Ray Rice Is The Next Michael Turner
May 14, 2008 at 7:31 am | Article by Paul Hickey |
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Dynasty owners that picked up a guy named Michael Turner off their waiver wire back in 2006 are finally cashing in, as he’s set to assume the featured back roll in Atlanta’s new run-heavy offense. Drawing parallels between players with identical skill sets in strikingly similar situations can usually lead to predicting what opportunities come during one’s career, and Ravens rookie RB Ray Rice looks a lot like Turner to us, in many ways.
Despite his size (5′9″, 200 lbs.), Rice hasn’t been pegged by NFL scouts as “only a return man” or “only a scatback.” He’s a powerful runner, but is also extremely shifty and elusive. Maurice Jones-Drew may be a solid comparison as well, but the situation Rice finds himself in entering the NFL is much more similar to that of the 5′10″, 225 lb. Turner.
Rice, a second rounder out of Rutgers, will immediately be a back-up to a star running back in Willis McGahee, the same way Turner was with Ladainian Tomlinson. Not only that, but he’ll do it under offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, who was the Chargers OC during LT’s prime and Turner’s development as one of the NFL’s top back-ups.
Cameron will most certainly feature McGahee, but also work in Rice and showcase him on occassion - giving him 10-12 touches when the game is in hand, similar to what he often did with Turner. Recent news reports have mentioned that Rice will play a lot on third downs, giving the Ravens a different weapon out there. We’re not sure how often this will really occur, given that Cameron really wants McGahee to be a primary receiver out of the backfield as well.
I’m saying all this to get to my point, which is - seasonal fantasy owners shouldn’t really eye up Rice as a potential contributor until 2011, when he can hit the open market and potentially land a starting gig somewhere. As McGahee’s handcuff? Yes, absolutely.
For dynasty owners, it’s a completely different outlook. Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said something that caught our attention after they drafted Rice. Newsome stated that Rice could step in and play 16 games should McGahee be injured. Now, that tells us that this kid is without a doubt, seen by many teams as a future NFL starter. Dynasty owners who already have solid depth at RB, but may be aging a bit, should grab Rice in the late second or early third round of rookie drafts, and stash him for the next two or three seasons. Eventually, either something will break in Baltimore, or he’ll hit the free agent market - like Turner did in 2008 - and get a shot at a starting role. He’s a great player to stash away in deep dynasty leagues.
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