In fantasy football, touchdowns are king. Unlike the other fantasy sports like baseball and basketball, where categories are weighed evenly, you must have players on your team that reach the end zone on a regular basis when playing a standard fantasy football league. A 100-yard game provides less value than a touchdown on a 1-yard carry. So one of the biggest questions that you should ask yourself when devising your pre-draft rankings, is how can I maximize my touchdown output?
Ideally, you end up with the first pick and are blessed with Adrian Peterson. Or you are not far behind and you draft ‘Beast Mode’ in Marshawn Lynch or ‘Muscle Hamster’ in Doug Martin, but the top teams in your league will win because they found touchdowns from players at a discounted rate AKA drafted in the later rounds.
The now widely used term ‘TD Vulture’ is someone whose value is primarily limited to touchdowns and who often score after their teammate and the team’s starting running back has moved the chains all the way down the field inside the 20 yard line. So who are these draft-day gems? Although you could argue that some receivers (especially some Tight Ends) are TD vultures, but this short list will focus on backup running backs.
Mike Tolbert has rushed for at least 7 touchdowns in each of the last 3 seasons. Last year he scored despite only rushing 54 times. Tolbert will be even more under the radar in this year’s draft considering that he has not played a snap in preseason action. He should be ready to go in the season opener and enters a favorable situation in Carolina. According to our friends at FFToolbox, the Carolina Panthers Running Backs will have the 9th most favorable schedule. In terms of the depth chartm Jonathan Stewart will miss at least the first six weeks of the 2013-14 season and incumbent starter DeAngelo Williams has looked mediocore in preseason play. Cam Newton has vowed to stay more in the pocket this year in hopes of limiting his interceptions. Yes, Cam will have a few of the short yardage touchdowns, but on a team with its starting RB on the decline (sorry DeAngelo – your glory days as a fantasy beast are gone), Tolbert should have a near double digital TD season.
Fred Jackson will start the season as C.J. Spiller’s backup on a Buffalo Bills team that will have the 7th easiest schedule for fantasy running backs. with news that C.J. Spiller will finally start the season as the clear-cut full-time starter under a fresh coaching scheme, has skyrocketed him into the first round of fantasy drafts. I agree that Spiller deserves and will receive the bulk of the Bills’ carries this season, but Fred Jackson will still be used in goal-line situations as he is the bigger pound-for-pound back and to keep Spiller fresh for the whole season. ESPN ranks Jackson as the 43rd best running back, so although his touchdowns will not be as plentiful as a Tolbert or Andre Brown, his services can be acquired in the last rounds of a draft.
Andre Brown is backing up second year hype-magnet David Wilson, whom had started last season in New York Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin’s doghouse by fumbling a kickoff in week 1. Last year Andre Brown found the endzone a whopping 8 times despite technically being the 3rd running back on the Giants’ depth chart. With David Wilson being referred to the NFC’s version of C.J. Spiller, it appears that he will be used primarily to move the chains between the 20’s, making Andre Brown the 3rd down back and the RB in goal-line situations. Brown is being severely under-drafted, especially considering that his teammate David Wilson is one-missed block assignment away from landing back in Coach Coughlin’s doghouse. Right now you can get Andre Brown at a backup RB price with an upside of several touchdowns and potential for taking over as the starter.
Other notable backups and potential goal-line vultures include Vick Ballard, Bryce Brown and Shonn Greene all of whom can be taking in the late rounds of fantasy drafts.
Written by Justin Hasan exclusively for WinMyFantasyLeague.com
Comment below or e-mail him at JHas@WinMyFantasyLeague.com
