Through the Gap: Running backs to keep

Well ladies, I'm back, and I've got your fix for this week. We're focusing on the most talked about position in Fantasy football too: The Running back slots. Now pretty much every owner in your league will get a premier back in your draft's opening round (except for the idiot who takes Rodgers or Brees, and the guy who doesn't like the RB's left and takes Andre Johnson). The hard part is getting that second and third running back, the one who rounds out your starting lineup, and the one that'll be coming off the bench when you need him. Believe it or not, but winning the game on your star's bye week can be the difference between fantasy playoffs and being in 7th place(that means your season's done, loser). Below, I've listed some backs that can properly replace an AP or Michael Turner on their bye weeks, as well as put up solid numbers throughout the season.

Beanie Wells: Well, Warner's retired. No more 35-40 passes per game. Boldin's gone too. So the run game is set to see a major jump in attempts per game. Wells outran Tim Hightower last year, and became the majority shareholder of the Cardinals' backfield at the close of the season. That trend will continue this year, with Wells getting more and more carries as the season progresses. He finished last season with 131 fantasy points(traditional scoring), just 11 points behind Hightower. With the majority of the workload, 200+ points isn't out of reach for this dynamic playmaker.




Carnell (Cadillac) Williams:



Yeah, remember Cadillac? He looked like an up and coming nightmare until his injury problems. Last year though, he made a modest comeback. This year, he's likely to be back in '05 form. Expect at least 1,000+ yards and 5 TD's out of this guy. The Cadillac is back, and looking to run over something.


Ahmad Bradshaw: Last season, Bradshaw(not Terry, the other one) was obviously the better player lining up behind Eli. He averaged 4.8 YPC, compared to Jacobs 3.7. He also scored two more touchdowns, and is a far superior pass-catcher. He should get the biggest share of the workload this season. Jacobs will probably steal most of the goal line work, but this guy can find the endzone. Helmet optional.

Justin Forsett: Need I say more? Probably, seeing as to how the Seahawks were terrible last year, so only die-hard fans paid any attention to football in Seattle. So here's the story. This guy showed flashes of greatness in the handful of carries he received prior to Julius Jones getting injured. Then he became football's da Vinci, sculpting images of his brilliance into the minds of anyone who saw him. don't believe me? See for yourself.



I told you. Anyway, last season, J-Force(My nickname for him. I'm patenting the S#!* out of it) finished just outside of the top 25, with only 3 starts and 5 games of split timeshare. This season he'll be the starter in Washington. Worst-case senarrio, he finishes 2010 just outside of the top ten. Best case, he's in the mix with AP, MJD, Ray Rice and company as one of the best Rb's in the league. Yeah, he's got that much potential.


Michael Bush: That's right, a Raider made this list. Um, I know they suck. The team is shit. But every once in a while you find a peanut in a terd, and this is it. Well, him. Last season, Davis and Cable did this guy no favors. They went with McFadden, and it blew up in their faces. Bush came in to start four games when McFadden was injured, and was given less than ten carries per game. He finished the season with 123 carries(To D Mac's 104, while missing 4 games) and averaged 4.8 YPC (3.4 for McFadden). He's clearly the better back, with McFadden having a more Reggie Bush type game. Expect Bush to be the starter, Thunder for McFadden's lightning. But expect the Thunder to have the greatest fantasy value.



That's it for this week people. Keep coming back, Daddy'll feed you. Remember, become a follower of this blog, and I'll answer your sit/start questions on game day all season long. email and I shall answer. Peace mofos.