Let’s Get Ready To Rumble With RB’s... Paul Agruso, Fantasy Football Guest Writer Jul 19, 2007 | More

So with that said, let’s analyze the main open competitions, and see who is ready to rumble their way into contributing to your fantasy team....

Carolina Panthers Starting RB:   DeShaun Foster vs. Deangelo Williams

Entering training camp, DeShaun Foster is listed as the starting running back for the Panthers; however, there are rumblings that Deangelo Williams will significantly benefit from the new zone blocking schemes implemented into the Panthers offense.   Williams had great success in college at Memphis with a similar zone blocking scheme, and the combination of his explosiveness and receiving skills fit the new scheme perfectly.  

Foster should also benefit from the new Panther’s schemes; however, he lacks the explosion of Deangelo.   According to a recent ESPN.com Len Pasquarelli report, DeShaun Foster remains the unquestioned starter going into camp, and unless Deangelo Williams significantly outshines Foster in camp, Foster should start the season with a majority of the carries.

So far in fantasy mock drafts, Deangelo Williams is being taken several rounds ahead of Foster.   This trend will likely continue through training camp as many fantasy owners are excited about Deangelo Williams’ prospects following a good close to the 2006 season; however, if Foster has a good camp and retains the starting job, he could present significant value to fantasy owners

Projected Season Outlook:   Foster will most likely start the season as the starting running back receiving probably 60% of the carries.   Williams should also get plenty of reps with about 40% of the workload; however, as the season progresses Deangelo Williams’ workload will steadily increase due to his fit in the offense with a combination of explosiveness, receiving ability and field vision.   In 2008’s offseason, DeShaun Foster should be looking for a new job.

Green Bay Packers Starting RB: Vernand Morency vs. Brandon Jackson

With Ahman Green leaving for the Houston Texans this offseason, Green Bay is left with a lack of experience at the RB position with two main contenders: Vernand Morency and rookie Brandon Jackson.

Brandon Jackson was drafted in the 2^nd round by Green Bay in this year’s NFL Rookie Draft, and comes to the Packers with quite a bit of fantasy hype.   Brandon Jackson was never a workhorse in college with only his Junior year at Nebraska to base his prospects on.   Jackson carried the ball at Nebraska 188 times for 989 yards and 8 TDs last year.   Despite Jackson’s quickness and burst, he only accounted for roughly 38% of the Corn Huskers’ carries and 40% of the team’s rushing yards.   These college numbers are hardly anything to base a lot of confidence on Jackson’s NFL prospects as he never carried the whole load in college.   Despite the lack of experience, the Packers committed a second round pick to the Jackson, and are willing to give him a chance to win the starting job.   Many believe Brandon Jackson is a natural fit for the Packers system.   He is currently behind Morency on the depth chart heading into camp due to the rookie having to miss OTA practices due to a sponsorship event.

V ernand Morency was acquired from the Houston Texans at the beginning of the 2006. Morency was given a chance at the starting position in Houston   Despite this opportunity, Morency never could grasp the zone blocking schemes and lost the positional battle to a 6^th round rookie Wali Lundy and perennial Heisman disappointment Ron Dayne.   Morency has a tendency to be hesitant behind the line of scrimmage, and likes to dance in the backfield instead of bursting through the hole in the line when it opens.   Morency possesses decent speed and receiving ability out of the backfield.   before his departure after the Texans lost Domanick Davis (Williams) to a knee injury early in camp.

In 2006 with the Packers, Morency split backup duties with Noah Herron to Ahman Green and accounted for 91 carries for 421 yards and 16 catches for 112 yards.   Early reports out of OTA’s indicate that Morrency has gained 10 lbs. to his frame to prepare his body for additional carries during the season.  

Early mock drafts have Brandon Jackson going a couple rounds earlier than Morency despite Morency being slated in as the early favorite to start.

Projected Season Outlook:   Vernand Morency will likely start the year by receiving the majority of the carries; however, as Brandon Jackson becomes more familiar with the offense, the Packers will give him an increasing amount of carries through the season.   Neither player has proven they can carry the load as a NFL running back, and this situation reeks of a running back by committee system.   Both players should present fantasy owners with some value as an injury fill-in, but they should be perceived as RB4’s at best.

Dallas Cowboys Starting RB: Marion Barber III vs. Julius Jones

In 2006, Marion Barber III and Julius Jones combined for a total of 1,738 rushing yards, 338 receiving yards, and 20 TD’s under Bill Parcells’ run-first offensive approach.   Parcells’ offense last year featured Julius Jones on most 1^st and 2^nd down plays with Barber getting most of the work in third down passing situations and on the goal line.

