Dynasty Shopping Mall - Week 16

Posted 12/19 by Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Just like any other shopping mall, this will have different products at different levels of quality and price. We will shop around at different stores like Bloomingdales, Macy's, Sears, even the Dollar Store and look for products to buy. The focus will be on value. Many times the expensive products are worth the price. Some times they are not. We will examine opportunities to buy at a reasonable price compared to value. The products we are purchasing are fantasy players for our dynasty team.

This is the point of the season when the trade deadline has passed in most leagues. We are examining players to acquire that should be worth more in the offseason or next year. These are players to stash as free chances that could strike gold. The opportunity will mostly come from a potential change in situation. It happens every year. A player has changes teams and goes from worthless to very worthwhile. Chester Taylor is a prime example. So are Wes Welker and Sammy Morris for this past season. There is a long list of players that fit this description. A savvy dynasty owner could easily have picked up Welker at the end of last season and had a viable fantasy starter for free.

We now only have two short weeks left in the fantasy season. This week, we will examine some running backs that should be on the waiver wire in most leagues. Next week will focus on wide receivers that all should be available in most leagues.

Kenny Irons

The former Auburn Tiger had high expectations after being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played well in preseason before injuring his knee and was lost for the season. Irons had an up and down college career. His strengths are quickness at the line of scrimmage to make defenders miss and find the opening in the defense. He has good vision and balance, which is key for backs to be successful.

Outlook: The Bengals have now twice drafted running backs in an attempt to eventually replace Rudi Johnson. Chris Perry has disappointed due to his long list of injuries. With Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey playing well, the Bengals have good depth at the running back position. This might surprise many, but there is a chance that Rudi Johnson plays for another team in 2008. It would be ironic to see one former Auburn back replace another, especially after the way the Bengals let Corey Dillon go unceremoniously. Rudi Johnson has touched the ball over 1500 times in what equates to about five full seasons. That is a ton of touches in a short amount of time.
Store: Dollar Store
Price: 2008 3rd round rookie pick or Waiver Wire
Recommendation: Buy if you have the space. Many fantasy owners are impatient and will drop Irons. He has not been heard from in a long time and could be a good NFL back at a cheap price.

Maurice Morris

The former second round pick from Oregon seems like he has been around for a long time. But, the 5'11, 202-pound back is just 28 years old. While carrying the load last season in Alexander's absence, Morris only averaged 3.8 yards per rush and 4.2 yards per reception. Those numbers are horrible. The Seattle running game used to be feared. Now it is in shambles. The offensive line is not opening the types of holes it once did.

Outlook: The Seattle Seahawks will probably draft a back in the 2008 NFL Draft or sign a high-profile free agent. It is doubtful that the Seahawks will go into the 2008 season with just Leonard Weaver and Maurice Morris behind Alexander, if he is even back in Seattle. The former Duck is known for his receiving ability, but still only has 43 receptions in his 84-game career. Maurice Morris is under contract through the end of the 2008 season. By that time, he will be 29 years old.
Store: Dollar Store
Price: Waiver Wire
Recommendation: Let someone else roster Maurice Morris. He has the look of a career backup, with little upside.

Chris Perry

The former Michigan Wolverine has been plagued by injuries for most of his career. He has shown promise but seems to be battling a new injury every year. With Rudi Johnson getting older, and his large career workload, the Bengals anticipate replacing Johnson soon. This season, the Bengals drafted Kenny Irons to possibly be the heir apparent to the starting running back job. But, he was injured in preseason. This makes the second time the Bengals drafted a back early in the draft to replace or diminish the role of Rudi Johnson. Perry was drafted with the 26th pick of the first round, but has failed to live up to the lofty expectations. The 25 year old has only appeared in 22 games through his young career.

Outlook: Chris Perry has only rushed the ball 73 times, along with 63 receptions, in his career. He has been plagued by injury almost every single year. It seems as though the Bengals will bring Perry back in 2008 to compete for playing time. But, it is difficult to get excited about a player who has failed to impress for so long.
Store: Dollar Store
Price: Waiver Wire
Recommendation: Pass. Let someone else roster the walking MASH unit. Chris Perry has had enough leg injuries in his career to make the Bengals and fantasy owners leery of relying on him again.

