Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Bengals RB Situation

So yeah, the Cincinnati Bengals RB situation is a complete mess right now. Here's how I break down the candidates...very literally in the case of Rudi Johnson.

Rudi Johnson - After bursting onto the scene in 2003 when Corey Dillon dealt with various injuries, Rudi Johnson was one of FF's most productive RBs between 2004 and 2006, going over 1400 total yards with 12 TDs each season. 3 straight seasons of 350+ touches caught up to Rudi last year as he was hampered by a hamstring injury that bothered from from week 3 onwards. That hamstring injury has continued to be a problem this preseason, and now there's rumors of him being traded. Given what little he's shown since the start of last season, it's hard to imagine a team giving up anything for him. Don't bother drafting him as he won't be on the Bengals final roster.

Kenny Watson - Watson had 4 games with 19+ carries last year, totaling 417 rushing yards, 84 receiving yards, and 5 total TDs in those 4 games. Like Rudi, Watson isn't a flashy runner, but he's powerful and drives through tacklers. Unlike Rudi, Watson is very proficient in the passing game as a legit threat coming out of the backfield. Watson is worth drafting in the last couple rounds as a RB5. You might wonder why Watson isn't handed the starting gig, which brings me to....

Chris Perry - I watched Chris Perry run at Michigan, and the only thing that has ever held him back at any level has been his injuries. He's a talented, well-rounded back who combines speed, power, and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. If he can stay healthy for once, which has only happened once for a 14 game stretch in 2005, he will be a definite fantasy asset this year. He has the perfect skill set for what the Bengals like to do on offense. I would imagine the Bengals will be careful with his workload given his durability concerns, but he should be plenty productive. There's no way you can count on him staying healthy, but he's a very intriguing RB4 selection and should start in week 1.

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