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On No! Another Patriot Running Back In The Mix

Fantasy owners know that the New England running situation is a complete mess.  Sammy Morris is the nominal RB1, although the disappointing Laurence Maroney is still in the mix.   Don't forget wily veteran Fred Taylor, who has looked good in camp so far.  Of course the always-present Kevin Faulk is there to make your life fantasy miserable; last season he finished with more rushing yards than Darren McFadden, Ray Rice or Leon Washington despite starting only three games.  There's no way to know how the Patriot running game will work out.

Now you can add BenJarvus Green-Ellis into the mix.   Green-Ellis was an absolute monster in the versus the Giants this week, racking up 125 yards and 3 TDS on 29 carries.  Sure, he was the only running back in the game (he had every RB carry except one) and yes, the QB was Brian Hoyer so you wouldn't expect a massive passing attack. But featured RB or not, preseason game or not, you can't overlook 29 carries for 125 yards.  Those stats demand that you take notice.

Especially since we've seen this before.  Last season Green-Ellis came out of nowhere to be a fantasy waiver darling, scoring a rushing touchdown in four straight games.   He finished with five rushing touchdowns for the season, the same total as Larry Johnson and Willie Parker.   He may have been a flash in the pan, but we're seeing that same flash again.

I'm not suggesting you draft BenJarvus Green-Ellis - he might be as low as fourth on the Patriots' RB depth chart - but his success demonstrates how uncertain the status us Patriot RB1 can be.  Green-Ellis could disappear, or he could go on another four-game TD streak.  The same could be said of Morris or Taylor or Maroney.  Green-Ellis' recent production (and the obvious desire of the coaching staff to give him an entire game's worth of playing time) should be a blaring red siren to fantasy owners that any Patriot RB you draft could see his playing time disappear at any time.   Somebody could break free from that group, or nobody could.   Drafting a New England RB carries a lot of fantasy risk with little fantasy reward.


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My advice...

The best way to rank them for drafting purposes isn’t on potential, or projected carries, or projected goal-line carries, etc.. but rather health. Taylor and Maroney are injury prone. Morris is already hurt. Green-Ellis and Faulk are healthy and Faulk especially has played 15, 16, 15 games the last 3 seasons.

by ILLZ on Sep 6, 2009 1:54 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Also

Faulk is in a contract year.

by ILLZ on Sep 6, 2009 1:54 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Honestly

Can’t say I’m targetting any of them. There just always seems to be someone with more upside.

Once a back looks like he will be the 1st, 2nd and 3rd down back, dive in. Until Kevin Faulk is no longe ron the team, don’t bother putting on your swim trunks.

by faketeams on Sep 6, 2009 2:28 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Agreed

I wouldn’t necessarily want any of them either, but there comes a point when one of them is an option. I have Taylor in one league and I believe I have Morris in another. My 14-team league drafts on wednesday and 4 out of the 5 will definitely be on rosters.

by ILLZ on Sep 6, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

29 carries for 125 yards

That’s barely over 4 yards per carry, not exactly what I would call a monster game. The Pats just gave him the ball a lot.

Regardless I agree that none of the Pats RB’s are good for fantasy purposes.

by Brendan Scolari on Sep 7, 2009 2:49 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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