to weather an injury prone player, he needs to be special when he's healthy. I think he's a solid third down back, but on 1st and 2nd down his production would be easy to surpass.

To me there seems to be a lot of writing on the wall for him, but people are heavily invested in him and/or still riding the hype of his short rookie year, so I'll always be outnumbered in this discussion. People who want to hear that he'll be a stud for years to come won't have a hard time finding ways to discount the evidence to the contrary. In the end, this is a numbers game. I think the chances of him being a starting RB in 2015 are less than 20%. But there's probably a 20% chance that he's top 10 this year. This offense moves the ball and defenses are geared up to stop the pass, so despite the o-line, I consider the starting RB for Dallas to be a top 10 positional job. But Murray is just kind of a middling talent as far as an early down runner, so he's wasting the fantasy potential of that position. But in all likelihood, if they were to bring in a better early down runner, his value would be offset by Murray's 3rd down ability.

I'm also on the Murray = overrated bandwagon and have been for years, but I don't know how Dallas can possibly be considered a top-10 RB job. You've touched on the offensive line, but IMO are underplaying just how bad the unit is -- with the exception of Tyron Smith they are absolutely awful. The play calling is also hugely pass heavy -- the red-zone pass/run ratio is absolutely ridiculous. Dallas has 13 total rushing TDs the past two years combined. Part of that might be on Murray and the other RBs, but given the line issues and the offensive system I think most of the non-elite RBs would likely struggle for fantasy relevance here.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Phil Costa is an important player for

Good topic for discussion.

Dallas: I say yes It's very unpopular, but I completely agree that they need to bring in someone new. People here are still on the Murray hype train, but the guy is a glorified 3rd down back. His high reception total keep him fantasy relevant, but he's Steve Slaton 2.0. They need a good between the tackles runner.

I'm not riding any Murray hype train at all, but I don't understand your problems with him. Murray is 6' 215-218 pounds and is solidly built. He's considered one of the tougher tackles in the league because he runs so strong and with his speed and size his velocity at impact is high. His problem has been injuries which are a largely byproduct of the way he runs and his upright running style.

First of all, he wasn't impressive in college. He was a stat compiler, but looked like nothing more than an NFL third down back during his junior and senior seasons. Second, outside of a fluke game in his rookie year, he hasn't been that impressive considering the high powered offense he's on. He's barely sniffed the end zone and runs for less than 4 ypc more often than not. He just looks like another Steve Slaton to me. Third, he sure appears injury prone. For me to weather an injury prone player, he needs to be special when he's healthy. I think he's a solid third down back, but on 1st and 2nd down his production would be easy to surpass.

To me there seems to be a lot of writing on the wall for him, but people are heavily invested in him and/or still riding the hype of his short rookie year, so I'll always be outnumbered in this discussion. People who want to hear that he'll be a stud for years to come won't have a hard time finding ways to discount the evidence to the contrary. In the end, this is a numbers game. I think the chances of him being a starting RB in 2015 are less than 20%. But there's probably a 20% chance that he's top 10 this year. This offense moves the ball and defenses are geared up to stop the pass, so despite the o-line, I consider the starting RB for Dallas to be a top 10 positional job. But Murray is just kind of a middling talent as far as an early down runner, so he's wasting the fantasy potential of that position. But in all likelihood, if they were to bring in a better early down runner, his value would be offset by Murray's 3rd down ability.

I'm also on the Murray = overrated bandwagon and have been for years, but I don't know how Dallas can possibly be considered a top-10 RB job. You've touched on the offensive line, but IMO are underplaying just how bad the unit is -- with the exception of Tyron Smith they are absolutely awful. The play calling is also hugely pass heavy -- the red-zone pass/run ratio is absolutely ridiculous. Dallas has 13 total rushing TDs the past two years combined. Part of that might be on Murray and the other RBs, but given the line issues and the offensive system I think most of the non-elite RBs would likely struggle for fantasy relevance here.

Phil Costa is an important player for Dallas's OL in the run game. It was dominant against Baltimore in the one full game he played. They re-signed him and if he stays healthy, could be a big boost for Murray.

 

[FF Ninja]

I'm also on the Murray = overrated bandwagon and have been for years, but I don't know how Dallas can possibly be considered a top-10 RB job. You've touched on the offensive line, but IMO are underplaying just how bad the unit is -- with the exception of Tyron Smith they are absolutely awful. The play calling is also hugely pass heavy -- the red-zone pass/run ratio is absolutely ridiculous. Dallas has 13 total rushing TDs the past two years combined. Part of that might be on Murray and the other RBs, but given the line issues and the offensive system I think most of the non-elite RBs would likely struggle for fantasy relevance here.

