Faceoff - RB Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants

Posted 6/7, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Sigmund Bloom

Maybe it's because he's not a rookie. Maybe it's because he doesn't look or run like a traditional feature back. Whatever the reason, Brandon Jacobs is falling to the fourth round in the RB crazed world of fantasy football. The bottom line is that he's a talented young back who will be given the opportunity to seize a larger role, with the bust-proof assurance of being the go-to guy every time his team gets the ball inside the 10. His upside more than offsets the risk that he wears down or just doesn't work as a feature back.

This offseason, Tiki Barber rode off into the sunset on the peacock of NBC Sports. Brandon Jacobs became the only back on the roster that had played a significant role in the past. Surely the Giants would make a big trade or free agency signing or invest a valuable draft pick to replace Barber. Instead, they traded disappointing WR Tim Carter to Cleveland for Reuben Droughns (the quintessential average back) and spent a seventh-round pick on troubled jitterbug Ahmad Bradshaw. Droughns is a fine backup, but he's not the kind of back that demands more touches with explosive play. Bradshaw is strictly a change of pace back. If you read between the lines, the Giants gave Jacobs a vote of confidence by not aggressively addressing the position in the offseason. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has expressed some concern that Jacobs' upright running style will open him to more hits and wearing down, but he wouldn't be worried about that unless Jacobs role was greatly increasing.

We know the Giants want the bruising Jacobs to step up and be "the man" for them in the running game, but what can he do with that opportunity? He's a punishing back who delivers the blow more often than he absorbs it. He's never had a chance to wear down defenses by giving them the task of bringing him down 20-25 times a game. He's hard to tackle high or low, and he often drags tacklers a few yards before he goes down. He's not just a battering ram, either. The team plans on giving him touches in Barber's old stretch play, and Jacobs has also showed good hands for a behemoth power back. Jacobs has speed to turn those touches in space into big plays.

Jacobs is a risk/reward pick, and you might have to eschew a top tier QB or good #2 WR to get him, but he's worth the venture. Jacobs shouldn't kill you in any given week because he'll get all the TD opportunities on the ground. Combine his TDs, big play potential, and chances to be the ball control back in wins, and he could break into the top 10-15 RBs. Laurence Maroney and Joseph Addai are going in the first with similar opportunity, and they haven't proven much more than Jacobs. The Giants have faith in Jacobs to step up his game, and fantasy owners with that share that faith could reap huge rewards this year.

Downside - by Cecil Lammey

Brandon Jacobs has patiently been waiting to get his shot at the starting gig in New York. When Tiki Barber retired, many felt that Jacobs would finally get a chance to prove himself as a feature back. The Giants may have felt differently because not only did they bring in Reuben Droughns, but they also draft Ahmad Bradshaw to compete for playing time.

With two years in the NFL under his belt, Jacobs looks to take the next step from spot duty to featured role. His 16 TDs in two seasons certainly is impressive, and last year Jacobs seemed to run with more conviction. In his rookie season he was brought in at the goalline and did an admirable job. However, there was nothing outside of the tackles, and he wasn't a threat to break any big plays. All that changed last year, and Jacobs looked like an absolute beast at times. So with all this momentum, why will Jacobs fail to live up to expectations?

There are many different answers to that question, but the first thing that could interfere is what makes Jacobs the battering ram that he is. It's his size. He is a monster back, measuring 6'4 and 260 lbs. He delivers a lot of punishment, but he is so big that it is easier to get a big shot on him. He takes many hits because of his style of play -- he will not shy away from contact. While this is very respectable, it is also something that can lead to an increased chance of injury.

Next up is his running style. He is NOT Jerome Bettis. Why does every big back get compared to the Bus? He has more breakaway speed than Jerome ever did, but there are two differences that are much bigger. Pad level, and footwork. Jacobs runs extremely high for a big man, which exposes the mid section of his body to more punishment. He is very tough to bring down with a head of steam, but he doesn't run behind his pads when running through trash at the line of scrimmage and thus is easier to tackle. His footwork is good, but not great. He's not Bettis, but he's not Ron Dayne either. He's shown good footspeed and good initial burst, but his change of direction skills leave some to be desired. Again, big target that runs high and is easy to get a bead on = a greater risk for injury.

I believe that Jacobs will be a rancor at the goalline and continue to make his name in the end zone. I just don't believe that his role will increase that much with the team. Droughns and Bradshaw will take up some playing time. And even if Jacobs is the feature back, it remains to be seen if he can stay healthy for a full 16 games. The Giants RB situation is very cloudy right now and looks to be some form of RBBC, so proceed with caution.