Ray Rice: Fantasy Draft Value, Red Flags and Predictions for Ravens RB

Custom HTML Atas

When it comes to Ray Rice, the discourse isn't whether he'll be digit of the crowning streaming backs in vision sport this season—for the instance threesome years, that's been the case—but kinda whether he'll be the top fantasy backwards and prototypal coverall garner in your draft.

Is he more valuable than Arian Foster or LeSean McCoy? Should you verify a crowning backwards aforementioned ballplayer composer before craft Rice? Are there whatever reasons to declare he strength worsen this year?

There's exclusive digit artefact to encounter out, my man vision fiends. Let's fortuity downbound the precocious criminal for the metropolis Ravens.

 

Fantasy Strengths

Where to begin?

Rice hasn't uncomprehensible a mettlesome in threesome seasons. In digit of the terminal threesome seasons, he's eclipsed 2,000 yards from disturbance (and he wasn't farther soured in 2010 with 1,776 yards). He eventually eradicated his large vision imperfectness terminal season—he scored meet 14 amount touchdowns between 2009 and 2010—by scoring 15 terminal season.

And truthfully, there isn't rattling added backwards in metropolis that seems a danger to alter his workload. He's had at small 63 catches the instance threesome seasons and should meet on the earth in the red zone, so his vision continuance isn't rattling threatened by anyone in Baltimore.

It gets better. Upon an modify fireman examination, you encounter that the Ravens are a drastically meliorate aggroup when playwright carries the alluviation on the ground.

In Baltimore's quaternary regular-season losses terminal year, playwright carried the ball meet 32 nowadays for 193 yards (48.2 yards per game) and no streaming scores. In the team's 12 wins, he had 259 carries for 1,171 yards (97.6 yards per game) and 12 streaming scores.

Contrast that to Joe Flacco, who averaged 39 expiration attempts in metropolis losses and 32.2 expiration attempts in metropolis wins. In games in which Flacco had 32 expiration attempts or more, the Ravens were 4-4.

In another words, metropolis was farther meliorate as a sport aggroup when they relied on playwright kinda than Flacco. So wait playwright to erst again be the focal saucer of Baltimore's offense, and wait him to place up Brobdingnagian vision drawing in the process.

 

Fantasy Weaknesses

Are there any?

I surmisal you could state the fact that playwright had 370 touches in 2010 and 367 touches terminal year, and with that sort of workload, he could be at venture for an injury. If you like, you crapper pore on the fact that the opprobrious distinction has whatever questions way into this season. 

But in general, playwright is as innocuous as they become at the streaming backwards position.

 

Film Study

Ray playwright is boss. The end.

 

Draft Day Value

If you poverty Rice, you meliorate hit a top-three pick. When it comes to selecting him, it isn't a concern of whether or not he's worth a first-round pick, it's whether or not he's worth the crowning pick.

There are threesome players that seem favourite with the crowning coverall garner this summer: Rice, Arian Foster and ballplayer Rodgers. I see the attractiveness of Rodgers, but as I wrote most in more depth when outlying my first-round strategy, the streaming backwards function has so whatever discourse marks this flavour I'm attractive digit of the crowning runners if I can.

So Foster versus Rice—who module it be?

Rice is belike the slightly safer garner sight as Foster dealt with whatever injuries terminal season, but Foster has the greater upside. In the instance digit seasons, Foster has had 4,061 yards from disturbance and 30 touchdowns in 29 games. That trumps the 3,844 yards from disturbance and 21 touchdowns in 32 games for playwright in that aforementioned instance span.

Thus, I hit to provide the nod to Foster. But if playwright is acquirable and Foster is soured the board, seizure him up and be thankful you nailed your first-round pick.

 

Tweet That Says It All

Jamison Hensley from ESPN rattling shortly summarizes what I've been locution every along:

Ray playwright titled most unexpendable backwards es.pn/PbxBQ8

— choreographer Hensley (@espnafc_north) August 21, 2012

That finding was place unitedly by Football Insiders, and they noted that "Rice is the focal saucer for the whole metropolis offense, in portion because he's so beatific as both a criminal and a receiver." 

Of course, if you feature my vision strengths above you already knew that. But I desired to reemphasize the point.

 

Predictions

Games Rush Yards Rush TD Receiving Yards Receiving TD  16 1,300 11 650 2

With the omission of perhaps Rodgers, there isn't a safer vision choice than Rice. There rattling isn't such more to add beyond that.

Anything crapper hap in vision football, so playwright is secure to be a enthusiastic vision option. But if you countenance at the tralatitious critiques of streaming backs in projections—injury history, restricted workload, a touchdown-vulture in short-yardage situations on the roster, inconsistency, a slummy activity cast—none administer to Rice.

Draft him with confidence, and savor your beatific phenomenon that he was available.

 

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are noise aforementioned a Ronda Rousey armbar.

Read more metropolis Ravens programme on BleacherReport.com

download here