 Beware the Broncos Running Back!
August 7th, 2009
Just because Shanahan is gone, doesn't mean Denver will begin using a feature back. If you have participated in Fantasy Football over the last five years, you've done it. Don't deny it. Even though you swore not to draft any of the Denver Broncos Running Backs, which by the way is the definition of Running Back by Committee, you took a flier and drafted Ruben Droughns in the late rounds, a mistake that would end up haunting you for the entire season.
Don't expect things to change much this season. The Broncos are entrenched in the midst of yet another dilemma of who in their backfield will get the bulk of carries. The current depth chart for the Broncos Running Backs is as follows (per the Denver Broncos web site): (1) Correll Buckhalter (2) LaMont Jordan (3) Peyton Hillis (4) Knowshon Moreno (5) Ryan Torain. There are at least two or three RB's in that backfield who could play on a consistent basis in the NFL but I wouldn't recommend drafting any of them too high this season.
Add to that the fact that the Broncos will have a new QB under center and it's really hard to know what to expect from this backfield, let alone this team as a whole. There may be games where one or more of the Denver RB's will have over 100 yards and a TD or two but I feel that their production will be too inconsistent and totally unpredictable to be relied upon in a Fantasy Football setting.
If you're in the mid to late rounds of your draft and have a lack at the RB position or if you need a filler RB during a bye week for your regular starter(s), picking one of these RB's is understandable. But I would not recommend drafting any of the Broncos RB's expecting a consistent, weekly starter. But of all the choices, I believe rookie Knowshon Moreno has the most upside and potential to make an impact. It could take a quarter of the season before the Broncos settle on giving the bulk of carries to a specific player and if you guessed wrong during the draft, you're out of luck.
~ The Fool |
