Henry has legitimate hall of fame talent. He could be a better version of eddie george. He can catch the ball like a tight end, has the size and power to plow over people, cut back surprisingly well for his size, and has breakaway speed for a guy his size. Hes getting the lesser half of the carries in a split with murray for now but that vould easily change. Has value even if it doesn't. I think "hall of fame talent" may be quite a stretch, although I think Henry could be a decent back. In redrafts, his value is limited with Murray gobbling up a lot of work, but in dynasty leagues, I am all in on Henry. I am looking forward to seeing Henry this preseason, especially if he gets early work against defensive number ones.
Dixon is an ideal fit for the ravens. He is a strong receiver which is needed in the trestman offense, has joystick moves, and he finishes runs strong. He has to work his way up which may take some time but hes really good. There is a bit of a logjam of mediocrity at the RB position in Baltimore at the moment, but I believe Dixon is more talented than the trio of Forsett, West and Allen, and it is just a matter of time before he moves past them.
Perkins is stuck behind jennings for now but could easily make a move. Hes a slasher and one of the most elusive backs in the draft. He can catch and score and break long runs - everything you want if he gets a shot - and he played against excellent competition in college. Preseason will be telling. Jennings finished 2015 strong, but he is on the wrong side of 30, never rushed for 1,000, and he has trouble staying out of the trainer's room. I like Perkins' chances to get a crack at this job at some point this season. There is a lot about his game I really like, but I am not convinced he can step in as an every down back immediately. Vereen will continue in his role as the pass-catching back. I will be watching Perkins this preseason to see how he fares in pass protection and running inside.
Booker has already moved up to second on the depth chart in denver (or 2a/2b with hillman) and kubiak will definitely run the ball a lot and run well. Good upside if he can beat out cj anderson. He can catch and run with power and played in a pro style offense. I doubt Booker beats out Anderson, but he won't have to beat out Anderson to have value. Booker could have weekly value as Denver's RB2, and the offense may not skip a beat if Anderson falls to injury. It is nearly impossible to predict injury, but I could see Booker being a beast down the stretch if Anderson goes down.
Prosise has nice size, speed and receiving ability but was a college wr who converted to rb. He will likely have a role early but might have a clearer path to third down back or maybe a gio role than a true stud rb Prosise has been limited in Camp, but as a dynasty prospect, Prosise really excites me, and he may be had at a value if he remains quiet this preseason. Prosise is a dynamic pass catcher who should contribute immediately and has potential to eventually develop as an elite back.
Marshall was a stud at georgia until he got hurt. Look up the word gurshall. But he got hurt a lot and slipped to the 7th. Great size and speed and he's got a clear path to beating out a seemingly average rb in jones. He has already gotten some buzz, stock definitely moving up. If Marshall's knee holds up and he regains his confidence, he could be the steal of the draft. Marshall has elite speed, excellent size and is a very intelligent runner. I am not sold on Matt Jones, so this is a great landing spot for Marshall to make an impact. Marshall may the back I am most excited to see, aside from Elliott.
Howard is a good runner but not much of a receiver. Hes not as talented as jeremy hill but hes that kind of back and should have a role in the john fox rbbc offense. Could get a decent number of tds and is a nice non ppr contributor right away but langford and carey both have roles. Kind of a low ceiling. Howard may have to establish himself early on as a short yardage and goal line back, but he has potential as a workhorse, and I am not sold on Langford. It is easy to be wowed by the tape on Howard. He is a very talented back. If Howard can avoid injuries, look for his role to expand. Howard could be this season's Thomas Rawls.
Washington is a straight up bet against latavius murray. Thats not necessarily a bad bet, hes mediocre. But washingtom probably is too. Latavius Murray has reportedly risen to the challenge, and it does not appear, at least at this early stage, that Washington will push Murray for the starting gig. We will see how this plays out. Despite the early reports, I am still not completely sold on Murray. Washington has a bit of Ray Rice or MJD to his game, and he could develop into that type of back for the Raiders.
Alex collins was considered one of the top prospects in the draft until he ran a 40 slower than some of these other guys run a 50. Hes a marion the barbarian with a little less speed but that might be the physical style carroll needs to replace lynch - if he can get a role in a suddenly crowded backfield. Collins has performed very well in Camp with Rawls and Prosise sidelined, and he fits the mold of a Marshawn Lynch/Thomas Rawls back who can run effectively inside and gets North-South in a hurry. Collins has the makeup of a solid workhorse runner, although there is nothing truly special about his game. Perhaps the biggest knock on Collins has more to do with the presence of Rawls and Prosise.
Smallwood wasn't on anyone's radar until he got drafted in philly to be ryan mathews backup. Mathews does get hurt a lot and smallwood can catch the ball well so he might have some ppr value even without an injury. Probably not a long term option but good enough chance to produce in a redraft league. Smallwood's development as a receiving back could be stunted playing behind Sproles. However, playing behind the talented but oft-injured Mathews should mean opportunities as a starter await. There are similarities to Duke Johnson, both physically and their college production. There are some who are moving Smallwood down on the boards, but I will withhold judgment until I have seen him this preseason.
Drake isnt bad but he went to a bad situation. Buried on the depth chart and already dinged up, but might get some receiving work if/when foster goes down. Drake has legitimate talent, but his injury history scares me. I doubt he has the durability to ever be a feature runner, but Gase should find a role for the explosive, sure-handed Drake.
Ervin - see drake A lot of folks may be sleeping on Ervin. Ervin was the fifth RB drafted this year, and for good reason. Yes, he is undersized, but there is little depth behind Miller, and the versatile Ervin could carve out a role as a receiving back which will make him a valuable PPR asset, ala Theo Riddick, Charles Sims and Duke Johnson.
Ferguson - undrafted free agent but they do seem to like him. Probably wont be ready for action right away but he backs up a really old rb in a really good situation. Ferguson has earned high praise so far, and don't let his undrafted status fool you: he is a talent. With underwhelming backups behind Gore, Ferguson could earn a role as the top backup to an aging starter in what should be an improved offense. Ferguson's real value could come from his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, where his Sproles-like quickness and agility will make him a mismatch for linebackers.