To be honest, that was a very minor point that I didn't really give a whole lot of thought to. I may have overstated things a bit when calling it a top 10 job, but I certainly think it isn't far off from top 10 if it isn't top 10. There are a lot of teams that either have a bad defense and have to abandon the run early or they have a bad offense that just doesn't move the ball. I consider Dallas a good enough team to support lead back scoring double digit TDs - something only 8 RBs did last year. Sure, Dallas hasn't done that the last two years, but they've been saddled with Felix and DeMarco - which likely affects production and playcalling. I think the offense would be much more effective should they do a Turner/Quizz combo with somebody/Murray. I know I catch a lot of heat for liking Blount, but he's the type of 1st/2nd down running I'm thinking of. A guy who is going to pick up more than 3.6 ypc on first downs. Kind of like the Marion Barber days. They're going to run the ball more if they are consistently in 2nd-5 situations rather than 2nd-7.

 

[cstu]

Looks like a lot of the openings got filled. How well we'll soon find out.

 

[Tau837]

Two teams to throw out there: San Diego - new regime has no ties to Mathews and he will need to have quite a year to endear himself to them. If they see a back they like long-term in this draft, they may not wait around to see what Mathews does before investing in a RB of the future that they pick. Tennessee - Chris Johnson won't be worth 8M next year if he performs the way he did last year. Tennessee has to be making other plans at RB soon. Wouldn't be surprised to see either one of these teams take one of the first 5/6 backs off of the board.

San Diego has much bigger needs than RB. They need a complete overhaul of their OL, they need to improve their defensive backfield, and they need an upgrade at WR. And, really, they need DL and LB more than RB, too.As a fan, I will be upset if they draft a RB.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Looks like a lot of the openings got filled. How well we'll soon find out.

Who might conceivably still be in the market for a RB? I think you could argue the Rams (which might make them a suitor for a post-cut DeAngelo if that happens June 1st), but who else? Everyone's pretty much addressed the position, no?

 

[gianmarco]

Looks like a lot of the openings got filled. How well we'll soon find out.

Who might conceivably still be in the market for a RB? I think you could argue the Rams (which might make them a suitor for a post-cut DeAngelo if that happens June 1st), but who else? Everyone's pretty much addressed the position, no?

Indy.

 

[Dawg Pound 69]

Jaguars have to add somebody. Don't think they can count on MJD being healthy. They have no depth at RB.

Looks like a lot of the openings got filled. How well we'll soon find out.

Who might conceivably still be in the market for a RB? I think you could argue the Rams (which might make them a suitor for a post-cut DeAngelo if that happens June 1st), but who else? Everyone's pretty much addressed the position, no?

 

[cstu]

Jaguars have to add somebody. Don't think they can count on MJD being healthy. They have no depth at RB.

Looks like a lot of the openings got filled. How well we'll soon find out.

Who might conceivably still be in the market for a RB? I think you could argue the Rams (which might make them a suitor for a post-cut DeAngelo if that happens June 1st), but who else? Everyone's pretty much addressed the position, no?

Denard Robinson, supposedly.

 

[donkshow]

Indy could use somebody to go with Ballard. Brown and Carter suck. I guess Williams could compete for backup role.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Giovani Bernard has some big days ahead of him. I was at the game in miami last year, watched him rip us all day long, also is a great asset out of the backfield. Now Cinci does not throw to the RBs a lot but they also don't have elite guys after AJ Green so I like Bernard to catch a lot of balls and then even a shared workload of the carries should yield a nice catch for owners. I hesitate to compare this guy to other guys but he sort of reminded me of Portis before he added the weight. To me he looked like a guy who should have been wearing orange and green that day, and maybe that was just because he was so exciting to watch. I think he lands in a great situation, if he can't beat BJGE then he isn't very good to begin with but I think he is very talented and fits in well with the modern NFL, he can get 12-18 touches a game depending on the week and match up. I would not hesitate in taking this guy in dynasty especially in a talent starved year. This guys is the goods IMO and has some of the "it" factor you gotta have. If I'm wrong I'll own up to it, I always do but if Lamar Miller excites you a lot then Bernard is right up your alley, maybe more so even.