The Fantasy Football draft prep season is officially under way (In my eyes of course) and a lot of people are looking at some potential draftees for their teams and running back which is arguably the most coveted position in fantasy has some big time players, busts, injury prone guys, and then those consistent guys but have some concerns and that is exactly what I see Ridley and Jackson as, they have many similarities but which one is the better option as a high end #2 RB for your team.

Stevan Ridley New England Patriots:

Positives- Ridley is a ground and pound type running back that you can rely on to get you at least 13 points a game as long as Brady gets him the ball in the back field.

He tallied over 10 points in 10 of the 16 games in standard ESPN scoring leagues so the consistency is there and its a big thing you need from a number 2 runner like Ridley or even a low end #1 if you decide to go QB or Calvin Johnson in your first rd. The Patriots really relied on this guy to score in the red zone tacking on 12 touchdowns and over 1200 yards so this guy had no shortage of carries. With Danny Woodhead off to the west coast to join the Chargers, Ridley will be relied on even more but a guy named Shanne Vareen could take away some carries or plays as he is the better receiver out of the back field. Ridley is young and the Patriots lost Wes Welker and have two injury yet all pro tight ends but if they can’t stay on the field then Ridley is going to be relied on heavily.

Negatives- Ridley had a up and down season last year and there are some issues with his game that you might want to be a little concerned with. First off Ridley is not the best receiving runner in the league only having 6 receptions for 51 yards the entire season, with Vareen also on the roster in long yardage situations he will most likely be on the sidelines as Vareen is a dynamic catcher out of the backfield. Many Running Backs have the dynamic duo of running and catching that makes them so good. Just look at Philadelphia’s Lesean McCoy and Houston’s Arian Foster. The black cloud that really surrounds Ridley is his fumbling issues. The big one everybody remembers is against Baltimore in the AFC title game where he got absolutely rocked by Safety Bernard Pollard and fumbled. He fumbled it 4 times losing it to the defense which really hurt the Patriots at times. The ups I think over ride the downs and he will be sure to be a helpful asset to your team hoping he fixes his ball security issues.

Steven Jackson Atlanta Falcons:

Positives- The veteran runner has been with the St. Louis Rams for his entire career and was a 1,000 rusher almost every year. The consistency is there and going to a super bowl caliber team like the Falcons might be exactly what Jackson needs to make that next step in Fantasy. Jackson is a very good pass catcher unlike Ridley which is going to help the Falcons who have already said they are going to use Jackson a lot in the pass game like they did with fellow runner Jaquizz Rogers last year. Look if Michael Turner can tally over 800 yards and 10 touchdowns with his carries, why can’t Jackson have 1300 yards and 12 tds? He only had 4 touchdowns last year and 5 the year before but wasn’t used all that often in the red zone because quite frankly they weren’t there all that much. Jackson showed that even with a bad offense he can still produce and the 32 year old still has plenty of football left. I consider him a 2 RB for most Fantasy Teams but he is in the perfect situation to breakout.

Negatives- Jackson doesn’t have that “IT Factor” in my opinion, his ability to make a home run td is very slim he is more of a grind it out type guy. The age of Jackson is a concern as age for runners usually leads to injuries just ask Shaun Alexander and others. The Falcons are still going to pass it that is a guarantee, with Pro Bowl Receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones on the outside and also for one more year hall of fame tight end Tony Gonzalez for Matt Ryan to sling it with, Jackson will not be relied on as heavily as he was in St.Louis. The touchdowns could be a concern but that isn’t as big as the other RB on his team in Jaquizz Rogers. Yes the Falcons have said Jackson will get a lot of catches out of the backfield but Rogers was very productive in that area last season and they are still going to utilize his talents which could take away some carries from Jackson.

Conclusion: Both Runners are going to be tough runners and very productive in both of their super bowl caliber teams but neither one has the breakout ability on the field which is why I still see them as #2 Runners.

I give the upper hand to Stevan Ridley for one reason and that is more touchdowns, they both have good spots to score a lot but Ridley proved that in his first year starting, He can get the rock in the end zone.