FANTASY FOOTBALL NFL PLAYERS

Posted: 5/14/2013 1:19pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice wants to become a bigger receiving threat out of the backfield in 2013. 'Now that guys know that I'm a threat out of the backfield, I got to use my hands a little more,' Rice said. 'I get pushed a lot coming out of the backfield, and that's a sign of respect, but if I can get my hands and get out on pass routes and continue to get open for Joe Flacco.'

Huddle Up: With 2012 team receptions leader Anquan Boldin having moved on to San Fran, Rice and the TE duo of Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson should definitely see an uptick in targets. Rice did finish second on the team -- and second among NFL RBs -- with 61 catches for 478 yards in 2012, but his reception total was the second-lowest of his 5-year NFL career.

Posted: 2/5/2013 1:25pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice has six career postseason fumbles. He's lost five of them -- two more than any other active player.

Huddle Up: Not all is roses and confetti -- even when you win a Super Bowl. Rice's third-quarter Super Bowl fumble helped fuel the Niners' near-winning comeback and was one of 3 lost fumbles overall by the RB this postseason. Oddly, Rice only has one more regular-season fumble (7) than postseason (6), but the bad timing of the miscues still has to concern the Ravens.

Posted: 12/14/2012 3:58pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice (hip) was limited in practice Friday, Dec. 14, and is probable for Week 15.

Huddle Up: It looks like that hip issue was not an issue after all for Rice. He does not have the best matchup against the Broncos this week, but you must start him.

Posted: 12/13/2012 1:26pm et

Heading into their Week 15 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, the Denver Broncos believe they will receive a heavy dose of RB Ray Rice, particularly after the team made a change at the offensive coordinator position. 'Oh definitely I think they're going to look to use Ray Rice more,' SS Jim Leonhard said. 'He's a difficult matchup because of all the things he can do.' Under former offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Rice had four games with 13 or fewer carries.

Huddle Up: More Rice usually means more success for the Ravens, and the stats back that up this season. In the 3 games where Rice has inexplicably had 15 or fewer touches, the Ravens are 1-2. In the 5 games where he's had 25 or more, Baltimore is 5-0.

Posted: 11/10/2012 8:19pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice said he is looking forward to having a big Week 10 performance against the Oakland Raiders after watching Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Doug Martin run for 251 yards against the Raiders last week. 'Obviously, you look at it and you start to get excited when you see it happening,' Rice said. 'Anybody goes over 200 yards, you have to figure there is a problem there ... The problem that I saw on film was tackling. I guess his height helped him out. I think his size helped him out a little bit, too.'

Huddle Up: Eclipsing 100 yards would be an accomplishment for Rice, who only has topped the century mark twice in 8 games so far. To be truthful, he's been close in 2 other contests with 99- and 98-yard efforts, but his fantasy owners definitely wouldn't mind a Martinesque performance Sunday.

Posted: 11/1/2012 12:44pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice said he is feeling fresh entering the second half of the season. And though he understands the offense is loaded with talent, he expects to have a bigger workload, roughly 20 to 25 touches per game. 'I know where I am most effective. That 20-to-25 touch range is usually pretty good, but we know there's only one football to go around,' Rice said. 'With the talent that we have on our offense, the more and more we are capable of using everyone, the better we'll be. Obviously, this is the healthiest I've felt in a while - obviously, coming off the bye and doing the right things to take care of my body. I'm looking forward to a nice workload the second half of the season.'

Huddle Up: Rice still ranks in his accustomary place among the top-3 fantasy RBs (Huddle Performance scoring) but he has the fewest touches (135) among the top-15 backs aside from the Bills' C.J. Spiller. With QB Joe Flacco struggling and the defense ravaged by injuries, definitely look for Rice to shoulder more of the load over the coming weeks.

Posted: 9/27/2012 3:31pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice has made the most of his opportunities so far this season. He has not received more than 20 carries in the first three games but he still ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing. Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said he has a feel on how to use Rice so that he stays fresh during the course of a season. "I think there's a sweet spot on how much you can use a three-down back in this business over a 20-game-plus season. We think we've found that sweet spot for him," Cameron said. "It will vary a little bit from week to week, but you can't find many backs in this league that can last 16, 20 games, much less (for) five seasons. So I think we've got a good feel for what is best for him and what is best for us."

Huddle Up: Rice's fantasy owners have few if any complaints about his workload thus far, but it's good to know what Cameron has in mind for Baltimore's stud back going forward. No Ben Tate-type of back has emerged in Baltimore yet, which is good news for those banking on a steady supply of touches for Rice.

Posted: 8/28/2012 7:39pm et

Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice will get plenty of touches in the Ravens' no-huddle offense, according to offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.

Huddle Up: Rice has had a steady workload the past 2 seasons with 370 and 367 touches, respectively, but he looks to be in line for more in the Ravens' new offense. Additionally, in each of those 2 seasons, there was a proven back to spell Rice (Willis McGahee in 2010 and Ricky Williams last season), but that is no longer the case in Baltimore.

Posted: 8/7/2012 7:57pm et

The battle for the No. 2 role behind Ray Rice in the Baltimore Ravens' backfield isn't clear right now. While RB Bernard Pierce (hamstring) appears to be the most suited for an every-down role if called upon, a hamstring injury has prevented him from being on the field much. RB Damien Berry bulked up and has had a solid camp while RB Anthony Allen hasn't shown much in moves to go along with his power-running style. Undrafted rookie RB Bobby Rainey has turned heads. The diminutive back has shown the ability to catch well out of the backfield and no longer appears to be a long shot to make the team's final roster.

Huddle Up: This race for a key fantasy position has started out as an early dead heat. Rice once again will be one of the earliest players off the board in fantasy drafts, and securing his handcuff will be a late-round priority for Rice owners, particularly in deeper leagues. Many analysts have Pierce, the team's third-round pick out of Temple, winning the job -- and he still very well might -- but strong showings by some of the other darkhorses could create a No. 2 timeshare at the least. It's still early, though; let's see how the preseason plays out.

Posted: 7/22/2012 12:52am et

Baltimore Ravens RB Anthony Allen is likely to open training camp July 26 as the primary backup to starting RB Ray Rice. Allen will be trying to hold off RBs Damien Berry, Bernard Pierce and Bobby Rainey.

Huddle Up: Pierce has been the most frequent handcuff to Rice in fantasy drafts thus far, but Allen was solid last preseason and has a slight edge in experience over the competition. With Rice no longer a holdout concern, his handcuff isn't nearly as significant a concern so you can wait until the training camp battle sorts itself out before committing yourself to a handcuff.

Posted: 7/16/2012 5:01pm et

The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to terms with franchise free-agent RB Ray Rice on a five-year deal worth $40 million. Rice will receive $25 million in the first two years of the deal.

Huddle Up: Rice gets some security in the deal, more than he would have had playing under the one-year franchise tag. And fantasy owners looking to make Rice a high first-round pick don't have to worry about a possible holdout.

Posted: 7/13/2012 2:28pm et

The Baltimore Ravens have hit a stalemate in contract talks with franchise free-agent RB Ray Rice and may need significant progress to be made this weekend if an agreement will be reached.

Huddle Up: The deadline for Rice and the Ravens to hammer out a long-term deal is Monday afternoon, so don't abandon hope yet. Rice could still play under the franchise tag, but you have to think given his value to the Ravens' offense that the two sides will come up with an extended contract that's agreeable to both parties.