LestersLegends.com » Ronnie Brown

The Dolphins made big noise this offseason by landing Brandon Marshall. He has a chance to have the biggest impact of any player switching teams for the 2010 season.

Fantasy Playoffs Schedule:  Favorable
Sure the take on the Jets in Week 14, but if you can survive that game, it’s smooth sailing. They finish with two home games against the Bills and the Lions.

Five Star Fantasy Options
Brandon Marshall – Some people don’t care for Marshall, but they most likely haven’t been a Marshall owner the past three years. The Broncos switched from Jay Cutler to Kyle Orton and he didn’t miss a beat. Chad Henne has a big arm, and could lead Marshall to another monster year.

Four Star Fantasy Options
None

Three Star Fantasy Options
Chad Henne – Henne was solid in his first NFL action this year, and with new weapon Brandon Marshall at his disposal, Henne has a chance of being a low end QB1 or a solid QB2.

Ronnie Brown – I’m a bigger fan in Brown than most. He is a super talented RB. His main problem is staying healthy. When he plays, he’s quite effective. Right now I consider him a low end RB2 or a high end RB3.

Two Star Fantasy Options
Ricky Williams – I’m loving the resurgence of Ricky’s career. He had 1121 yards and 11 TDs last year. He is 33 so don’t get too excited. He’s still the backup RB when Ronnie Brown is healthy. That said he’s a decent source for RB depth.

Davone Bess – He’s going to catch a lot of passes, so he should definitely be on the radar for those in PPR leagues. In standard leagues he’s nothing more than bench depth.

Dolphins Defense/Special Teams – Right off the bat I can tell you I like the fantasy playoffs matchup.They also play the Bills in Week 1, Raiders in Week 12, and Cleveland in Week 13. Fortunately their second meeting with New England is in Week 17.

One Star Fantasy Options
Greg Camarillo – He has great hands, but given the priority of the running game, along with Marshall and Bess, I’m not too concerned about losing out on Camarillo.

Brian Hartline – He’ll need an injury along the way to become fantasy relevant.

Anthony Fasano – He caught just 31 passes for 339 yards and a pair of scores. This after posting a line of 34-454-7. He’s a backup/spot starter at best.

Click here for additional 2010 NFL Team Previews.

NFL Week 10: Injuries Galore

16 November 2009

It seemed the chic thing to do this weekend was get hurt. Here’s an early look at how some of the trendiest players have responded the morning after.

It sounds like Cedric Benson (hip) will be able to play this weekend, which is great news for Benson owners because he faces Oakland, Cleveland, and Detroit over the next three weeks. Look for Bernard Scott to get plenty of action as well as the Bengals put a hurtin’ on these floor mats. How crazy is it that the Bengals could easily be 10-2 when they face the Vikings in Week 14. 11-1 if the Broncos didn’t win on that miracle tip in Week 1.

Speaking of the Bengals, Larry Johnson is rumored to be signing with them as an insurance policy. Character isn’t their bag so he shouldn’t have a problem with the team or the fans. It remains to be seen if he has anything left in the tank.

Ronnie Brown most likely would miss a game this week if the Dolphins played on Sunday, so the fact that they play on Thursday all but seals that fate. At least you don’t have to worry about the dreaded game-time decision.

Julius Jones is bleeding in his lung, which sounds extremely painful. That injury should cost him a couple of games. Justin Forsett will fill the void, though I expect the Seahawks to be pass happy.

The NFL.com is reporting that Kyle Orton will give it a go this week despite his ankle injury. While this is good news for Brandon Marshall owners, I’d cancel the victory parade. Orton will likely be limited, and San Diego is tough against the pass.

Michael Turner suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss at least a couple weeks. Turner was in the midst of a phenomenal season. There is no replacing his production. You have to hope you had early success or this injury could derail your fantasy season.

Brian Westbrook suffered another concussion in the Eagles’ loss to San Diego. At this point in the year, I’d say it’s safe to cut bait on Westy and go in a different direction. I don’t see him playing any time soon.

Obviously the combo of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams put on a show tonight, but there were a couple of other surprising performances.

No, I’m not talking about Ted Ginn, Jr. actually holding onto the football.  I’m not talking about the gutsy use of Pat White late in the game.  I’m talking about Chad Henne and Braylon Edwards.

Chad Henne had an outstanding game completing 20 of 26 passes (76.9%) for 241 yards and 2 TDs.  He was decisive.  He showed good poise, a strong arm, and good touch.  If he is available in 2 QB leagues, be sure to put in a claim for him.  He looked that good.

