Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Rich Arleo       

- Edited by Marc Caviglia     

What many consider the best weekend in football is upon us. The Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs begins Saturday and some great matchups are ahead. There are still some big time runners alive and well in the playoffs, and the Bruno Boys Divisional Round Running Back Rankings takes a close look at how they should fare this weekend.

::RANKINGS UPDATED AS OF JANUARY 9, 2013::

 
1. Marshawn Lynch (Seattle Seahawks) @ Atlanta

Lynch continued to prove he is as close to unstoppable as a back can be right now with another stellar performance. He ran for 132 yards and a score against a good Washington run defense Sunday night; a performance that marked his fifth straight 100-yard game dating back to Week 14 of the regular season. His touchdown was also his 11th in 10 games. Not only is he one of the hottest backs in football, he faces the worst ranked run defense left in Atlanta. The Falcons let opposing backs average 4.8 YPC and 123.2 YPG during the regular season. Lynch did not get a chance to go Beast Mode against Atlanta this season, but he will be able to this weekend.
Point Projection: 19 points

2. Arian Foster (Houston Texans) @ New England

The vegan was hungry on Saturday, and the Texans were happy to feed him. Foster finished with 140 yards and a score on 32 carries to go along with 34 yards on eight catches. Foster is one of the few backs that will ever see 40 touches in one game, which is much of the reason he is such a valuable fantasy back. In their last matchup against New England, Foster struggled a bit with just 46 yards on 15 carries, but he did score and gained 39 yards on four catches as well. The Texans will obviously attack a Patriots secondary that is weaker than their solid run-stopping unit. Either way, Foster will continue to get a ton of work and is one of the better fantasy options out there.
Point Projection: 18 points

3. Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos) vs. Baltimore

After being inactive for eight weeks during the regular season, it looked like Moreno’s time in the NFL was winding down. That all changed, however, when Willis McGahee went down with a big knee injury and the Broncos decided to hand him the keys and give him one last chance. Moreno finally proved he could actually get it done in the NFL, compiling just under 700 combo yards in only six games to close out the season. Despite playing in only eight games all year, Moreno did get a shot at Baltimore earlier and ran well with 115 yards and a score on 21 carries. He is also a big threat as a receiver, and while Ray Lewis’ presence is clearly a boost for the Ravens defense, they still aren’t as great as they once were and Moreno will look to take advantage of that.
Point Projection: 17 points

4. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Green Bay

A lightened load worked to the benefit of the veteran Gore this season as he finished with 1,214 yards and eight touchdowns with a 4.7 YPC average. He isn’t the same threat as a receiver he used to be, but he can still do some damage catching the ball out of the backfield. All the way back in Week 1, Gore ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries against Green Bay. He will probably see more work than that this week and having a lot of time off should be beneficial. Expect him to get the job done this weekend.
Point Projection: 16 points

5. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) @ Denver

After not losing one fumble all season, Rice lost two in the team’s Wild Card matchup against Indianapolis and he lost carries as a result. He did have a big 47-yard reception that was stopped just short of the end zone, however, and was efficient on the ground with 70 yards on just 15 carries. Don’t expect Rice to lose his starting job all of a sudden because of two fumbles, but Bernard Pierce should continue to be heavily involved in the offense; plus Vonta Leach is always there to possibly vulture more goal line scores. Denver is unfortunately a very tough matchup for Rice and he was able to manage only 38 yards on 12 carries against them just weeks ago. On the season, Denver held opposing runners to 3.6 YPC and 91.1 YPG. With the difficult matchup and other factors, Rice may struggle a bit to have a big game. Nonetheless, he is still one of the more talented backs left standing and will get his work.
Point Projection: 14 points

6. Stevan Ridley (New England Patriots) vs. Houston

In his second year in the league, Ridley broke out and was able to run for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns for New England. He isn’t a receiver, but a good runner with a nose for the end zone seeing around 18-19 carries per game. Sure some other backs are used occasionally, but Ridley is the workhorse and will see his typical workload against Houston. A few weeks back Ridley scored and gained 72 yards on 18 carries against the Texans, and that’s something he can certainly do again this weekend.
Point Projection: 14 points

