Bump and Run: Backfield Battles
Maybe we don’t have flying cars or time travel yet but I think we can all agree that this world is a lot different than the one we grew up in. Need proof? Check out Evan Silva’s Post-Draft Top 150.
I’ll admit it was a little jarring to see that many wide receivers in the top 10. But this is the world we live in now. 10 years ago when I first started playing fantasy football, I remember riding LaDainian Tomlinson to my first championship. LT logged 348 carries that season. Last year, only Adrian Peterson reached 300 carries. 10 players hit that mark when Tomlinson peaked in 2006.
When you renew your subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket this fall, just know you’re not paying to watch running backs pound the ball 30 times a game. Four of the top eight receiving totals of all-time have occurred in the last four seasons. That’s no accident. The NFL is a pass-first league and there’s no way to hide it anymore.
That tectonic shift has left us with a collection of uncertain backfields. One of those mystery backfields resides in Chicago where head coach John Fox is planning to use a “hot-hand” approach at running back. It’s possible Fox knows more than he’s letting on and is being vague for the purpose of misdirection. At this early stage, there’s no need for him to tip his hand.
The other possibility is that Fox really doesn’t know where the carries will be coming from. Common sense tells us Jeremy Langford is best suited for the bell-cow role, though the Bears have been strangely reluctant to commit to him this offseason. The Bears were in on C.J. Anderson before he re-signed with Denver and considered making a run at Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott before Dallas snatched him with the fourth pick in last month’s draft. The Bears did spend a fifth-round pick on Indiana running back Jordan Howard, who could challenge Langford for work on early downs.
Langford flashed some receiving chops with 279 yards last year and had a nose for the end zone with seven touchdowns (six rushing, one receiving) including five in a four-game span. Of course, Langford did most of his damage with Matt Forte out of the lineup and was held without a touchdown over his final five contests. His lackluster efficiency (3.6 yards per carry) would suggest most of his success was related to volume. In fact, only three rookies (Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon and T.J. Yeldon) carried the rock more than Langford last year. Even if Howard doesn’t seriously threaten Langford’s workload in 2016—Bears OC Dowell Loggains previously called Howard a “change-of-pace” back—Langford’s mixed results as a rookie have made it hard to gauge his value. Langford is Evan’s No. 25 back, which is also where he falls in FantasyPros’ consensus rankings.
Miami offers another unpredictable backfield. The Dolphins are looking to fill the void left by Lamar Miller, who was never used right under the old coaching regime. Just like the Bears, the Dolphins had serious interest in C.J. Anderson, even signing him to a four-year offer sheet that Denver eventually matched. Miami also coveted Elliott and were prepared to draft him 13th overall.
Jay Ajayi must have let out a huge sigh of relief when the Cowboys poached Elliott at No. 4. Now Ajayi is positioned to be the Dolphins’ lead back. Head coach Adam Gase was originally open to using a running back by committee but it looks like Ajayi has seized control of the backfield. “He’s been here every day. Done everything right,” said Gase. “The rest of that group has done a good job to try and keep up, but obviously he’s kind of separated himself.”
Ajayi’s primary competition will come from rookie Kenyan Drake. The third-round pick was a fun gadget player in college but he was never a feature back at Alabama and it’s hard to envision him becoming one at the next level. However, his elite speed and sure hands make him an interesting complement to Ajayi, who is known for his physical, downhill style of running.
This yin and yang backfield approach seems to be catching on almost everywhere. We saw a similar one-two punch in Tampa last season. Doug Martin functioned as the early-down enforcer while Charles Sims gave the backfield a much-needed receiving element. Neither missed a game, proving the divide-and-conquer method can be a useful tool for keeping players fresh.
While free agent departures have forced Miami and Chicago to go in new directions, the Broncos have opted for continuity. C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman are back for another year of splitting carries. It’s a little surprising the partnership remained in tact considering both players had a chance to test the market this offseason. While Hillman outgained Anderson and scored more touchdowns, Anderson ran laps around Hillman in the postseason and was more efficient overall (4.7 yards per carry to Hillman’s 4.2). The balance of power shifted constantly between the two last season, but right now, Anderson seems to have a slight edge over Hillman.
But before Anderson and Hillman can jockey for position atop Denver’s running-back totem pole, they’ll need to extinguish the flame lit by fourth-round pick Devontae Booker. The new challenger has made his purpose abundantly clear. “I’m not here to carry pads,” said Booker. “I’m here to take someone’s job.”