The Jets got an encouraging sign in the debut of Braylon Edwards.  He caught 4 passes for 64 yards and a TD.  He nearly had a second score, getting tackled on the 1.  He also drew a pass interference on a deep ball that set up Thomas Jones’ second TD.  If you have Edwards on your fantasy roster, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that he’s on a team with a pulse.

Ronnie Brown Wildcat
Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Ronnie Brown set the NFL ablaze with his role in the Wildcat Formation.  Most have Ronnie rated a bit lower, partly because four of his 10 rushing TDs came in a 38-13 drubbing of the Patriots (he threw the other TD).  His workload was kept light with just 214 carries as he recovered from a knee injury.  He still managed to gain 916 yards on the ground and 254 yards on 33 receptions.  Prior to his knee injury in 2007 he was putting together a monster year (991 yards, 5 TDs in seven games) despite playing on a terrible team.  The team has improved dramatically and he should be back to full strength.  Ricky Williams turned 32 in May, and it’s a fair assumption that his 160 carries will be reduced slightly in 2009.  With the addition of Pat White, it’s unlikely Ronnie plays the lead role in the Wildcat Formation, but he’ll still get plenty of touches.

The Dolphins schedule is tougher than last year.  They face an improved Jets D twice, the Patriots, Tampa, Carolina, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh (though it’s in Week 17).  His fantasy playoff schedule consist of games against Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Houston.  Not ideal, but his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield help his cause.  Ronnie will likely go somewhere in the second round.  He could slip to the third round in smaller leagues.  I’m looking for him to produce about 1400 total yards and 9 TDs.

This is my preseason top ten.

Click here for my Midseason revised rankings.

Click here for my Second Half rankings.

adrian-peterson
1.  Adrian Peterson – All Day led the league in rushing and scored double-digit TDs again.  Sure, the loss of Matt Birk will hurt, but Peterson shouldn’t miss a beat.  He’s looking to add some muscle mass this offseason without losing any speed.  A bigger AP with the same speed and quickness.  Scary.

2.  Michael Turner – Burner Turner did not disappoint in his first shot as the feature back.  He struggled early against good defenses, but scored in seven of his last eight games.  As Matt Ryan progresses at QB, it will become more difficult to key in on Turner.

3.  Matt Forte - I love Forte’s versatility.  As a rookie he had the third most receiving yards for a Running Back.  Second if you discount Kevin Faulk, who isn’t a feature back.  He had 1715 total yards and 12 combined TDs.  Even if he has a 10% Sophomore slump dip in production, he’d still be good for over 1500 total yards and 10-11 TDs.

4.  Maurice Jones-Drew – With Fred Taylor heading to New England, MJD should be huge in 2009.  He’s always good for 400+ receiving yards and double-digit TDs.  Give him 300-320 carries and you could be looking at nearly 2000 total yards and 15+ TDs.

5.  Ronnie Brown - Last year Ronnie had 214 carries to Ricky Williams’ 160.  I think the split will be even more in Ronnie’s favor next year.  With Ronnie another year removed from his knee injury, he should be closer to the 2007 back that had 991 total yards and five combined TDs in seven games.

lt
6.  LaDainian Tomlinson - LT battled through a variety of ailments last year and still managed to produce 1536 total yards and 12 combined TDs.  Not only do I think he’ll be healthy in ’09, I think he will be motivated.  I don’t see pre-2008 LT, but a better version that last year’s model.

7.  Clinton Portis – CP was severely overworked last year, but he still remains on the right side of 30. I see him producing similar numbers next year, only spaced out a whole lot better.  Jim Zorn will do a better job managing Portis’ carries so he doesn’t wear down at the end of the year.

8.  Brandon Jacobs - You would think Derrick Ward’s departure to Tampa Bay would have a significant impact on Jacobs’ value.  I don’t think so.  Ahmad Bradshaw will likely pick up most of the slack. As long as Jacobs can stay healthy, there isn’t any reason he couldn’t run for 1200+ yards and scored 18+ TDs.

9.  DeAngelo Williams – You must think I’m crazy putting D-Will this low after leading all RBs in scoring last year.  I’m sorry, but I don’t see another 1700 total yards from him.  Furthermore, there is little to no chance he approaches 20 TDs again.  Jonathan Stewart played a major role last year, and I think the split will be a little closer to 50/50 this year.

10.  Steven Jackson - Steven Jackson’s strong finish (637 total yards and 4 combined TDs in his last five games) is sticking in my mind more than the most forgettable 19 games he had in 2007 and the first part of 2008.  If he can stay healthy he has a chance to leapfrog several of the guys above him.  I haven’t completely forgotten though, which is why he’s in the ten spot.

Images courtesy of Icon SMI


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