Offseason RB Moves

This post will be updated throughout the offseason as more RBs find news homes. Please let me know if I have forgotten any big moves.

Travis Henry to Denver

The RB move of the offseason right here. Travis Henry goes from being a nice little piece in Tennessee when he was healthy enough to play, to a potential top 5 fantasy RB. I know its been a couple of years since we have seen this out of Denver, but I think this will be the year. The reason is, that in the past Denver has built via the draft at RB, often with late round draft picks. When you sign a guy like Henry, to the deal he got, you don't do it to dink around with the guy, like Shanahan did to the Bell Brothers last year. Henry will be the unquestioned starter in Denver, which if he can remain healthy (and unfortunately that is a huge if), he will be a top 5 fantasy back in the coming year. That is huge for Peter as he had Henry on a 1 year .50 deal.

Willis McGahee to Baltimore

I'm not sure what to think of this move. I have McGahee on one of those ideal contracts just over the line of avoiding holding out. Of course, this won't matter if McGahee never reaches the top 10 of RBs again. My gut is that the move to Baltimore will be a good one. The rushing offense was not great there last year, but perhaps that's because it was based on the aged legs of J. Lewis and M. Anderson. I think that McGahee will help turn things around with his young and talented legs, and will be just good enough to sneak into the bottom half of the top 10 RBs this year.

Ahman Green to Houston

I think this is a nice move for Green, if for no other reason than a change of scenery. While Houston RBs did not produce well last year, D. Williams (Davis) proved that a back with some talent can produce good numbers in this offense. With Gary Kubiak in town, there is a lot of potential for a RB to perform well, however Green turned 30 in February and has already started to develop a bit of an injury history. My prediction...Green finishes in the top 20. He will perform as a top 10 back when healthy, but will not play a 16 game season.

Thomas Jones to the Jets

This move seems to be a lateral one at best for Jones. Jones was clearly the better back in Chicago and was getting plenty of playing time in that offense because of it. He will also clearly be the starter for the Jets, but their ability to run the ball, whether because of the skill of the offensive line, or the tougher competition in the AFC East, is much diminished from what Jones enjoyed with the Bears. I look for Jones to be a solid #3 back, but in Chicago he had a decent chance at breaking the top 20. This will open the door for Benson in Chicago. Look for Benson to have similar stats to what Jones had a year ago. (1200-1300 Rushing yards and 6-8 TDs)

Jamal Lewis to Cleveland

Is Jamal Lewis even relevant anymore? He could not get anything going in Baltimore last year (25th ranked run offense), and now he moves to Cleveland which had the second worst rushing offense last year. On top of that, all indications seem to be that J. Lewis is only around for a year to help break in A. Peterson, who all the pundits are predicting the Browns will take with the 3rd overall pick. If J. Lewis breaks the top 30 in fantasy backs next season I will be surprised.

Dominic Rhodes to Oakland

This one hurt me a bit. I have Rhodes on my team, for a cheap deal, so I was hoping he might land in one of the multiple open RB situations currently in the league (Tennessee, Green Bay, Buffalo). Shoot I would have even been happy if he landed with the Gents (NYG), so I would have already had the backup for Jacobs on board, but no he heads to Oakland. Even if he was the undisputed #1 in Oakland, I'm not sure that he would have enough opportunity in that offense to make the top 20. With L. Jordan already on board, D. Rhodes is irrelevant. He is a backup on a horrible team, and doesn't deserve a space on a fantasy team anymore.

Reuben Droughns to the Gents

Well I have to admit I was relieved about this signing by the Giants. With all the talk of them getting a RB to play alongside Jacobs, I was really concerned about the hit that might come to Jacobs' value. However, Droughns has to be the back that had the least talent of all the options available in the market. Look for Droughns to fade into oblivion in New York, and look for Jacobs to benefit.

Tatum Bell to Detroit

Ah, my hometown Lions, making an idiot move once again. Don't get me wrong, I think Tatum Bell can help this team in the short term, especially with Kevin Jones' injury that will keep him out half the year or more, but long-term this makes no sense at all. They will only end up with a RB "controversy" when Jones' gets healthy, and what is the point in improving your team for the short term when you are as horrible as the Lions are. Just admit that you aren't going to make any noise this coming season, trade Bly for a piece that will help you long-term and lose as many games as possible so you can pick high again in '08. (You know you are cheering for the wrong football team, when you are already looking ahead to the '08 NFL draft). Anyway, I think this move is a lateral one for T. Bell. His upside was a lot higher in Denver, as opposed to Detroit (which had the worst rushing offense last year). However, he will get a lot more consistent looks out of this offense, than under Shanahan, who would pull him after the slightest sign of fatigue or after the first fumble. In Detroit, Bell will be the man, and if he catches any balls as K. Jones did, I think he can be a top 20 back.