FantasySharks.com

Very good article and well thought out but man do I disagree on quite a few points..

Personally I have it as a big 3.. Foster, McCoy and Rice.. The biggest difference for me comes at #4, personally I take one of those QB's or Calvin Johnson over MJD.. I am one that sees a considerable falloff this year from him and have Matthews ahead him by quite a large margin actually..

The biggest difference though is Sproles at 9? Really 9? This is stated I consider Sproles one of the safest options as a rock solid No. 2 running back. however the biggest problem is that as the 9th ranked RB you aren't talking about a RB2 that would be your RB1 and if the number 1 RB on my team happened to be Sproles I had better be absolutely stacked elsewhere..

Thanks a lot for reading. I feel like MJD, who led the league in rushing last season, is really getting short changed here. He's just not a sexy pick like he used to be. If anything, the Jags offense should be better this season, presuming that Chad Henne takes the reigns from Gabbert, whose horrid. They've also beefed up their receiving corps adding Mr. DUI and Laurent Robinson. This means defenses possibly, won't be able to key in on MJD like they have the past couple seasons. As I mentioned in the article, there's no way I'd put Mathews any higher on the ranking because of the ever-present injury concerns. MJD has proven he deserves to be in that spot. The last time Mathews was drafted in the 1st round it was a disaster. He has to prove he can do it, like MJD has, before he can reach the elite level of the Top 4. To me, MJD's still the last bastion before you go into the QB/Calvin well.

Onto Sproles. If we're talking a PPR League, it's no contest, I think he's definitely a "good enough" Number 1 RB. It gets a little more complicated with Standard Leagues. Right now, Sproles' average ADP is he's being drafted towards the end of the 3rd round (http://fantasyfootballcalculator.com/ad ... =12&pos=rb). If you're drafting a running back towards the end of the 3rd round, I'm presuming that's a Number 2 Running Back. It depends a lot on draft strategy. If you draft a QB and a WR with your first two picks, then, yes, Sproles would be your Number 1 Running Back, literally. In general, though, I think he's viewed as a Number 2 Running Back in the grand scheme of things. That's why I said he's a Rock Solid Number 2 Running Back.

It's kinda confusing, sorry! I liked your insightful response though!

Thanks again,

Ed

Ed, I think the confusion is that it doesn't matter where he is being drafted as far as ADP or mocks or anything. If you are recommending him as the #9 RB, no matter where he gets drafted, that would have to be RB1 in anything larger than an 8 team league. Simply put, ranking the RBs for a 12 team league (for example) #1-12 would be RB1, 13-24 would be RB2, 25+ would be reserves or flex.

With that said, my league shows Sproles as the #8 RB for the season for 2011. Our scoring is a bit odd with 1/20 rushing/receiving, 0.25 per reception, 6 per TD, so it is definitely TD heavy comparitively. I would initially be scared looking at my team if Sproles was my top RB pick, but looking at how he is used and how often he is used, he is not as bad as it seems. Many people would probably be looking for the type of guy who carries the ball more traditionally or is considered the lead back in their system, but that may show where Sproles can be a steal. It's the difference between perception and reality.

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49ers fan for the Superbowl, in memory of Sean "CleffedUp" Vostinar