Those are confident words for a rookie but Booker has the resume to back it up. Booker finished his senior season at Utah with 1,261 rushing yards despite missing the last three games with a torn meniscus. He’s still healing from that injury but should be a full go for training camp. Booker was also a productive receiver in college, tallying 80 catches over his two years at Utah (he was a junior college transfer). It was a huge upset to see Booker fall to the Broncos at 136 after receiving second-round grades from several teams. GM John Elway expects Booker to play a role in the offense right away.
Here’s another name to stow away for dynasty leagues: Wendell Smallwood. A year ago at this time, the Eagles were chock full of options at running back. After pulling the plug on DeMarco Murray, that’s no longer the case. Now the Eagles are left with injury-prone Ryan Mathews, aging scat back Darren Sproles and underwhelming third-stringer Kenjon Barner. That leaves the path to carries in Philadelphia relatively wide open.
Smallwood led the Big 12 in rushing in his junior year at West Virginia and blew scouts away at the Combine. Head coach Doug Pederson hasn’t stopped raving about Smallwood’s play at OTAs and has called him a “natural pass catcher.” Mathews will break down eventually and Sproles isn’t equipped to handle double-digit carries. Don’t be surprised if Smallwood winds up starting for the Eagles at some point in 2016.
Quick Hits: What a relief that Deflategate is finally over. Just kidding—Tom Brady announced that he’ll appeal his four-game suspension AGAIN, asking the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear his case. Brady really will do anything to keep Jimmy Garoppolo from playing … The Cleveland 76ers, I mean Browns, told Brian Hartline to hit the road on Monday. Hartline snagged 46 passes for 523 yards and two touchdowns in his only season with Cleveland … According to ESPN Browns reporter Pat McManamon, new head coach Hue Jackson sees Duke Johnson as an “every-down back.” Johnson is already one of the better receiving backs in the NFL (61 catches for 534 yards as a rookie) … Johnny Manziel is up to his old tricks, AKA behaving badly. The former Brown was booted from a Vegas nightclub over the weekend after throwing a punch. Pictures surfaced of a skinnier, tattoo-covered Manziel at a Vegas pool party … The Patriots have reportedly shown “preliminary interest” in Arian Foster. The free agent attended a Red Sox game at Fenway Park over the weekend but didn’t meet with Patriots brass. He’s recovering from a torn Achilles and is still a few weeks away from being able to pass a physical … Jadeveon Clowney suffered a Lisfranc injury late last season but didn’t require surgery. He’ll participate in OTAs this week without any restrictions … Clowney’s teammate J.J. Watt worked off to the side Monday at the first day of Texans OTAs. He’s coming off groin surgery but should be fine for training camp in two months … DeAndre Hopkins said he put on muscle this offseason. Last year he finished third in the league in yards (1,521), targets (192) and receptions (111) … Ryan Fitzpatrick said he has no plans to retire. Fitzpatrick and the Jets have spent the entire offseason in a tug of war over salary … Tyrann Mathieu is still recovering from a torn ACL and won’t play until he’s 100 percent. “If I’m 90 percent, then I don’t necessarily want to go out there,” he said. Mathieu is in the last year of his rookie deal … Paxton Lynch will practice with the first team at Broncos OTAs. Lynch is fully expected to back up Mark Sanchez when the regular season starts but Sanchez is still recovering from thumb surgery … Stephon Gilmore won’t be at Bills OTAs this week. The two sides are working on a long-term extension but haven’t put pen to paper yet … Richard Sherman isn’t convinced that Marshawn Lynch is done playing. “I don’t put anything past him,” said Sherman. “He’s about as predictable as a pair of dice” … Dante Fowler has been participating in team drills at Jaguars OTAs. The former No. 3 overall pick missed his rookie season with a torn ACL … Jags beat writer Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union expects T.J. Yeldon to be the team’s primary third-down back this season. O’Halloran believes Chris Ivory is more equipped to handle the early downs … ESPN Falcons reporter Vaughn McClure said not to count out second-year running back Tevin Coleman. Devonta Freeman was a second-team All-Pro last year but Coleman actually averaged more yards per carry. However, Coleman also lost three fumbles … Shaq Thompson injured another driver in a car crash Sunday in North Carolina. Thompson had alcohol in his system but was under the legal limit. Instead, he was cited for “driving left of center” … Victor Cruz practiced on a side field Monday at the start of Giants OTAs. The Giants are working him in slowly after he missed most of the last two years with knee and calf injuries … Giants beat writer Jordan Raanan believes Will Tye is in the driver seat for the starting job at tight end. However, Ranaan did mention Matt LaCosse as a dark horse while calling him the “best all-around” tight end on New York’s roster … Aaron Rodgers’ younger brother Jordan is on The Bachelorette this season. Jordan spent time on the Buccaneers’ practice squad a couple years ago but never appeared in an NFL game.
