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Ray Rice had 1776 total yards (1220 rushing, 556 receiving) last year, which left nobody complaining about the top draft pick they spent on him last year. Those in PPR leagues could not have been happier about his 63 catches. They can, however, gripe about the six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving). All in all he was still a solid number one fantasy back and first round pick, but he failed to reach his 2009 production.
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Two years ago Rice had 2041 total yards (1339 rushing, 702 receiving), 78 catches, and eight touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving). Not that last year’s numbers were bad, but that is a 13 percent dip in yards and a 25 percent dip in touchdowns.
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Rice is just 24 years old and there are no signs of slowing down. What is keeping him out of the top five in non-PPR leagues, at least for me, is the lack of touchdowns. Can that change in 2011? The signs are pointing in that direction.
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For starters, Willis McGahee is gone. Not that he was a big time touchdown thief last year with five rushing touchdowns, but the threat was there. In 2009 McGahee sniped 12 rushing scores.
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If the exodus of his touchdown vulture wasn’t enough, the Ravens brought in fullback extraordinaire Vonta Leach, who helped pave the way for an Arian Foster rushing title. I’m certainly not going to take his breakout season away, but credit is due to Leach and the Texans’ offensive line.
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With Leach paving the way, along with Rice’s ability to catch the ball, double-digit touchdowns are within reach. The big four are pretty much set (Arian, Adrian, CJ, Foster), but Rice can be right up there in the mix. What’s your take?
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Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football TE Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football DEF Rankings

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While the AFC East running back landscape is a mess, the AFC North is a goldmine.
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Ray Rice is a force, both running and catching the football. He regressed some last year, but still managed 1776 total yards (1220 rushing, 556 receiving) and six touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving). Willis McGahee is up in the air, but it makes sense for him to return to Baltimore next year. Rice is a top five to eight fantasy running back depending on your format.
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Rashard Mendenhall followed up his 1108 yard, seven touchdown season with an even more impressive 1273 yard, 11 touchdown season. Mendy is a clear RB1 and a top eight to ten fantasy running back depending on your format. I actually like him a little better than Ray Rice in non-PPR leagues. He may make some bonehead comments, but he is a fantasy force with little competition for carries.
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Cedric Benson is a free agent, but is likely to return to Cincinnati. He is a workhorse back that should crack the 1000 yard mark again. Benson is a solid RB2 that also shouldn’t receive much competition for carries. If he does part via free agency, all bets are off in Cincinnati.
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Peyton Hillis‘ impressive season landed him on the cover of Madden 12. Obviously there is a curse that supposedly goes with it, but after the way he ran roughshod on the Ravens last year, he may be able to stand up to the curse. He slowed towards the end of the year, and the Browns have already stated that they want to reduce his carries. Montario Hardesty should be in the mix for carries, but Hillis has earned the feature role. Hillis is a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Running Back Situations
• AFC East Quarterback Situations
• AFC North Quarterback Situations
• AFC South Quarterback Situations
• AFC West Quarterback Situations
• NFC East Quarterback Situations
• NFC North Quarterback Situations
• NFC South Quarterback Situations
• NFC West Quarterback Situations

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Like the AFC East this division is split between teams that have established quarterbacks and teams that are hopeful that their young quarterbacks will deliver.
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Ben Roethlisberger may be better equipped to deal with the lockout than any quarterback in the league. After all he sat out the first four games last year and stepped in with a three-touchdown performance in his season debut. Despite playing in 12 games he finished with 3200 yards and 17 TDs (5 INTs). Big Ben knows the offense and knows his players. If the lockout drags on, the veteran Steelers could actually be at an advantage. Big Ben is a solid QB1 that you should to be get at a good value.
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Joe Flacco had a solid season throwing for 3622 yard and 25 TDs (10 INTs). Unfortunately his number seem to decline at the end of the year. Last year he averaged 169.7 passing yards in Weeks 14-16 and 249 yards in the first 12 games. In 2009 he averaged 210 yards in Weeks 14-16 and 240.1 in the first 12 games. In fantasy championship week, typically week 16, he has averaged 134 yards the past two years. The Ravens added speedster Torrey Smith to help stretch the defenses. He should be a nice compliment to Anquan Boldin. Flacco remains a borderline QB1 and should put up solid numbers once again.
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Colt McCoy is back with some experience under his belt. He didn’t light the world on fire, but he didn’t crash and burn either. He completed 60.8 percent of his passes, a number that should rise as he is well-suited for the West Coast Offense the Browns run. They could have added Julio Jones, but opted to trade out of the sixth pick in the draft. They did add Greg Little in the second round, who could end up being one of the best receivers in this class.
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Finally we have the Cincinnati Bengals. Carson Palmer is as good as gone. Whether he is traded, retires, or just sits out the year is the question. Andy Dalton was taken in the second round and he has a good chance to open the season as the starter. Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens are also likely to be gone, but Jerome Simpson came on at the end of the year and they added A.J. Green in the draft. With Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham, Dalton has a good chance to be a solid QB2 as a rookie.
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Also check out:

• AFC East Quarterback Situations

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The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Ravens will likely cut Willis McGahee to cut costs. McGahee could possibly return to the Ravens, but there could be several suitors for the veteran running back. McGahee will be 30 next year, but has not reached 200 carries in a season since 2007. He combined for just 209 carries the past two years.
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The Ravens would love to have him back, as he is a perfect compliment to Ray Rice. However, given the success that LaDainian Tomlinson had last year with the Jets and Thomas Jones has had the past few years, there could be a new home for the former Hurricane.
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One possible option would be a return to Miami if Ronnie Brown and/or Ricky Williams walk. The Eagles could use an upgrade backing up LeSean McCoy. Washington could use running back help. If the Niners don’t bring Brian Westbrook back, McGahee could be an option. The Colts could use him if they don’t bring Joseph Addai back.
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Wherever McGahee lands, he likely won’t make a big fantasy impact as it’s unlikely that he earns a starter role anywhere. Those in touchdown heavy leagues will want to keep an eye on where he lands.

Image courtesy of Icon SMI
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Having players go in the Thursday night games gives you a little bit of advantage. If your players do good, you can perhaps be a little more cautions with your team. If your players did not put up good numbers, perhaps you will want to take a bigger risk hoping for a bigger reward to make up for it. You also get a feel for your lineup depending on how your opponents players did.
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With the first Thursday night game in the books, let’s take a look at the fantasy ramifications.
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Quarterbacks:  Both Matt Ryan (316 yards, 3 TDs) and Joe Flacco (209 yards, 3 TDs, INT) had productive games. Flacco’s lack of yardage and INT give him a slightly above average score. I wouldn’t change anything based on his performance.  Meanwhile Matty Ice put up a monster game. Depending on what your opponent is throwing at you, you may want to go with some safer picks rather than trying to hit a home run with a sleeper.
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Running Backs:  If you started Michael Turner (39 yards), you’re in a bit of a bind. He did not produce . You probably weren’t banking on a big game against the Ravens, but this score was just brutal. I can see taking a risk somewhere trying to make up the points. If by some chance you had Jason Snelling (67 total yards, TD) in your lineup, kudos to you. Ray Rice (102 total yards) had a typical day. Nice yardage numbers, but he failed to reach the end zone. Don’t make any drastic roster changes based on his performance. If you took a shot on McGahee (4 total yards), my condolences.