Ronnie Brown has agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers and will act as Ryan Mathews backup in 2012.
The Brown signing is a good one for the Chargers as it gives them a competent every-down back to both spell Mathews and act as a possible injury replacement.
The two backs are very similar in skill set so we do not expect Brown to cut into Mathews projected workload too much this season.
Fantasy Impact:
Ronnie Brown: Ronnie Brown was brought into be a pure bakcup and is no threat to Mathews; starting job. Brown is still a good talent however and is a must have handcuff who will flirt with RB2 value if Mathews ever goes down with an injury.
Ryan Mathews: Ryan Mathews was projected as a top-5 back by many outlets before this signing and many are still bullish on him despite Brown’s addition. We have currently knocked Brown down to 8th behind a slew of backs that have proven consistency and upside. Mathews remains a RB1 despite the addition of Brown.
Philip Rivers: This moves ensures the Chargers have an effective rushing attack even when Mathews is not on the field, something which will help keep opposing defenses honest. Rivers is projected as a low-end QB1 after losing V-Jax and this move helps to solidify that ranking.
Floyd, Royal, Brown: This move is good news for the receivers on this team as it ensures that the Chargers will still have a credible ground game in the eventuality that Ryan Mathews succumbs to injury and is forced to miss games this season. This move does not affect any of their fantasy values.
