LestersLegends.com

Pierre Thomas has been a trendy pick in fantasy football leagues this year.  The hype train has finally let Reggie Bush off.  Pierre Thomas is the more complete Running Back and will take the lion’s share of the carries as well as the goal line duties.  He has bulked up to handle the beating that 100+ additional carries will bring.  He gave a glimpse of what he can do with regular touches last year in Weeks 11-16 when he averaged 112.83 yards (79.16 rushing) on 15.5 carries and 3.2 receptions with 9 TDs.  Reggie will still get his touches, but Pierre is clearly the feature back.

That doesn’t mean that Reggie Bush should be an afterthought.  If he can stay healthy, he is still one of the most explosive players in the league.  He will likely have more receiving yards than rushing yards.  He should have 70+ receptions to lead all Running Backs.  He will add a Punt Return for TD if he is given the opportunity, though at this point I would take that duty away for his health’s sake. 

In an offense like the Saints have matchups are almost irrelevant, but I’ll point out his favorable matchups against Detroit (Week 1) and St. Louis (Week 10) and his challenging ones against Philly (Week 2), the Giants (Week 6), Carolina (Week 9), New England (Week 12), and Washington (Week 13).  Their fantasy playoff schedule is Atlanta, Dallas, and Tampa Bay, which is fairly difficult.

Pierre Thomas will likely go in the second or third round in your fantasy draft.  I expect him to be very productive with 1400+ total yards and 10+ TDs.  Meanwhile, Reggie Bush should have around 1100 total yards (400 rushing, 700 receiving) with 8 total TDs.  Bush will be drafted in the third or fourth round, with a significant bump in PPR leagues.

Images courtesy of Icon SMI

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Well, Marshawn Lynch’s three-games suspension was upheld so you’re looking at 12 games of fantasy production from Beast Mode.  The good news is he’ll be there at the end of the season when it counts the most.  The suspension should drop him in drafts to at least the third round so he could end up being a great value.  There are some major concerns with Lynch though, other than the suspension.  The offseason addition of Dominic Rhodes means that the Bills will have three capable RBs, along with Fred Jackson.  While Lynch should remain the lead back, clearly the other two will cut into his production.  As long as he gets the ball at the stripe, he should be fine.  That’s where the other problem lies.  The Bills also added Terrell Owens, who puts up TDs in a hurry.  If Lynch is sharing his yardage with Jackson and Rhodes and TDs with T.O., that diminishes his fantasy value dramatically.

Lynch misses one of the Bills’ best matchups in Week 3 when they face New Orleans.  Playing in the AFC East he has a pretty tough schedule.  They also draw Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, and Jacksonville.  They open the fantasy playoffs with a favorable matchup against Kansas City, followed by New England and Atlanta.

The odds seem to be stacked against Lynch this year.  He’s missing three games, will share yards and TDs, and if he messes up one more time, he’ll be done for the year.  Plus, if Buffalo is successful without him, they may ease him back to the rotation slowly.  He’s a tough one to put numbers to, but I’m guessing he has 1000 total yards and 6 TDs.

ESPN is reporting that the Buffalo Bills signed RB Fred Jackson to a contract extension.  Jackson is easily one of the best Running Backs in the league.  He ran for 571 yards and 3 TDs on 130 carries (4.4 ypc) and show his versatility by catching 37 passes for an additional 317 yards.  He started in place of Marshawn Lynch in Week 17 and rolled up 136 yards on New England. 

Buffalo also signed Dominic Rhodes recently, giving them one of the deepest RB sets in the league.  Marshawn Lynch will miss the first three games due to suspension against New England, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans.  Before the Rhodes signing, Jackson had decent fantasy value as the primary handcuff to a guy one misstep away from a year-long ban.  Even if Lynch were to mess up again, the best Jackson could hope for is a shared load with Rhodes.  With three solid backs and the addition of T.O. in the passing game, I’m afraid all Buffalo RBs will suffer in 2009.

J.D., a young Bleacher Report writer and creator of The Sports Report with J.D., contacted me to see if I wanted to post some of his articles on the site.  Always looking to encourage an aspiring writer, I agreed.   J.D. discusses the Bills signing of Dominic Rhodes

According to an NFL.com report, the Bills have agreed to a two-year deal with Dominic Rhodes.  With Marshawn Lynch facing a three-game suspension, they Bills needed to add depth at running back, especially with Fred Jackson skipping workouts because he’d like his contract reworked.  Xavier Omon was slated to be the primary backup during Lynch’s suspension.  Rhodes can take over that role.

Rhodes told Sirius Radio that he would like to start against the New England Patriots in the season-opener.  He has handled the load in Indianapolis, so you never know, Rhodes could be a starter.  Rhodes is very confident he can contribute.  “They’re looking for big production out of me,” Rhodes said. “I am ready.”  I’m sure he is.

When Lynch returns the Bills will have a three-back rotation of Lynch, Jackson, and Rhodes.  In a very competitive AFC East, the trio of capable backs is a good thing.  Rhodes is very confident.

Rhodes was a backup to Joseph Addai last year, but did start four games.  He had 538 rushing yards on 152 attempts (3.5 ypc) with six TDs.  He added 45 receptions for 302 yards and three more scores. 

He isn’t the long-term answer as turned thirty earlier this year.  However, if Lynch messes up again, the Bills won’t miss much of a beat.  Fred Jackson will either agree to a long-term deal or he will get into camp.  That much I’m convinced of.  He won’t miss his three-game opportunity to audition for a starter job next year. 

As for the Colts they will likely draft a Running Back to add to the mix of Lance Ball and Mike Hart backing up Joseph Addai.