Wisconsin Rapids Bro League
Bro...
Where have all the elite running backs gone? NFL football has always been headed in this direction of passing-friendly offenses. With the link between concussions and running plays seemingly making CTE more prevalent among running backs, this is kind of what the NFL has wanted for a while but even with all of that... Where are the elite pass-catching running backs? Week 1 saw Jonathan Taylor play like RB1 and Saquonathon Barkley Jr. III show us that he's still got "it" after multiple leg and hammy injuries. Week 2 was a step back to more pedestrian numbers from less exhaustive workloads. In Taylor's case, the game script fully got away from the All-Bro RB with the Colts looking absolutely lifeless in a 24-0 loss in Jacksonville. Is Matt Ryan really this washed or do they just not have any depth beyond injured wideouts Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce? Either way, Taylor still wasn't getting the looks in the passing game that a runner of his quality should be getting in 1-on-1 coverage where one juke could gain him ten yards. For Barkley, the risk still seems superior to that of the reward for his efforts aren't always backed up by his offensive line or game script thanks to the continued struggles and genuinely underwhelming ceiling of QB Daniel Jones. Saquon's 24 touches this week only produced 21.6 FEWER points than his 24 touches in week one. It's not like the Panthers' defense is terrifying opponents out here. So far, I'd say the one running back to show up in both weeks has been Detroit Lion (of all teams!) D'Andre Swift. A third-year running back out of Georgia that racked up 16.7 on a lowly SEVEN touches, Swift is in a clear time-share with a more classic goal-line back in Jamaal Williams, who doesn't see enough touches (on a team that historically doesn't see the end zone too often) to warrant a start in an 8-team fantasy league. It's a really dire situation in the Bro League where whether one stocked up on as many running backs as possible early on (like myself with CMac, Zeke and King Henry) or went with the more modernized zero-RB approach (perhaps waiting to draft leftovers like Cordarrelle Patterson, Rashaad Penny and Miles Sanders), nobody seems 100% pleased with their situation at that position. Maybe Alvin Kamara and James Conner just need to get healthy or maybe we need to switch to a 1-RB, 3-WR, 1 or 2-flex lineup structure.
Mitch Stringer - USA TODAY Sports
Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle has scored 12.1 points more than any WRBL Running Back, ranking fourth of the five receivers able to claim their superiority over current RB1 Saquon Barkley.
This early-season positional discrepancy is a perfect transition to the much-delayed WRBL All-Time Points Leaderboard I meant to share prior to the 2022 kickoff. Keep in mind that all stats among those on the following leaderboards are from the 2015 season through the 2021 season. I also have the owner of said players during their most productive season listed in parentheses.
Official WRBL Standings
 |
| NFL.com Benchwarmer of the Week: RB Nick Chubb (Stoltzya's Electric Orcas) |
No comments:
Post a Comment