With a week of training camp in the books, here are some RB depth chart battles I’m watching closely in advance of fantasy drafting:
• Arian Foster vs. Jay Ajayi: It should be clear by now that Ajayi has had one of the worst preseasons in recent Dolphin history, and it’s all Foster’s fault. A former perennial top 3 fantasy RB whose only Achilles’ heel has been health (3+ missed games in five of seven NFL seasons), Foster is now positioned to be Miami’s lead back, with Ajayi playing merely a complementary role. This could all change at a moment’s notice: Foster could pull up lame in a preseason game, or Ajayi could simply perform better in August. So I’m not yet sold on Foster—not by a longshot. But he’s clearly atop the depth chart today.
• Devonta Freeman vs. Tevin Coleman: I’ve written a lot about these two these past two months. I’m watching closely this month to see if Coleman makes up enough ground to be an even greater bargain at his current RB-43 ADP.
• Matt Forte vs. Bilal Powell: I wrote last week about seizing on Powell’s terrible ADP while ignoring Forte’s inflated position. That still stands. And if things go as expected, their ADPs will begin converging soon. Still, this is a positional battle to watch closely. Forte was signed to contribute, and Powell has never been asked to carry a very heavy load in five NFL seasons. I still see Powell with RB3/4 value, and the next few weeks will dictate whether he can assume 1a duties to Forte’s 1b.
• Jeremy Langford vs. Jordan Howard: Same as with the Jets’ backfield—Langford is overrated and Howard is underrated. August will help us figure out who will seize control, if anyone, starting Week 1.
• Ryan Mathews vs. himself: I’ve already labeled Mathews as a bust at his current ADP. But who can beat him out? Rookie Wendell Smallwood got hurt last week, Darren Sproles is a 33-year-old passing-game specialist, Kenjon Barner is 26 and still hasn’t earned an NFL foothold, and rookie Byron Marshall is an undrafted free agent. Add to that the fact that this might be the second-worst passing attack in the NFC, and you’ve got the makings of a “so what?” fantasy backfield. Assuming Mathews can’t stay healthy, the Eagles’ starting RB job is wide open.
• Arian Foster vs. Jay Ajayi: It should be clear by now that Ajayi has had one of the worst preseasons in recent Dolphin history, and it’s all Foster’s fault. A former perennial top 3 fantasy RB whose only Achilles’ heel has been health (3+ missed games in five of seven NFL seasons), Foster is now positioned to be Miami’s lead back, with Ajayi playing merely a complementary role. This could all change at a moment’s notice: Foster could pull up lame in a preseason game, or Ajayi could simply perform better in August. So I’m not yet sold on Foster—not by a longshot. But he’s clearly atop the depth chart today.
• Devonta Freeman vs. Tevin Coleman: I’ve written a lot about these two these past two months. I’m watching closely this month to see if Coleman makes up enough ground to be an even greater bargain at his current RB-43 ADP.
• Matt Forte vs. Bilal Powell: I wrote last week about seizing on Powell’s terrible ADP while ignoring Forte’s inflated position. That still stands. And if things go as expected, their ADPs will begin converging soon. Still, this is a positional battle to watch closely. Forte was signed to contribute, and Powell has never been asked to carry a very heavy load in five NFL seasons. I still see Powell with RB3/4 value, and the next few weeks will dictate whether he can assume 1a duties to Forte’s 1b.
• Jeremy Langford vs. Jordan Howard: Same as with the Jets’ backfield—Langford is overrated and Howard is underrated. August will help us figure out who will seize control, if anyone, starting Week 1.
• Ryan Mathews vs. himself: I’ve already labeled Mathews as a bust at his current ADP. But who can beat him out? Rookie Wendell Smallwood got hurt last week, Darren Sproles is a 33-year-old passing-game specialist, Kenjon Barner is 26 and still hasn’t earned an NFL foothold, and rookie Byron Marshall is an undrafted free agent. Add to that the fact that this might be the second-worst passing attack in the NFC, and you’ve got the makings of a “so what?” fantasy backfield. Assuming Mathews can’t stay healthy, the Eagles’ starting RB job is wide open.