NFL Draft 2009 Review: RB Andre Brown

Last year's New York Giants provided one of the greatest events a fantasy football owner will ever see: two 1000+ yard rushers in one season from the same team.  RBs Brandon Jacobs (1089 yds, 15 TDs) and Derrick Ward (1025 yds, 2 TDs) were both fantasy stars and carried more than one team to their fantasy title. Good times!

Jacobs is back in the Meadowlands but Ward took the money and ran to Tampa, where he will split carries with 14 other backs. Good luck with that Derrick.  The Giants have learned that Brandon Jacobs performs best when he's not carrrying  the load all by himself, so they brought in a replacement for Derrick Ward -- rookie Andre Brown.

Ward was a small, fast runner who provided the lightning to Jacobs' thunder
in the New York rushing attack.  Guess what?  Brown isn't that type of runner.  At 6'0", 225 lbs, Brown is a straight-ahead power guy in the same mold as Jacobs.  Two doses of thunder means the Giants are committed to a power rushing attack this season, something you should remember during your fantasy draft.  Giants = runrunrun. 

With the loss of Plaxico Burress and the corresponding decrease in the passing game, I can see why the Giants want to build in that direction.  I don't know if it will work but it should be fun for fantasy owners.  Unless you have Eli Manning as a keeper.  Then I think you're kind of hosed.

Brown won't finish with 1000 rushing yards like Ward did, but he should
see steady work throughout the season.  One possible obstacle is RB Ahmad Bradshaw,  who is looking to take over the "lightning" role and could steal playing time from Brown. "Steal", get it?  That's a joke, son.  Laugh it up.

While an injury to Bradshaw would be a big help in getting Brown more work, an injury to Jacobs would make Brown a fantasy star.  Since Jacobs is averaging only 11 starts over the past two seasons, that's not an impossibility.

The Giants will be running the ball a lot this season and Andre Brown will be part of that rushing attack.  Exactly how much a part remains to be seen, but there's a good chance that Andre Brown will be landing on a fantasy roster near you this season.