LestersLegends.com

I’ve been invited to participate in Fantasy Trader’s fantasy football roundtable.

This week’s topic:
Which Cowboys RB will present the most value at fantasy drafts in 2010?

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My response:
This is a little bit of a trick question. I’m expecting Felix Jones to be drafted higher than Marion Barber III, who will be selected higher than Tashard Choice. Clearly I am expecting Felix Jones to be the most productive of the Cowboys’ RBs. That isn’t the question though.

The question is which one will present the most value. I actually think that honor belongs to Tashard Choice. Marion Barber will likely be the short yardage back. Choice will likely be the one to spell Jones when he needs a breather. I also think if Felix Jones were to get hurt, Choice would be the one to replace him as lead back.

Barber still has some name value, and the potential to score double-digit TDs, so I expect him to be the second Cowboy off the board. Since his role seems to most in question, I think he’s the worst value of the three.

Felix Jones will be the first one off the board, but given the committee he’s in, I don’t see him standing out from the crowd of similar picks.

Choice, however, will be a late flier that could end up producing like an RB2. While I would rather have Felix Jones on my roster, I think Tashard Choice presents the best fantasy value of the three Cowboy RBs.

Marshawn Lynch has served his suspension and should give the Bills a much needed shot in the arm.  With Beast Mode back on the field, perhaps Trent Edwards will be more likely to take some shots down field to Terrell Owens and Lee Evans.  Lynch’s return diminishes Fred Jackson‘s fantasy value, but he still should be useful as a bye week fill-in or flex player.

The Cowboys Running Back injuries continue as Felix Jones suffered a knee injury in last night’s win over Carolina.  He is expected to miss a couple of games.  Marion Barber III will likely reclaim his starting role, but look for Tashard Choice to get plenty of action.  If MB3 is active, feel free to use him.  Choice isn’t a bad flex play against Denver this week.

The Times-Picayune is reporting that New Orleans Saints RB Mike Bell could miss 3-4 weeks with his sprained knee.  Mike Bell, the Saints, and team doctors have not commented on Bell’s status for this weekend’s game, let alone his status a month from now.

The timetable is roughly that of Pierre Thomas.  The problem, though, is you’re not comparing apples to apples.  First of all, everyone recovers at a different pace.  Second, the extent of the injuries likely isn’t the same.

It’s all speculation at this point.  Take the Cowboys for example.  Marion Barber was slated to miss a week or two and he participates in practice the next two days.  What’s worse is you can’t even count on the injury report because team’s can list someone on the report every week (ahem Tom Brady) or they can choose not to list them (ahem Brett Favre).

The odds of Bell playing this weekend are slim.  Looking any further gets hazy.  We’ll have to see if he can practice.  Unless you are a game-changer like Brian Westbrook, practice is required to play.  Mike Bell is solid, but Westy he is not.  The Saints have an explosive passing game and Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush have proven capable of getting the job done out of the backfield.  The Saints are so confident in their system that Lynell Hamilton could be called upon this weekend.

I urge you not to overreact and drop Mike Bell until further information is revealed.  You can pick up Hamilton if have someone expendable, but check on Thomas’ status before you decide to plug him in on Sunday.  The same goes for the Cowboys situation.  You can plug in Felix Jones since he should produce whether MB3 plays or not, but do not use Tashard Choice, even in a flex spot, if Barber is going to play.  They don’t go until Monday so you’ll have to make that decision on Sunday.  When in doubt, I would lean towards using another option.

Going forward you’re likely to hear more injury timetables without the proper verification.  I’m not saying they are wrong, but I just caution you to make any rash decisions until all of the facts are revealed.

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

NBC’s Dallas Affiliate is reporting that Marion Barber III will miss this week’s game against Carolina and possibly next week’s game against Denver with a quad injury.  Dallas has as much depth as anyone in the league at Running Back with Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, which softens the blow of MB3′s loss.  Felix Jones looked great in the Cowboys’ loss to the Giants on Sunday Night, and makes a nice RB2/Flex option against 27th ranked run defense.  Jason Witten also gets a bump in value as he could be looked to if the Cowboys struggle in the red zone without their goal line Back.