Week one brought bad news for the owners of several trendy pre-season fantasy rushers, namely: David Wilson, Montee Ball, Giovani Bernard, and Stevan Ridley. All four were drafted with high expectations and all four disappointed in their first chance at game action in 2013.
Wilson's severe fumbilitis saw him benched early and he never found the field again. The Giants, playing mostly from behind, leaned heavily on Eli Manning and a passing attack led by Victor Cruz and Brandon Myers. Tom Coughlin keeps his rushers on a notoriously short leash when it comes to holding on to the football, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Giants add a free agent to help with ball-carrying duties until Andre Brown returns from a broken leg. The names we've all heard are Willis McGahee, Joe McKnight, and Brandon Jacobs. Between the three, I think McGahee is the most interesting. He is a proven back who can produce and probably still has enough left in the tank to help your fantasy team. I think if the Giants don't make a roster move this week, however, they're going to give Wilson another chance. So we should know soon how this situation will play out.
Montee Ball, however, is a different case. Ball saw the field and was relatively productive, but he remains part of a backfield that is all-too-crowded for fantasy goodness. Knowshon Moreno saw the most snaps and, in my opinion, continues to be the Denver back you want, at least in the short term.
Giovani Bernard actually had the best week, the only problem was he simply didn't receive enough touches. When he carried the ball, he performed well, averaging upwards of 5 YPC. I think the Bengals will look to get him more involved as the season progresses, and of the entire above list, he is the most interesting player to me.
Ridley did his best David Wilson impression and quickly lost his gig to Shane Vereen. Fortunately for Ridley owners, Vereen injured his wrist and will need surgery. While Brandon Boldin remains in the mix, I would be surprised if the Patriots don't give Ridley at least one more chance based on his strong 2012 campaign. When Vereen returns, however, all bets are off. If I was using Ridley as an RB2 or, in some deeper leagues, an RB1, I would be seriously concerned.
These four situations all warrant keeping an eye on moving forward, and week two should provide us more insight as to the fantasy value of each. I would consider Bernard and Wilson both good Buy-Low candidates, but in the case of Ridley and Ball, if you own them, you're probably stuck with them for the time being.
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