7. DuJuan Harris (Green Bay Packers) @ San Francisco

As many expected, Harris was the lead back to open up the playoffs for the Packers and showed why with some explosiveness, especially through the air. After seeing an increase in work the final three weeks of the season, he led the Pack with 47 yards and a score on the ground and 53 yards on five catches. All signs point to him seeing the bulk of the work yet again against San Francisco, which is a difficult test for any back. The Niners allowed just 3.7 YPC and 94.2 YPG on the ground this season, so Harris is likely going to have to do some damage through the air again in order to have a big game.  He is the best option in Green Bay right now for both the Packers and fantasy owners.
Point Projection: 9 points

8. Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Seattle

Turner wound up with a pretty disappointing season yardage-wise, but he was still able to score 11 times. While he isn’t going to rack up yards against a very good Seattle run defense, he is always a touchdown threat. The Burner could provide some value in daily leagues this weekend as long as he can break the plane; just don’t expect a huge game.
Point Projection: 9 points

9. Bernard Pierce (Baltimore Ravens) @ Denver

Pierce was heavily involved in the offense this past week and with reason. After a solid season as a backup to Rice, Pierce made his playoff debut in a big way with 103 yards on 13 carries; just two less than his counterpart. He saw an uptick in carries thanks to two fumbles by Rice, but with the way he’s running he’ll continue to see his fair share of carries. The matchup is a tough one for any back, but if Rice struggles again Pierce could step up.
Point Projection: 6 points

10. Jacquizz Rodgers(Atlanta Falcons) vs. Seattle

Rodgers showed promise at times this season but didn’t get a lot of carries late in the year. He did record eight catches in Week 17 and should see at least 10 touches this weekend, but it’s tough to say how effective he’ll be against a good Seattle defense.
Point Projection: 6 points

11. Danny Woodhead (New England Patriots) vs. Houston

Woodhead’s usage was all over the place this season and a bit unpredictable, but he did finish with just fewer than 750 combo yards; averaging 4.0 YPC and 11.2 yards per catch. There’s a chance he may not be part of the game plan versus Houston, however, as he touched the ball just three times a few weeks ago against them. If you’re looking for a cheap option in daily leagues this weekend, there’s always a chance he can get you value but it’s far from a guarantee.
Point Projection: 4 points

12. LaMichael James (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Green Bay

Due to injuries, James has become the back to spell Gore and he did a nice job in that role to end the season. Expect around seven or eight carries for him.
Point Projection: 4 points

13. Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) @ San Francisco

Grant could muster up just seven yards on seven carries with a 16-yard catch for the Packers against Minnesota. He has taken a backseat to Harris and is going to have to do better than that to see more carries. Considering his situation and the matchup, Grant is not someone to start.
Point Projection: 2 points

14. Robert Turbin (Seattle Seahawks) @ Atlanta

Turbin continues to get occasional carries but nothing fantasy worthy. He’s a backup behind a great back that just doesn’t tough the ball enough.
Point Projection: 2 points

15. Ben Tate (Houston Texans) @ New England

Tate was an afterthought in the Texans offense this weekend with only two carries. Don’t expect him to see much more work as long as Foster is running.
Point Projection: 2 points

16. Lance Ball (Denver Broncos) vs. Baltimore

It was Ball who was the beneficiary of a Ronnie Hillman fumble in Week 17 and will likely back up Moreno in the team’s Divisional Round matchup with Baltimore. Moreno is going to get much of the work, so don’t expect a lot from Ball.
Point Projection: 2 points

17. Ronnie Hillman (Denver Broncos) vs. Baltimore

Hillman’s Week 17 fumble may have entrenched him as the third back on the team behind Lance Ball. Denver won’t trust him with much, if any work.
Point Projection: 1 point

18. Vonta Leach (Baltimore Ravens) @ Denver

The big man had just one touchdown all season, but he reminded everyone that he’s an option near the goal line by punching in a two-yard run against Indianapolis. Against a team that gave up just five rushing touchdowns all season, the odds of him scoring again are slim.
Point Projection: 1 point

19. Jason Snelling (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Seattle

Snelling doesn’t get many carries but will catch a pass or two…that’s about it.
Point Projection: 1 point

20. Justin Forsett (Houston Texans) @ New England

Forsett did not see a touch in their opening round game and likely won’t see anything this weekend.
Point Projection: 1 point

21. Brandon Bolden (New England Patriots) vs. Houston

Bolden looked good early in the year before a suspension slowed him down. He saw some work late in Week 17 but he won’t see more than a handful of carries this week.
Point Projection: 1 point

DIVISIONAL ROUND RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to view)