New England RB’s (Stevan Ridley & Shane Vereen):
For standard scoring formats I have Ridley ranked as my 12th best RB, and Vereen as my 29th best RB. With the losses of Lloyd, Welker, Woodhead, Gronkowski(for now), and Hernandez, these RB will have to carry the load along with Amendola.
Ridley now will be a definite #1 back, and I think he will do great with the amount of carries he might see now. He will be the goal line guy as well. So, vereen wont be taking touchdowns away from him. You would say, “doesn’t this hurt Vereen’s value if Ridley will be the dominant RB.” No it wont. He is a great receiver. He will take over Woodhead’s role, and he will get around 40 catches. I know in standard non-PPR that doesn’t matter too much. But, he will be in more passing situations with Hernandez gone.
He was at most a deep league guy. But now, he can be a flex back.
He may be able to have some big games now that he has the opportunity. Remember, New England rushed the second most times last year. This gives both Ridley and Vereen the opportunity to get a solid amount of touches per game, and the year.
St. Louis RB’s (Isaiah Pead & Daryl Richardson)
I have Pead and Richardson ranked back to back at 37th and 38th overall best RB. With Steven Jackson gone, they both have the opportunity to be the guy in St. Louis. However, it looks like Pead won the spot heading into the year. Even with that I feel that their stats may be very similar to each other, rather than one taking away with it.
But, Pead is now facing a suspension for the first game of the year, and this gives Richardson the starting job week 1. Sure St. Louis may just give Pead the job when he returns, but if Richardson can show that he can be the guy for them he may just in fact keep the starting role. Remember, last year Richardson filled in very nicely when Jackson missed those few games. There is no reason that he can’t be the lead back. But for now, I have both at a similar rate, and Jeff Fisher will use them almost equally in the running game.
Lamar Miller RB, Miami
I have Miller cracking the top 25 in standard scoring formats. I think now with Bush gone he will have a great opportunity to be a breakout RB this year. Tannehill is still a work in progress so Miami wont necessarily be a pass first team like New England. Even the addition of Wallace wont stump Miller’s upside this year.
I see him with upside similar to what Doug Martin had last year. He may not finish top 3 like Martin did in most leagues. But, he can breakout for a top 15 or better finish. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take a player with upside to finish 10 spots higher than he was ranked before the season any day of the week.
Ryan Mathews RB, San Diego
Now I know that these are my own rankings, but I feel that I may have ranked Mathews a lot higher than I probably should. After his breakout 2011 campaign, its been nothing but trouble for Ryan. He not only has dropped in value, because he can’t produce the way that he once did. He can’t stay healthy when on the field. He has had not one, but two collarbone injuries.
He is my 28th best RB right now, but I think he may have earned himself a lower spot. He’s that high, because he has the talent to excel. But, I don’t know when you will see this happen. He’s still only a two down back with the addition of Woodhead.
If you feel confident enough to draft him, its very likely that he will just be a Flex option, and maybe a starter for certain match ups. He is a RB that you should always be weary about.
Montee Ball RB, Denver
Ball was a fantastic RB at Wisconsin, and has the skill set to not only use it in the NFL, but certainly be a great RB. He has the starting job, and he will get a good amount of carries. I’d suggest around 245-265 for the year. Along with his ability to weave in and out of the defense, he should definitely be able to turn those carries into a lot of yards and touchdowns. He has a good upside to be a decent #2 back, or high flex option. I think that if he does what is expected, the 18th overall spot I gave him should be an accurate finish.
Even with the amazing receiving core that Denver now has, I don’t think it will diminish Ball’s ability to be a solid fantasy RB. As long as he jumps on his opportunities to have big plays, he may become a smaller version of Alfred Morris. Meaning that he can lead a solid run game for the Broncos along with a passing game that puts them at the top.
Steven Jackson RB, Atlanta
Steven Jackson wanted to go to a winning situation, and he may have just done that. He replaces Michael Turner as the lead back in Atlanta. I think that this can very well jump Jackson from my rank of 11th overall to a top 10 finish. You may say one spot isn’t a big deal, but when you are an aging back like Jackson is, to pass guys half your age is a big deal.
However, I don’t understand the hatred that Jackson always has behind him. I understand that once RB’s hit the age of 30 they start their decline. But, even with a decline Jackson finished as the 16th best RB. Since, 2009 that has been his lowest rank. He’s been a top 15 back for the last 4 seasons. The most shocking thing to me is that he has been that good in a decent to worse situation in St. Louis. Now hes in a great situation, and I don’t see why he cant finish anywhere from 10th to 13th by the end of the season.
He also wont have to worry about having Jacquizz Rodgers as the #2 back. Last season, Rodgers took time from Turner, but I don’t see that happening this year. Rodgers will have a role that players such as Woodhead have, and will get catches in the passing game. However, I don’t see a reason to think that he will take carries away from Jackson. Jackson is a power back and he will carry the run offense.
I had him last year as my #2 back, he was just that. But, now with thin depth at RB, and the move to Atlanta, he can be a lower end #1 back. That’s pretty good for a guy in his thirties.
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