With Corey Dillon bidding adieu to Les Patriotes (that line was snobby enough to be from Peter King, wasn't it? Eww) there's an opportunity in New England. Dillon had a career-high 13 rushing touchdowns last season so the question is: Who can step up to replace Dillon's production?
The obvious answer is the new starting running back, Laurence Maroney. Add Dillon's 13 touchdowns to Maroney's six and the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming and suddenly you're in fantasy football love. But while a 19 touchdown running back makes your heart go pitter-patter, it might not be that simple.
New England had a lot of success last season with the running back by committee approach and I'm not sure they're going to give that up, especially near the goal line. I expect to see Sammy Morris get his share of carries in the red zone. He's been injury-prone his entire career and that has kept him from getting his shot as a starter. Morris has proven he can score though, racking up 6 rushing touchdowns in limited playing time in 2004. On average he's scored a touchdown every 26.7 carries, a better career number than Maroney (29.1) or Dillon (31.9).
A healthy Sammy Morris is a nice minor sleeper, somebody who could end up with 500 rushing yards and six touchdowns without many people noticing. Keep an eye on the news out of Patriots camp; the more the coaches rave about him, the more playing time he's likely to see.