Fantasy Football Running Backs: 2013 Early Returns

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.

The Scariest Team in the NFL

I woke up this morning after watching the Houston-Chicago game a bit depressed. My Bears lost at their own game, namely: the turnover battle. In slippery "Bear-weather" (quoted for absurdity), it was Chicago, not the visiting Texans, who couldn't hold onto the football.

But this game did answer a few questions, most notably among them being this: neither of these teams are that scary. The Texans have a mauler offensive line and arguably the best running back in football, but their offense is very one-dimensional. I don't see the Texans keeping up with other teams in a shootout. I just don't. Their defense was just good enough and benefited from some very sloppy Bears ball security and another Jay Cutler concussion.

So, if not the Texans and if not the Bears (and their terrific defense), who is it? Who is the team that no one wants to play right now? Who is the best scariest team in the NFL? The Giants looked very November-y last week, the 49ers couldn't even put away a divisional opponent they have recently dominated in the Rams, and the Packers have certainly seemed vulnerable at times but also are dealing with injuries to key players on both sides of the ball.

No, it's not the bruising 49ers. It's not the Aaron Rodgers show. It's not the one-dimensional Texans or the Bears, with all of their question marks. It's not the under-performing Giants or the off-and-on Ravens.

None of the above.

The scariest team in the NFL right now, the team that nobody wants to face by a wide margin, is the Denver Broncos. That's right. With the recent acquisition of Trindon Holliday, who has scored two return TDs in the past two weeks, the Broncos are now clicking in all three phases of the game. Peyton Manning is playing at an MVP level and has really brought out the talent in Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas. Defensively, the Broncos have also been amazing, ranking in the top-10 in all four major categories: points against, total yards against, pass yards against, and rush yards against. Remember all those years of the Peyton Colts? Everyone always wondered what it would be like if those Indianapolis teams had a defense to back up Manning. Now, we get to see that. Admittedly, it's not the Peyton of his prime, but nonetheless he is still clearly capable of playing at a high level. This may be the best overall team that Peyton has ever been a part of, and in a league with no clear favorites in either conference, the Broncos are certainly making the case to become one.

And even if their not a favorite team just yet, they remain the scariest.