Running Backs

Bye Weeks: Marion Barber, Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Glen Coffee, Frank Gore

Start 'Em:
Running Backs Who Will Outperform Relative To Their Draft Position And Recent Hype

Cedric Benson vs. HOU
After 5 weeks, with 487 yards, it is Cedric Benson (!!!!) who leads the NFL in rushing. Last week he became the first opposing player to rush for 100 yards against the Ravens since 12/1/2006, a streak of 39 games. Benson now has to be considered is a legitimate fantasy threat, and owners should not hesitate to start him this week against Houston. The Texans have been getting shredded on the ground to the tune of 141 YPG. They have allowed 9 rushing TDs, 8 running plays of 20+ yards and 3 running plays of 40+ yards this season, the worst marks in the NFL, respectively.

Knowshon Moreno @ SD
Knowshon gets one more week (at least) to make his case to be the Broncos feature back moving forward as Correll Buckhalter remains on the mend. Buckhalter intends on playing, but will likely be limited. Denver loves to run the ball (4th most attempts in the NFL) and Moreno has gotten better each week. Moreno has rushed for 337 yards, the most amongst rookies. He should receive another 20+ touches this week against a Chargers team that has allowed 151 rushing YPG and 6 TDs in 4 games.

Ryan Grant vs. DET
Ryan Grant is off to a slow start with 257 yards and 2 TDs. His 3.8 YPC is substandard and he has yet to attain a 100-yard rushing game this season. A closer look reveals that 3 of the 4 defenses he faced (Bears, Bengals, Vikings) all allow less than 99 rushing YPG; those 3 defenses have given up only 7 rushing TDs in 14 games combined. I’m inclined to give Grant the benefit of the doubt; he has a great chance to put up RB1-type numbers this week against the Lions. Detroit has allowed 32.4 PPG this season and 5 rushing TDs.

Brian Westbrook @ OAK
Westbrook’s days as the workhorse RB of the Eagles offense appear to be over, but that should not curtail his fantasy production too much. Despite an apparent 50/50 split with backfield mate LeSean McCoy, Westbrook is still a valuable fantasy commodity. The Raiders get run on more than any other NFL team (37.6 attempts per contest) and it shows: Oakland allows 161 rushing YPG and has served up 8 TDs on the ground.

Leon Washington vs. BUF
Leon Washington is an explosive player who, much to the chagrin of his owners, has seen his opportunities limited by a RB-by-committee situation. It’s not fair to expect a 100-yard game (only 1 in his career to date), but he still should make a positive impact for those with a vacant flex position this week. Leon can do plenty of damage with a line of something like 12 carries, 4 receptions and 4 kick returns. Consider that Buffalo allows an average of 154.6 rushing YPG and has served up 7 TDs on the ground.

Bench 'Em:
Running Backs Who Will Under Perform Relative To Their Draft Position And Recent Hype

Steve Slaton @ CIN
Slaton finished last season on a high note when he tallied four 100-yard games in his final seven contests. 2009 hasn’t been as generous: through 5 games, only once has Slaton averaged better than 3.1 YPC (Week 3 vs. Jax) and he has just 1 rushing TD. The Bengals have been solid against the run, only 3 of the 5 teams they have faced have rushed for over 89 yards; opponents are averaging 18 PPG against Cincinnati, which is tied for 9th in the NFL. Finally, the Bengals have only allowed 3 rushing TDs this season – 2 of which were QB sneaks.

Kevin Smith @ GB
Smith mustered just 53 rushing yards last Sunday against Pittsburgh; in his last 2 games he has carried the ball 39 times for 83 yards (2.13 YPC). It is a microcosm of his season thus far. Devoid of his 16-carry, 101-yard effort against Washington, Smith’s numbers in his other 4 games: 78 carries for 186 yards (2.38 YPC). Greener pastures of the Rams, Seahawks and Cleveland lie ahead, but this week’s matchup against Green Bay is not looking good for Smith. The Packers recently held Adrian Peterson to 55 yards on 25 carries and have only yielded 2 rushing TDs in four games.

Lewis may find tougher sledding against Pittsburgh this week.

Jamal Lewis @ PIT
After missing 2 games with a strained hamstring, Jamal returned to action last week with a spring in his step and swooped up the vast majority of Cleveland’s carries, rushing 31 times for 117 yards in Buffalo. Lewis looked sharp and powerful against the depleted defense of the Bills, but he figures to find things much more difficult this week in Pittsburgh. The Steelers #2 ranked rush defense has allowed only 1 TD on the ground this season and is yielding only 71.2 rushing YPG. No individual player has rushed for 100 yards against Pittsburgh this year.

Willis McGahee @ MIN
Last week against the Bengals McGahee failed to score a TD in a game for the first time this season. In his last four games, Willis has seen his touches drop each week: 17, 7, 6 and down to just 2 touches last week. Ray Rice is developing into a top threat in both the running and passing game for the Ravens and while McGahee will likely continue to see goal line carries, for the time being he seems best served as a handcuff for Rice. The Vikings have not allowed a TD on the ground this season and the longest run against them this year is 15 yards (best in the NFL).

Fred Jackson @ NYJ
Since Marshawn Lynch’s return 2 weeks ago, Jackson has not gotten in on the action. He received 13 carries but only turned them into 30 yards against Cleveland, the NFLs worst run defense. His lone TD this year came was a reception against the Patriots in Week 1. The Buffalo Bills are just not good enough to support 2 RBs, and Marshawn seems to have the upper hand. Jackson’s prospect of remaining fantasy relevant for the remainder of the season is dimming quickly and he is not a recommended play against an angry Jets defense this week.

Wide Receivers