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Spotlight - RB Ladell Betts, Washington Redskins

Posted on 8/6, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Jason Wood's Thoughts

At some point last year, you could just hear John Fogerty wailing, "PUT ME IN COACH, I"M READY TO PLAY!" as Ladell Betts ran wild over opposing defenses in place of the injured Clinton Portis. The 6th year veteran was a reliable but infrequently used backup until last season.

Once Betts became the workhorse last year (In Week 11), he was nothing short of a beast:

• 163 carries
• 791 yards
• 4.9 yards per rush
• 23 receptions
• 214 yards receiving
• 4 TDs
• 6th-best fantasy running back

And perhaps as impressively, Betts was consistently productive (following a 7-carry start in Week 11 versus Tampa Bay):

• Six consecutive 20+ carry games
• Five consecutive 100+ yard rushing games
• Six consecutive 100+ yards from scrimmage games
• TDs in three of the last five games

Just for fun, here is what Betts' numbers would look like if you prorate his final six weeks over a full season:

• 416 carries
• 2,061 yards rushing
• 8 rushing TDs
• 61 receptions
• 443 yards receiving
• 3 receiving TDs

Needless to say, Betts isn't going to rush for 2,000 yards with or without Portis in the same backfield. But it does illustrate that he's not your typical backup. Combine his performance with the injury issues that Portis has endured (he's missing training camp practices as I type this), and I think a lot of people misunderstand just how balanced this workload is going to be. The days when Portis logs 300+ carries and Betts sees 80 or fewer are LONG gone in my estimation.

Worst case, Betts is a solid late round handcuff who gives you 600+ yards and a handful of TDs; while starting two or three games for a nicked up Portis. Best case, you've got yourself a guy who can put up top-10 rushing numbers should the door open once again.

Positives

• Betts proved he can more than handle a full-time workload last season, logging top-6 fantasy numbers once he became the starter
• Although Portis is a premiere talent and will be the lead horse if healthy, he's already nursing injuries in camp and the coaches appear ready to balance out the carries more this year
• With Jason Campbell likely to improve in his 2nd season under center, expect fewer teams stacking 8-men in the box as was often the case last year

Negatives

• Betts clearly sits behind Portis when both are healthy
• Betts, for all of his yardage production, wasn't a prolific scorer last season
• LT Chris Samuels is injured and the team is breaking in a new left guard to boot, which could cause some inconsistency in the run blocking

Final Thoughts

If winning your fantasy league is about maximizing value, I don't see how you can't focus on Ladell Betts this season. I personally think Clinton Portis is going too early, but even if you disagree, Betts should be on your radar as a handcuff or solid bench player. Of all the backups in the league, few are as known a commodity, and fewer still have a running back in front of them with Portis' injury history.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

nygiants56:
Betts runs for a MINIMUM 232 carries, 1090 yards, 5 tds.

at worst, this is a RBBC situation...

I don't think Portis returns to form. His knee problems will constantly flare up, he'll be last minute scratches before games , he'll constantly wind up on the injury report.

Also, Gibbs is likely to retire (or get fired) at year's end, Al Saunders should be the likely candidate to take over. he loathes Portis, and Betts is his guy..how much faith does he put in Betts this season? does he petition Gibbs to let him use whichever RB he wants? Either way, Gibbs and Saunders might just go with the hot hand, or with what works. Right now, Betts works, Portis doesn't. They had a good thing late last season, and perhaps they want to keep that momentum going, wihtout a flake like Portis, and his antics, getting in the way..

rzrback77:
I drafted Portis in the second round last year and did not handcuff him because I wasn't sure whether I should take Duckett or Betts. I don't think the Redskins trusted Betts and that is why they grabbed Duckett, just in case. I know that there will be others out there that disagree, but I just don't think that Ladell Betts is the player that Portis is. I do think that he is (along with Turner) one of the top handcuffs this year as you know that if Portis goes down, Betts can perform. But, without that Portis injury, I see the Redskins returning to form from 04 and 05, with Betts possibly getting a slight increase in carries.

I'll nudge Betts up to 25% rather than the 20.5% he averaged in 04 and 05. I do not predict a Portis injury, but i do believe that the Redskin rushing game will produce this year regardless. Not sure if I will be able to afford the handcuff at the draft though.

NCJetsFan:
For everyone making projections - how many Total Carries are you predicting for the Skins? That is the real question here, imho.

Is it an uptick in number of carries due to Campbell or does it remain close to the 448 average we have seen these last 2 years? If you are predicting an uptick (which would make sense), I think it is a completely unwise move to expect Portis to grab 300 touches and return to form once again.

With exception to Wood, I feel the FBG projections are very low for Betts right now. There will be 150-180 carries for Betts to have and if you are in a PPR league, there is no reason to expect anything less than 35 receptions.

There is absolutely no reason for the Skins to run Portis in the ground folks. This is a very real 1A-1B RBBC.

Betts is more than just a backup and will give you an excellent flex to rely on.

Ladell Betts Projections