Arizona
Cardinals
Favorite: Emmitt Smith
Contenders: Marcel Shipp
Fantasy Impact
Last season, Marcel Shipp turned out to be one of fantasy
football’s nicest midseason surprises. Like Michael
Pittman before him, Shipp overtook Thomas Jones for
the starting job and ended up with 1,246 all-purpose
yards and nine touchdowns. Unfortunately for Shipp
(and fantasy owners), the Cardinals decided to sign
future Hall of Fame inductee Emmitt Smith this offseason.
The team will likely leverage the talents of both players,
so don’t expect to see a 1,000 yard rusher in
2003.
The Latest
Barring a preseason injury, Emmitt Smith will enter the
2003 season as the starter. Marcel Shipp, an excellent
receiver, will handle the third-down duties.
Chicago Bears
Favorite: Anthony Thomas
Contenders: Adrian Peterson
Fantasy Impact
The Bears are a team in transition. This spring they
signed former Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart.
Rumors around the Windy City indicate that Stewart
is having trouble assimilating to Offensive Coordinator
John Shoop’s complicated offensive scheme. If
the former Steelers quarterback can’t stand and
deliver, it would leave Chris Chandler and rookie Rex
Grossmen to fill the role. In case you have trouble
reading between the lines, things could be ugly for
the Bears offense this fall. It’s probably best
to avoid drafting Chicago ball carriers until the sixth
round or beyond – no matter who wins starting
job.
The Latest
Anthony Thomas, who averaged just 3.4 yards per carry
last year, will battle second-year back Adrian Peterson
for the starting tailback position. Although Thomas
hasn’t lost any weight since last year, he reported
to mini-camps in better shape and added muscle.
Dallas Cowboys
Favorite: Troy Hambrick
Contenders: Michael Wiley and Aveion Cason
Fantasy Impact
The offseason departure of Emmitt Smith opens the door
for new blood in the Dallas backfield. During his tenures
with the Giants, Jets and Patriots, Bill Parcells groomed
players like Joe Morris, Otis Anderson and Curtis Martin
into fantasy superstars. Can he do the same in “the
Big D”? Probably, but it may take a couple years.
In his first year as New England’s head coach,
Leonard Russell was his leading rusher with 1,088 yards
rushing and 7 touchdowns. In Parcells’ first
year coaching the Jets, Adrian Murrell led the team
with 1,086 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns. Detect a
pattern? Don’t be afraid to pick the starting
running back for Dallas. But don’t bet the farm
either.
The Latest
Projected starter Troy Hambrick is fat. He reported to
the team’s first mini-camp at 250 lbs. and must
lose 10 lbs. before training camp begins. If he fails
to do so, Parcells has told him he will be fined $235
per pound per day. For someone who boasted about being
ready to be the starter, Hambrick reporting to camp
overweight isn’t a good sign. As the summer unfolds,
look for increased competition from Michael Wiley and
perhaps even draft-day acquisition Aveion Cason.
Houston Texans
Favorite: Stacey Mack
Contenders: Jonathan Wells and James Allen
Fantasy Impact
Although just a second-year franchise, the Texans are
poised to make significant strides in offensive scoring.
Quarterback David Carr looks like he’s the real
deal and the team features a promising group of young
receivers. With that in mind, don’t count on
any one Houston running back to anchor your fantasy
squad’s backfield. Last year, Carr’s three
rushing touchdowns equaled that of the team’s
leading running back Jonathan Wells. If the offensive
line can stay healthy (they lost three starters to
injury last year, including Tony Boselli), the Texans
starting running back could approach 1,000 yards and
six touchdowns.
The Latest (Updated July
30, 2003)
At this point the Texan backfield is crowded. Although
Mack has never technically been a starter, he saw heavy
duty behind Fred Taylor in Jacksonville. He is considered
the favorite to win the job and expects to start. However,
don’t write off Houston’s other running
backs. Allen is a former 1,000 yard rusher. Wells is
a second-year player who showed strength running inside
the tackles at times last year.
Minnesota Vikings
Favorite: Doug Chapman
Contenders: Onterrio Smith, Moe Williams and
Larry Ned
Fantasy Impact:
With Michael Bennett sidelined for at least the first
half of the season with a foot injury, Head Coach Mike
Tice will spend training camp and the preseason testing
out his remaining running backs. Among the contenders
for the starting position are Moe Williams, rookie
Onterrio Smith, and Doug Chapman, who spent the final
10 games of the 2002 season on the IR. There are a
lot of question marks surrounding Bennett’s recovery
period, so it’s difficult to gauge exactly where
the winner of this position battle should be drafted.
If Tice starts courting NFL veterans like Ricky Watters
and Jamal Anderson, it could signal that the coach
believes Bennett will miss the entire season. It would
also make the prospects of drafting a Viking running
back before the late rounds of the draft a little easier
to digest.
The Latest: (Updated
July 30, 2003)
According to the Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Tice unexpectedly
inserted Larry Ned into the first string offense during
a training camp practice. Although the coach had previously
given the nod to Chapman, the move may indicate that
the gap is closing. In addition to Ned, expect Chapman
to receive competition from Moe Williams, who has a
couple 100-yard games under his belt in his career,
and rookie Onterrio Smith. Tice has stated he wants
to keep Williams in his current role, but he may not
be afforded that opportunity if Chapman, Ned and Smith
fail to step up. At this point, Smith is the wildcard.
The former Oregon Duck is clearly a big play threat – with
touchdown jaunts of 51, 57, 61 and 73 yards over his
college career. However, entering the draft, many pro
scouts questioned his ability to be a workhorse running
back due to his upright running style.
Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite: Duce Staley
Contenders: Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook
Fantasy Impact
After a couple down years, Duce Staley bounced back nicely
last season and rewarded fantasy owners with 1,030
yards and five touchdowns on the ground. With Donovan
McNabb expected to continue mooching a several goal
line carries, Staley’s 2002 production seems
about on par with what we can expect from Philly’s
ground game this year. Whether Staley remains the starter
or is transitioned to a third-down role (he excels
in the passing game, catching 51 balls in 2002), remains
to be seen.
The Latest (Updated July 30,
2003)
Staley has yet to show up for training camp and Andy
Reid is beginning to show signs of frustration. In
an after-practice press conference, Reid said the team
is prepared to proceed without last year’s starting
tail back. “As a football team, we'll continue
to move on and again, I'll say the same thing about
Duce's situation that I'll say about any player," said
Reid. "When you miss camp, it's not a good thing.
I expected him here; but we have a great nucleus here
and high expectations. If somebody is not here, I expect
the next guy to step up." That next guy is Correll
Buckhalter, who is coming off a knee injury. Early
reports out of camp have the third-year back making
crisp cuts and running at full speed. Staley is still
your starter, but if he’s not in camp by the
first preseason game, Buckhalter could steal the gig
and become a legitimate fantasy threat.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Favorite: Jerome Bettis
Contender: Amos Zereoue and Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala
Fantasy Impact
Fantasy owners who can decipher the nuances of the Pittsburgh
backfield in the upcoming training camp and preseason
will position themselves to find excellent value in
the middle rounds of their draft. Consider for a minute
that Jerome Bettis tallied nine touchdowns last year.
For those of you scoring at home, that’s one
more than Fred Taylor, two more than Corey Dillon,
three more than Michael Bennett and the same as Ahman
Green. And “the Bus” did it despite seeing
significant carries in just 10 games. Make no mistake;
the Steelers will score touchdowns and rack up yards
on the ground again in 2003. It’s just a matter
of which running back will be carrying the ball when,
where and how much.
The Latest
On June 10, steelers.com reported that Head Coach Bill
Cowher expects all his running backs to contribute
to the offense in 2003. Ack! The early feeling here
is that this will be a true running back by committee
situation with Bettis and Zereoue splitting the majority
of the carries. The cold hard truth is neither Bettis
nor Zereoue appear equipped to carry the full load.
Bettis has taken too much punishment throughout his
career and Zereoue is considered to be too small to
be a featured back.
Currently, most 12-team mock drafts have both backs
projected in the sixth or seventh round. At this point,
take Bettis first. He’s looking healthy in mini-camp
and should get more carries in the fourth quarter and
goal-line situations.
San Francisco 49ers
Favorite: Up for Grabs
Contenders: Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow
Fantasy Impact
Not much has changed with the San Francisco offense.
Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends
on who you ask. In 2003, 49ers are expected to again
rank among the league’s highest scoring teams.
With so many points being scored by this squad, the
fantasy football community is desperate for Dennis
Erickson, Frisco’s new head coach, to choose
either Garrison Hearst or Kevan Barlow as the primary
ball carrier. If he does, expect nothing less than
a top 10 fantasy football running back by season’s
end.
The Latest (Updated July
30, 2003)
On July 28, the San Francisco Examiner reported that
the starting position still belongs to Hearst despite
increased competition from Barlow. Running backs coach
Tim Lappano says, "Right now, we're just going
to continue where it left off, but we're definitely
going to get Kevan in the football game a little bit
more." Unless Barlow or Hearst gets injured, this
will surely be a running back by committee situation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Favorite: Michael Pittman
Contenders: Mike Alstott, Thomas Jones
and Aaron Stecker
Fantasy Impact
After carrying the ball 29 times for 124 yards in the
Super Bowl, the future looked bright for Michael Pittman.
That is, until he allegedly smashed his Hummer into
a car carrying his wife, child and babysitter. He has
since been charge with two counts of felony assault.
The moment of impact sparked an instant running back
competition in Tampa. And the victor could emerge as
one of the preseason’s top sleepers.
The Latest (Updated July
30, 2003)
Despite his legal troubles, Michael Pittman is still
the starter according to a July report on Buccanners.com.
Head Coach Jon Gruden says, "I want to repeat
that we like Michael Pittman. He had 1,200 yards of
all-purpose yardage, and he's an outstanding player.” In
the same report, Gruden indicated if Pittman is not
part of the team, Stecker would be the starting tail
back. Avoid drafting Tampa running backs until this
situation becomes clearer.
Washington Redskins
Favorite: Trung Canidate
Contenders: Ladell Betts and Kenny Watson
Fantasy Impact
Last year, Washington’s top two running backs (Stephen
Davis and Kenny Watson) accounted for 1,749 all-purpose
yards. Rookie Ladell Betts tacked on another 461 yards.
Impressive backfield production, especially considering
the early media hype surrounding coach Steve Spurrier’s
Fun and Gun, pass-oriented offense. If one running back
emerges as the clear starter and claims two-thirds of
the backfield touches, it will be a huge fantasy football
season.
The Latest
Former Rams backup Trung Canidate has been working with
the first-team offense throughout mini-camp and is
the frontrunner. Based on Spurrier’s early comments
regarding his new running back’s game-breaking
speed, it will take a tremendous effort during the
preseason for Betts or Watson to supplant him. Even
so, keep an eye on this situation, as Canidate has
never proven he has the talent and durability to be
a full-time starter.
|
