"I have a broken RB,
what do I do?"
Adrian Peterson and
Fred Jackson are potentially out this week.
Maybe, you are holding onto
Jahvid Best, Darren McFadden, Peyton
Hillis/Montario Hardesty or Ahmad
Bradshaw...and impatience is growing, and
hope is fleeting.
Perhaps you are in a deeper roster league, and
you have been bouncing around/had hopes dashed
recently with Lance Ball, Roy Helu, Kendall
Hunter, Jackie Battle, etc.
There is mayhem, and wild
inconstancy at the RB position this Fantasy
Football season (as usual)...but Week-12 may
provide some hope. With the injuries this week,
unlike the past couple weeks, there is
potentially some superior talent who might make
its way forward...whether just for Week-12, or
has legs to run for a bit. A couple that we are
excited about:
Toby Gerhart =
There is a built-in Gerhart bias. He looks like
a FB, so mentally many have him pigeon-holed as
a useless Fantasy Football RB. Gerhart was
arguably the most productive college RB in the
2010 NFL Draft RB class. He is also very fast
and agile for his size, at 230 pounds...he ran a
4.50 40-time at the NFL Combine. They don't
"make" RBs the size and speed of Gerhart.
When Gerhart saw time last season
on an AP injury, he was very productive. In 3
games with 10+ carries in 2010, Gerhart averaged
16.7 carries, 69.0 yards rushing, 76.0 total
yards, scoring 1 TD.
His size/speed makes him a
monster around the goal-line. In a growing
Vikings offense, against a decent Atlanta
defense...you could expect Gerhart to post 50+
yards pretty easily, and a higher probability
for a rushing TD. He is also a very good
receiver.
C.J. Spiller = At
one time, everyone thought this was a
no-brainer...the #1 RB taken in the 2010 NFL
Draft, now an afterthought WR. Spiller had
excellent grades for us in our computer scouting
models, speed/agility
amazing...performance-wise, just decent. Size is
an issue at less than 200 pounds. For one week,
he could be electric on any
touch/opportunity...even against the Jets. If
Spiller were to get 10-15+ carries and 5+
pass-targets like Fred Jackson, we might
not be as impressed with Jackson anymore. He is
the most intriguing one-week fill-in RB, but
we're not in love with that match-up versus the
Jets.
Donald Brown = We
have been writing about this for weeks,
targeting this solo Week-12 game against
Carolina. If I knew for sure that Joseph
Addai was out, I would go "all-in" here.
Brown graded very well in our computer scouting
models in 2009, and has shown flashes...but has
been out with injury more than he has played.
This season, he has looked sensational at times.
Like Gerhart and Spiller, Brown is a very good
receiver as well.
Watch for word that Addai is out
for Week-12, if so Brown has taken over from
Delone Carter in the last few weeks, and has
established himself ahead of Carter. Facing the
worst run-defense in the league (Carolina)...the
same ones who were torched by Chris Johnson
and Kevin Smith the prior two games. We
love this play for Week-12 (with no Addai, maybe
even with).
Shane Vereen = This
is the wild-card. Vereen could see sporadic
carries on and off the rest of 2011, or Vereen
may become the star RB of the Fantasy Football
playoff run. Vereen (on paper) is much more
talented than all the other Patriots RB. Fast,
agile, incredibly strong, and a great
receiver...Vereen may be that X-factor that
pushes the Pats to the Super Bowl, and everyone
worshiping Bill Belichick once again.
It all sounds great, but Vereen
is a rookie...and Belichick is sporadic with RB
usage. This is a play only if you have a roster
spot to "waste" on a lottery ticket.
