The fall of former second-rounder Derrius Guice has been slow and painful, and his alleged acts of domestic violence could (should) be career-ending if true. A major knock on him heading into the 2018 draft was a lack of maturity (he was only 20 at the time), and more pointedly, a serious character problem. In his first preseason game, Guice was knocked out for the year with a torn ACL. Then last year, two knee injuries limited him to five contests--the second cutting short what appeared to be a breakout late-season push (171 rushing yards on only 15 carries).
Back in 2018 his preseason RB ADP was 21, which I warned was unrealistic (I also warned Washington's offseason signing of Alex Smith for $71 million guaranteed would be a franchise killer, but we'll pocket that for another day). Last summer Guice was ranked 27th, and I again warned folks he was overrated. This year, with his stock now at an RB-30, I told you all in June that Guice was a "bust waiting to happen."
So where does this leave 2019's lowest-scoring team, now that Guice is done with football for at least a while, and maybe forever? It's a fascinating situation, because the 35-year-old Adrian Peterson is now the only member of this backfield with proven bellcow ability. Antonio Gibson can play running back and receiver, and I doubt he'll net more than a few rushes per game (he had only 33 attempts his final year at Memphis--the only carries of his college career).
Perennial "on-the-cusp-of-fantasy-relevance" J.D. McKissic is a bit of a wild card. A proven passing-game specialist, McKissic could somehow become the highest-scoring fantasy option if AP's advancing age and Gibson's sparse usage open the door for a Theo-Riddick-in-his-prime workload for McKissic.
Finally, we can't count out Bryce Love. If he's fully recovered from last fall's knee injury, he'll have the most upside of anyone. At a minimum, Guice's release opens the door for a healthy Love to enter the rotation. At best, he'll overtake AP early on and wallop his RB-115 ADP. So if you're rolling the dice, Love is the answer.
Of course, don't be surprised if Washington scours the league--and free agency--for another backfield body. If I'm the Ravens GM (with all respect to Eric DeCosta), I'd dangle Gus Edwards or Justice Hill in a heartbeat for an upgrade elsewhere. Either guy would be an immediate contender for a 1A or 1B role, and it's not as if Baltimore needs both with J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram entrenched atop the depth chart. In my opinion, Washington's interest in another back hinges on Love's health, and whether there's time for him to get back into football shape.
Let's hear from you. If you had to roster one of these guys, who would it be? The presumably safe AP? The passing-game-friendly McKissic? The gadget rookie Gibson? Or the potentially injury-recovered Love?
Back in 2018 his preseason RB ADP was 21, which I warned was unrealistic (I also warned Washington's offseason signing of Alex Smith for $71 million guaranteed would be a franchise killer, but we'll pocket that for another day). Last summer Guice was ranked 27th, and I again warned folks he was overrated. This year, with his stock now at an RB-30, I told you all in June that Guice was a "bust waiting to happen."
So where does this leave 2019's lowest-scoring team, now that Guice is done with football for at least a while, and maybe forever? It's a fascinating situation, because the 35-year-old Adrian Peterson is now the only member of this backfield with proven bellcow ability. Antonio Gibson can play running back and receiver, and I doubt he'll net more than a few rushes per game (he had only 33 attempts his final year at Memphis--the only carries of his college career).
Perennial "on-the-cusp-of-fantasy-relevance" J.D. McKissic is a bit of a wild card. A proven passing-game specialist, McKissic could somehow become the highest-scoring fantasy option if AP's advancing age and Gibson's sparse usage open the door for a Theo-Riddick-in-his-prime workload for McKissic.
Finally, we can't count out Bryce Love. If he's fully recovered from last fall's knee injury, he'll have the most upside of anyone. At a minimum, Guice's release opens the door for a healthy Love to enter the rotation. At best, he'll overtake AP early on and wallop his RB-115 ADP. So if you're rolling the dice, Love is the answer.
Of course, don't be surprised if Washington scours the league--and free agency--for another backfield body. If I'm the Ravens GM (with all respect to Eric DeCosta), I'd dangle Gus Edwards or Justice Hill in a heartbeat for an upgrade elsewhere. Either guy would be an immediate contender for a 1A or 1B role, and it's not as if Baltimore needs both with J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram entrenched atop the depth chart. In my opinion, Washington's interest in another back hinges on Love's health, and whether there's time for him to get back into football shape.
Let's hear from you. If you had to roster one of these guys, who would it be? The presumably safe AP? The passing-game-friendly McKissic? The gadget rookie Gibson? Or the potentially injury-recovered Love?