Top 4 Teirs - RB (1 Viewer)

[Buttmonkey]

OK, I think a lot of guys on this board are knowledgable about FF, but some (most) tend to not look any further into the rankings they provide than what just happened last season. My own spin on my ranking of RBs is tempered with past performances and speculation on individual situations.

Teir 1 - LJ, SA, Portis (reason for Portis is Washington's off-season moves should help open the lanes a lttle better, plus he's gotten better each season under Gibbs - it's only a matter of time before he explodes like he did in Denver and I believe this is the year for Portis). I don't have him in any of my leagues either.

Teir 2 - LT, Rudi, Jordan, Davis (Jordan should at the very least repeat last year's totals, but I'm banking with a healthy Moss and better QB play he wil put up better stats). Davis (if he can stay healthy) will return to 2004 form with two legit WRs to take some the heat off the Houston run game. LT drops to second teir because I wholeheartedly believe Rivers at QB is going to take away from his game big time.

Teir 3 - Westbrook, Taylor, Ronnie Brown, Barber, James, J. Lewis

Big teir here, but all pretty much interchangable. Taylor is stepping into an ideal situation in Minny and don't forget it's a totally different coaching staff - so no more RBBC in Minny; Westbrook is getting the ball even more this year and if healthy all year - probably top 10. Ronnie Brown without Ricky is huge. If McNair ends up in Baltimore than J. Lewis should be back to 1400 yards and 10 TDs.

Teir 4 - K. Jones, McGahee, J. Jones, etc...

All have potential but I just don't see it this year. Julius looks to be in an outstanding situation, but I just think Barber will be on the field enough to detract from his totals enough to make a sizable dent. McGahee is on an awfull team that really didn't improve much - his situation is about the same as year except he lost a valuable receiver - he's in for a long year.

Probably not the most popular rankings, but that's what make FF so much fun - opinions - everyone has them.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Did I miss Alexander?

 

[David Yudkin]

I'll play the role of Captain Obvious . . .

- LT has ranked #3 overall for 4 straight years and did so when Brees was an utter nobody on the verge of losing his job and prior to Gates becoming a force. He will be fine regardless of what Rivers does (and IMO most people are assuming the worst on Rivers when he should do very well--but that part shouldn't matter for LT).

- Rudi has to be considered having a limited ceiling given that he gets very little in the passing attack. He's had 360 and 376 touches the past two seasons and has not ranked higher than 7th. It's all but impossible for him to touch the ball more, he still will lose receptions (and maybe carries) to Perry, and unless he gets a fair amount of TD above and beyond the 12 he's had the past two seasons it will be extremely difficult for him to climb the rankings.

- Philly has tried like heck to limit the touches for Westbrook, so I do not see him getting much more work than in the past. The Eagles like to get him 12-13 carries on average and have had the opportunity to ramp him up in the past and have not due to his durability issues. I don't see him getting the ball a lot more as others are supposing. Not saying that he's not Top 10, but much beyond that might be tough unless he gets a high % of TD.

- If we are assuming healthy seasons for these guys, I don't see Barber falling to 11th. He still will get a huge workload and his game is more based on total yards than scoring TD.

- Edge may see a drop-off in carries, but he should still do well enough to stay in the Top 10. He'd have to drop 80+ fantasy points to fall to #12, and I think based on workload alone he should still stay Top 10.

Nothing unpopular with the rankings, just a few that seemed a bit askew IMO. The different the better in my book as long as they make sense or are explained.

-

 

[Da Flyin Lion]

OK, I think a lot of guys on this board are knowledgable about FF, but some (most) tend to not look any further into the rankings they provide than what just happened last season.  My own spin on my ranking of RBs is tempered with past performances and speculation on individual situations.

Teir 1 - LJ, SA, Portis (reason for Portis is Washington's off-season moves should help open the lanes a lttle better, plus he's gotten better each season under Gibbs - it's only a matter of time before he explodes like he did in Denver and I believe this is the year for Portis).  I don't have him in any of my leagues either.

Teir 2 - LT, Rudi, Jordan, Davis (Jordan should at the very least repeat last year's totals, but I'm banking with a healthy Moss and better QB play he wil put up better stats).  Davis (if he can stay healthy) will return to 2004 form with two legit WRs to take some the heat off the Houston run game.  LT drops to second teir because I wholeheartedly believe Rivers at QB is going to take away from his game big time. 

Teir 3 - Westbrook, Taylor, Ronnie Brown, Barber, James, J. Lewis

Big teir here, but all pretty much interchangable.  Taylor is stepping into an ideal situation in Minny and don't forget it's a totally different coaching staff - so no more RBBC in Minny; Westbrook is getting the ball even more this year and if healthy all year - probably top 10.  Ronnie Brown without Ricky is huge.  If McNair ends up in Baltimore than J. Lewis should be back to 1400 yards and 10 TDs.

Teir 4 - K. Jones, McGahee, J. Jones, etc...

