Week 11 Fantasy Q&A Mailbag: My Kingdom For A Running Back!

Q: Is there a Raiders running back worth playing? - Al

A: Short answer “Yes” with an “if”, long answer “No” with a “but”. ‘Yes’, if you also enjoy swinging a hammer at your groin. No, but Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, and Darren McFadden are all guys that I would keep on my bench. Darren McFadden is dangerously close to being one of the biggest running back draft busts in quite some time, though you figure that since he is a high draft pick, the Raiders are probably going to start feeding him more regularly. Bush broke 100 yards last week and Fargas is always the guy you see across the ticker on Sunday as having 150 yards rushing...on your bench. In keeper leagues, you have to hold onto McFadden and hope for the best. Against the Bengals this week, none is a recommended start.

Q: I can add either Sammy Morris or Kevin Faulk for this week. Who do you recommend picking up and would you start them? - Devin

A: Devin, Bill Belichick trusts Kevin Faulk a great deal. After the Laurence Maroney fumble on Sunday night cost the Patriots the game, Maroney is going to be logging some serious doghouse time. Sammy Morris is just about ready to come back so this is terrible timing for Maroney owners. Faulk got 79 yards rushing against the Colts as it was, so this week against the Jets I would think no matter what he will get plenty of touches. Sammy Morris has the potential to take Maroney’s touches, but Faulk is going to be on the field a lot for the stretch run. My gut tells me that Faulk inherits a heavier load this week against the Jets so my advice would be to add him and start him. If you still have room on your bench, Morris is a nice thought.

Q: I got Ladell Betts last week and played him but now Clinton Portis is coming back? What gives? Is there another guy I can catch lightning in a bottle with this week? - Jeff

A: First of all, it is a bit of wordsmanship on Jim Zorn’s part. “Clinton Portis is the starter when he is healthy,” is what they are saying. Clinton has not been healthy all year. The concussion last week gives them a really strong excuse to rest him in the hopes he can actually get healthy and be able to participate in practice. The thing about Portis is that there is always an ego in play. They don’t want to rush him back onto the field both from a healing perspective as well as from a “we have a guy in Ladell Betts we just won with” perspective. So they tell the world that Portis is the starter no matter what and then they go ultra-conservative on their timetable to bring him back. I see Betts as the starter again this week--especially after Brian Westbrook in Philadelphia may have just been knocked out of the league with his second concussion in as many games. As for another backup to look at, Jason Snelling is the obvious choice, but I wonder if he can get the same kind of yards Michael Turner has been getting all year.

Q: Every time I think I have a read on what Arizona is going to do, I get it wrong. I have the famous “handcuffs” with Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower on my bench, but I have been starting the wrong one pretty regularly. Which one do I go with this week? - Todd

A: As much as the insurance of having two guys in the same backfield helps, it can also drive an owner crazy. I know last week Tim Hightower was considered a recommended start by most of the outlets I check (including this one). Sure enough, Wells compiled 85 yards rushing, 32 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns. Hightower still had 15 touches, but they were of a lesser quality. The Cardinals play the Rams this week. In my Start/Sit column on Friday, I have every intention of making Beanie Wells my running back pick. He is hot, he enjoys the freshness of having shared the load through the first 10 weeks, and the Rams give it up like Paris Hilton.