Rotoprofessor’s Pop Quiz: Preseason Hero, But Is Anthony Dixon A Sleeper Sensation?
Written by Eric Stashin of www.rotoprofessor.com
When Glen Coffee suddenly retired, it looked like the 49ers would be left with little behind star running back Frank Gore. Less then three weeks later, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Not only did they bring Brian Westbrook into the mix, but sixth round pick Anthony Dixon has emerged from obscurity. While a lot of his impressive preseason statistics came against marginal NFL players, at best, it still is hard to overlook.
He led the NFL with 300 rushing yards (Michael Bennett was second with 236). He led the NFL with four rushing touchdowns.
Then again, he had 20 more carries then any other running back, at 74. When you have that big of a lead in carries, it’s easy to out rush the competition by such a great margin.
Despite coach Mike Singleton telling Comcast Sports Net California that, “When you have a guy like that, there’s going to be a role”, it’s impossible to think the role is going to be anything too special at this point.
With the options that the team has in front of him, it’s going to take a lot for Dixon to get regular touches. Granted, Westbrook certainly is an injury risk, but even if he were the primary understudy to Gore would you expect him to develop into usability?
Gore has played in 14 or more games each of the past four years, only once having less then 1,100 yards during that span (1,036 in 2008). He’s a workhorse, and should remain to be the main man in San Francisco.
Coffee, as the primary backup to Gore in 2009, got just 83 carries for 226 yards and a touchdown (plus 11 catches for 76 yards).
An impressive preseason is nice, but Dixon just isn’t likely to make an impact in 2010. Don’t bother getting caught up in any attention he may be receiving. There are much better options that should be available to you.
Keep an eye on him, just in case, but there certainly is no reason to be making a move right now.
What are your thoughts of Dixon? Is there any chance he develops into a usable option in 2010? Why or why not?
Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s 2010 rankings:
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