Broncos To Get Their Answer At RB
October 29, 2008 at 2:22 pm | Article by Paul Hickey |
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So, whatever the heck happened to Selvin Young rushing for 2,000 yards this season? Come on. That pre-season prediction was about as empty as the cupboards in a bachelor pad. The Broncos second year rusher only has only rushed for 266 yards and a TD all season, missing two straight games with a knee injury. However, it appears that Denver is about to finally get their answer at RB.
No, their answer doesn’t go by the name of Michael Pittman. The 33 year old veteran leads the team with 69 carries (including 20 in each of the team’s last two games), but has some bruised ribs that could prevent him from shouldering the full load in Week 9. Pittman hasn’t reached the end zone since Week 3, and Mike Shanahan is still experimenting with combinations that work in the backfield, but the Broncos run game has been far from consistent this season - especially from a fantasy owner’s perspective.
Andre Hall led the team in rushing in Week 1, with 61 yards, but then Young led the team in rushing with 78 yards in Week 2 and again in Week 3 with 65 yards and Week 4 with 49 yards. Pittman then did the honors in Week 5 with 39 yards, Week 6 with 109 yards and Week 7 with 88 yards. Overall, the Broncos rank 12th in the league with 118.3 rushing yards per game. This tells me that they absolutely could yield a consistent fantasy worthy back, if Shanny decided to implement a more conventional run strategy. Make no mistake, it’s not that Denver doesn’t run the ball. In fact, they’ve run the ball exactly 40 percent of their offensive snaps (not including fourth down) this season, and average 26 rushing attempts per game. By “conventional,” I mean, using one back for 15-17 carries, and another back for around 10-12 carries.
Much to the chagrin of fantasy owners, this multi-back approach has become Shanahan’s mantra ever since Clinton Portis was traded to Washington prior to the 2004 season, and Reuben Droughns rushed for more than 1,000 yards in Denver that year. However, it has never been quite this bad.
Well, I’m here to let you know that it’s about to get much better folks. Why? Well, the Broncos drafted a young man in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, that has first round talent - for real. Ryan Torain, a 6′1″, 225 lb. power back was downgraded after missing most of his senior season at Arizona State with a knee injury. He was expected to play a role immediately for Denver in 2008, but tore ligaments in his elbow in the pre-season. Now Torain his back and ready to make his season debut in Week 9 against the Dolphins.
Chances are, if you play in a seasonal format, he’s sitting on the waiver wire. Go get him.
He may not light up the stat column right away, but within the next 2-3 weeks, he will have gotten your attention - trust me. Dynasty owners may have one last chance to buy low on this kid before he blows up and becomes Denver’s starter by the end of the season.
Yes, the Shanny-rotation will always put a limit on his overall ceiling, but he’ll be more than just on the radar after facing the Dolphins, Browns, Falcons, Jets and Chiefs over the next five weeks - perhaps the easiest schedule possible in terms of run defenses. Take a shot on Torain, especially because this is the last chance to get him this cheap.
This article is also featured on Athlon/Grogan’s Fantasy Football, your spot for Cheat Sheets updated daily, and Fantasy tools to manage your team all year long.
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