As Wade Phillips takes over the Cowboys reigns this offseason, there remain many question marks heading into training camp on how the Cowboys will utilize both running backs in their offensive system.   Both players are expected to be free agents in 2008 (Jones—unrestricted; Barber—restricted), and have a lot to play for in the 2007 season.  

Early comments out of the Cowboys coaching staff indicate that they are happy with Julius Jones as their starter, and want to get Jones more involved in passing downs.   Jones skipped OTA’s to workout in Arizona, and reports from Arizona indicate Jones looks thicker and with improved agility.    Julius Jones is looking forward to 2007 with the new offensive system as the new coaching staff is encouraging Jones to run with his instincts during plays, unlike in 2006 where Jones felt trapped and unable to improvise due to Parcells’ system.   Jones has really worked on his receiving skills this offseason.

Marion Barber III is a much more physical back whose style brings into question whether he can survive the rigors of the full-time load at RB over a full NFL season.   He has carried the full-load since his high school days.   Barber’s combination of quick feet and power make him perfect for goal line and short yardage situations.   It is likely that Barber will retain this role from last year under the new coaching staff.

In early fantasy mock drafts, Marion Barber is being taken a couple rounds earlier than Julius Jones despite Jones opening training camp as the primary back.   This trend will likely change as the role of each player becomes clearer in training camp.

Projected Season Outlook: Julius Jones will start the year as the Dallas Cowboys back receiving a bulk of the carries.   Marion Barber III will be used to keep Julius Jones fresh and used in short yardage/goal line situations.   I fully expect Julius Jones to get more looks than last year inside the red zone, thus his TD totals should increase with similar rushing yardage to last year and increased receiving yardage.   Julius Jones could be an excellent value as a RB3 with RB2 upside if his situation plays out in this fashion.   I expect Marion Barber’s role to stay similar to 2006; however, it is very unlikely he will attain the 16 TD total again with Wade Phillips splitting red zone looks between the two backs.   Both running should be regarded as RB3s in this year’s fantasy drafts; however, Julius Jones has more value in drafts if he continues to go a couple rounds later than Barber III.

Tennessee Titans RB: Lendale White vs. Chris Brown

After letting 2006 starting running back Travis Henry leave to the Denver Broncos this offseason, the Tennessee Titans running back situation appears to be a mess.   Last year’s 2^nd round pick, Lendale White is the early favorite to win the starting job in training camp; however, he does face competition in Chris Brown.   Before the start of OTA’s, White appeared to be the heir apparent to the job until he showed up to camp out of shape and overweight.  

During OTA’s, White’s absence from practices were noted by his head coach Jeff Fisher and several teammates who called Lendale White out in the media.   White returned to practice later in the week with an explanation of being with his grandmother who was in intensive care; however, the situation exposed some underlying disappointment in Lendale White’s performance since joining the Titans last year.   White suffered a hamstring injury in OTAs, but appears to be fully healed going into training camp in a couple weeks.

Lendale White is a bruising between the tackles running back who shared the load at USC with Reggie Bush.    Coming into the NFL last year, White was expected to share carries in the Titans backfield before the emergence of Travis Henry last year.   Chris Henry was also drafted in the 2^nd round in 2007.   His selection by the Titans in using their second 2^nd round draft pick in consecutive years on a RB further shows their displeasure with Lendale White.   After a disappointing OTA practice session, Chris Henry does not appear to be in the mix to receive significant carries in 2007.

Chris Brown was recently re-signed by the Titans after shopping his services across the league, in which he received limited fan fare.   After rushing for 1,067 yards in 11 games in 2004 and 851 yards in 2005, Brown is coming off a highly disappointing 2006 campaign in which he could not stay healthy enough to compete with Travis Henry.   Reports out of OTA’s is that Chris Brown is in excellent shapeBrown’s familiarity with the Titans offense and skill set give him a definite opportunity to rise again as the primary ball carrier for the team in 2007.  

Lendale White continues to be taken in early fantasy mocks a few rounds earlier than Chris Brown; however, this will likely change as the training camp battle unfolds and each player’s role in the offense becomes clearer.

Projected Season Outlook:   I expect Chris Brown to emerge as the Titan’s starting running back by the end of training camp.   Lendale White will likely become a short yardage/goal line back and spell Brown to reduce the wear on him during the season.   If Brown can shake the chronic turf toe that has plagued him over the past few years, he could present an excellent value as a RB3 taken in the late middle rounds of fantasy drafts in 2007.   None of the running backs on the Titans roster have significant long-term value as I would expect the Titans to be going after a starting RB in free agency in 2008.