All have potential but I just don't see it this year.  Julius looks to be in an outstanding situation, but I just think Barber will be on the field enough to detract from his totals enough to make a sizable dent.  McGahee is on an awfull team that really didn't improve much - his situation is about the same as year except he lost a valuable receiver - he's in for a long year.

Probably not the most popular rankings, but that's what make FF so much fun - opinions - everyone has them.

Nice Rankings. I like what you said about Davis. I think he'll improve this year as well although maybe not to the tier 2 level. He was really hampered by injuries last year but has been a stud in the past. Chester Taylor is intriguing as well. I've been burned by Vikings RBs the past few years but I think he could carry the load there with a new regime. Could be the steal of the draft in round 3 or 4 if he stays under the radar. I have a few questions though...

Why do you have Tiki all the way down to Tier 3? His schedule does look difficult this year, but he's been a top 5 RB the last 2 years and a very good RB1/2 for years before that except for one bad year in 2003. He's on an offense that scored a lot of points last year with a QB that is still learning. In '06 they will be strong in every position. The Giants Defense has improved as well with additions like Arrington. Tiki is balanced in that he can run, catch and score TDs. I find it difficult to rank him out of the top 7.

Also, what do you think about the RB's after the top 16? In a RB heavy draft this doesn't quite get through the 2nd round.

 

[Avery]

Did I miss Alexander?

Yep.Tier 1

 

[Aaronur]

in redraft I think you have Tiki too low. He was a top tier last year and tier 2 before that. I think he at least repeats top 2 tiers this year.

 

[noneother]

chester taylor? and no Cadillac?

 

[CommuterMan]

What about Jackson????

 

[Buttmonkey]

Oops. That what I get for doing this at work. Jackson I would put in teir three because new coach has stated Faulk will be more involved. Also, if you remember, the new coach loves RBBC (see Minny and Dolphins as OC).

Cadillac was another oversight, teir three in my book.

Reason I'm a little down on Barber is age and I think his schedule is tough. I'll be honest with you, I just cannot judge Barber at all. I know he produces but I just can't get overly excited about him. I don't know if you guys experience the same about certain players, but Barber has never been one of my "must have" guys.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Did I miss Alexander?

Yep.Tier 1

Sorry.

 

[perry147]

I'll play the role of Captain Obvious . . .

- LT has ranked #3 overall for 4 straight years and did so when Brees was an utter nobody on the verge of losing his job and prior to Gates becoming a force. He will be fine regardless of what Rivers does (and IMO most people are assuming the worst on Rivers when he should do very well--but that part shouldn't matter for LT).

- Rudi has to be considered having a limited ceiling given that he gets very little in the passing attack. He's had 360 and 376 touches the past two seasons and has not ranked higher than 7th. It's all but impossible for him to touch the ball more, he still will lose receptions (and maybe carries) to Perry, and unless he gets a fair amount of TD above and beyond the 12 he's had the past two seasons it will be extremely difficult for him to climb the rankings.

- Philly has tried like heck to limit the touches for Westbrook, so I do not see him getting much more work than in the past. The Eagles like to get him 12-13 carries on average and have had the opportunity to ramp him up in the past and have not due to his durability issues. I don't see him getting the ball a lot more as others are supposing. Not saying that he's not Top 10, but much beyond that might be tough unless he gets a high % of TD.

- If we are assuming healthy seasons for these guys, I don't see Barber falling to 11th. He still will get a huge workload and his game is more based on total yards than scoring TD.

- Edge may see a drop-off in carries, but he should still do well enough to stay in the Top 10. He'd have to drop 80+ fantasy points to fall to #12, and I think based on workload alone he should still stay Top 10.

Nothing unpopular with the rankings, just a few that seemed a bit askew IMO. The different the better in my book as long as they make sense or are explained.

-

LT in the 2nd tier is just plain wrong.

Barber, Ronnie Brown, and Caddy belongs in the 2nd tier.

Where is SJax?

I like looking at other peoples rankings as it helps me think out different angles that I might have missed.

 

[msommer]

Rudi is on my 'body about to break down' watch list.

Previously on this list, Ricky Williams (2003), Jamal Lewis (2004) and Curtis Martin (2005) after back to back 350+ touch seasons.

As you can see this is by no means an exact science but two out of three ain't bad

 

[drunkenmonks]

doh!

 

[nygiants56]

Oops.  That what I get for doing this at work.  Jackson I would put in teir three because new coach has stated Faulk will be more involved.  Also, if you remember, the new coach loves RBBC (see Minny and Dolphins as OC).

Cadillac was another oversight, teir three in my book.

Reason I'm a little down on Barber is age and I think his schedule is tough.  I'll be honest with you, I just cannot judge Barber at all.  I know he produces but I just can't get overly excited about him.  I don't know if you guys experience the same about certain players, but Barber has never been one of my "must have" guys.

good stuff, nice list!

but no warrick dunn?!?!?