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| ESPN |
1 - Knowshown Moreno. Breakout season
with 13 TDs, 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards, or the
ultimate proof Peyton Manning makes everyone around him better?
2 - Ben Tate. Gutted out 771 yards last
year playing with bad ribs, but that's the thing - Tate is injured a
lot. Not sure you can play him or pay him like a bell-cow back.
3 - Donald Brown. Finally played like a
feature back last year, with 5.25 yards a carry, 8 TDs and 700+ yards
overall to bail Indy out on the awful Trent Richardson trade. But was
that a fluke for the career-inconsistent, turning-27 Brown?
4 - Rashad Jennings. 4.5 ypc last year
behind a bad line and knocked Darren McFadden out of his starting
job. Biggest issue: he's 29.
5 - Darren McFadden. As boom or bust as
it gets. See Wild Card section.
6 - Maurice Jones-Drew. Also 29 and has
declined steeply the last two years, down to 3.4 a carry. Has been
behind a terrible line, though, and did contribute 43 catches last
season.
7 - LeGarrette Blount. Strictly a
short-yardage, two-down banger, but he banged out 5 yards a carry
last year.
8 - John KUUUUUUUHN. See fullbacks.
9 - James Starks. Bounced back nicely
for the Packers, with 500 yards on 5.5 a carry. Turning 28 but
doesn't have a ton of wear.
10 - Jonathan Dwyer. Admittedly a
stretch. See Sleepers.
Top 5 UFA fullbacks:
1 - John
KUUUUUUUHN. Still grades highly as a pass protector and lead blocker,
plays 20 snaps a game and is still a primary short-yardage back.
2 – Henry
Hynoski. Only 25 but coming off a shoulder injury that cost him all
of last season.
3 - Greg Jones. A
top-3 fullback from 2010-12. Will be 33.
4 - Unbelievably,
Brian Leonard. Last year was his best season since busting out of St.
Louis and he got good grades for pass protection.
5 - Vonta Leach.
Pro Bowler in Houston but declined sharply in Baltimore last year at
33.
Sleepers: The
Steelers' short-yardage specialist behind rookie LeVeon Bell,
Jonathan Dwyer is only 25 himself, is still low-mileage and knocked
out 4 yards a carry against fronts designed to stop him. Had been
inconsistent previously in a more expanded role behind a really
banged-up line. Should have a lot of potential to tap.
Wild card:
Darren McFadden didn't originally even crack RamView's top ten
because he is injured constantly, missing 19 games the last three
years. He averaged an eye-opening mere 3.3 ypc in 2013 and lost his
starting job in Oakland to Rashad Jennings. It is probably time to
declare him Felix Jones 2.0, after another Razorback with
breathtaking track-star speed but Drew Bennett-like durability. That
speed is probably going to tempt somebody, though.
Tag you're it: no
running backs received a franchise tag.
Out of the running: Jackie
Battle (re-signed by Titans); Brandon Jacobs (retired)
Voting present: Toby
Gerhart, Andre Brown, Ahmad Bradshaw, Rashard Mendenhall, Ronnie
Brown, Anthony Dixon, Felix Jones 1.0, Darius Reynaud (KR), LaRod
Stephens-Howling, Bernard Scott, Deji Karim, Phillip Tanner, Le'Ron McClain (fb); Michael
Robinson (fb), Eric Lorig (fb), Willis McGahee, Peyton Hillis, Leon
Washington (KR), Kahlil Bell, Lex Hilliard (fb), Spencer Larsen (fb),
Chris Gronkowski (fb)
The doctor will see you now:
Ahmad Bradshaw (coming off neck surgery, missed most of 2013); LaRod
Stephens-Howling (torn ACL, out all season); Henry Hynoski (broken
shoulder, out all season); Lex Hilliard (broken scapula, out all
season); Deji Karim (broken
collarbone)
Gawd no: Before
anyone thinks about dropping coin on Rashard Mendenhall, know the
26-year-old recently
got on Huffington Post to hint at retirement. His head never did keep
up with his physical ability, which has been dented for two years'
running by knee and toe injuries. Pass on anything above league
minimum.
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| KMOX |
RamView’s moves: The Rams have
Zac Stacy as their 1,000-plus yard heavy-duty RB, and Benny
Cunningham, though he needs to protect the ball much better,
acquitted himself well enough the rare times he was called on to take
over for Stacy. Daryl Washington has a huge chance to be a huge
factor if he can rebound from a disastrous 2013. Ideally he'd be the
outside threat and third-down receiver the Ram backfield really
lacked last year while he was hurt/ineffective and Isaiah Pead's head
continued not to be on straight. Best to let this young core develop
than to go all Billy Devaney and start throwing anyone out in favor
of veterans.
Shoot the moon: Require
any team that wants to trade up for the #2 pick overall to take Pead
off the Rams' hands for a 7th-round pick. Hee.
Prediction: Not
much to see here for the Rams other than the possibility of dumping
Pead for Chase Reynolds or a draft pick.
-$-
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