Michael Bennett

The 29-year old has battled injuries throughout his career as well. The former first round pick from Wisconsin has only played in all 16 games of a season twice in his first six seasons in the NFL. The former Badger relies on his speed for the big play. Before the trade deadline this season, the former Viking was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then, Bennett has been a disappointment. He has been slow to pick up Gruden's offense. If he had stayed in Kansas City, Michael Bennett would have been the starting ball carrier after the Larry Johnson injury. At least until he, too, was injured. Michael Bennett is not a ball carrier to carry the load. He is at best a change of pace runner at this time in his career.

Outlook: Bennett will probably not be with the Buccaneers in 2008. Yes, they traded for him, but he has been a disappointment and has had difficulty picking up the offense. With 800 career carries, and a 4.4 career yards per carry average, another team will take a chance on the aging speedster. But, he will be 30 years old before the start of the 2008 season.
Store: Dollar Store
Price: 2008 3rd round pick or a good prospect
Recommendation: Let someone else waste the roster spot on the former Viking and Chief. He seems to not be the running back we all remember.

Mike Bell

Mike Bell exploded onto the scene as a rookie in 2006. He is a tough runner and produced good fantasy numbers for owners. But the question the production came from his ability or the Bronco running system. The 2007 season has been a disaster for the former Arizona Wildcat. The Broncos brought in Travis Henry to be the primary ball carrier. Rookie Selvin Young has emerged. Andre Hall has played well given the opportunity. And, now Bell is playing mostly fullback when he is not the third or fourth team running back. His one recent carry was a fumble, so he saw no action after that play. Mike Bell has a whopping six carries for three yards this season.

Outlook: Many do not expect Mike Bell to be a Bronco in 2008. He should be traded or released. There were rumors of the Broncos trading him last offseason. Mike Bell finished the 2007 season as the 30th ranked fantasy running back in just 15 games. The former undrafted rookie from Arizona could be a decent pickup for another NFL team.
Store: Dollar Store
Price: Waiver Wire
Recommendation: Mike Bell is not a bad player to stash on your bench for the offseason. He could be released or traded this offseason and end up in a good situation. He is a player I will look to roster in leagues I have extra roster space.

Darren Sproles

The former Kansas State Wildcat has run well in limited opportunity. He is short in stature, but is stronger than he looks. The diminutive ball carrier has strong legs and explosive speed. He is a threat returning kicks for the Chargers. The 24 year old was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. He only has four rushes and three receptions through the first twelve games of the season. The third string ball carrier has a stocky build at 5'7, 180 pounds. In last week's game, Sproles saw extended action against the hapless Detroit Lions. With the game out of hand, and Michael Turned nicked up, the third year pro carried the ball 25 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He showed his ability with a great game. This outing might be enough for the Chargers to go into the 2008 season with just Sproles as the primary backup ball carrier.

Outlook: With Michael Turner probably leaving San Diego this offseason, Sproles has a real chance to be the primary backup to LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson has avoided injuries during his career, but the large number of carries throughout his career is a concern. But, it is a big unknown if the Chargers are willing to let a player with just 18 touches in his first 27 games of his career be the only other running back on the roster.
Store: Dollar Store
Price: 2008 3rd round rookie pick or possibly the Waiver Wire.
Recommendation: Buy if you have the roster space and can wait until the offseason to see how the situation plays out. In deeper leagues, Sproles is definitely worth the chance.

It is recommended that fantasy owners monitor the situations of Mike Bell and Kenny Irons. These two running backs could be starting in 2008. With this week covering waiver wire running backs, below are some that were not covered, but are worth mentioning:

Michael Pittman - back from injury, but is versatile and offers depth
Tyson Thompson - RB3 in Dallas and could benefit if Dallas does not replace Julius
Jerome Harrison - Great receiver and who knows about the 2008 primary RB for Browns
Maurice Hicks - Plays behind Frank Gore and is versatile.
Ahmad Bradshaw - Bradshaw is next in line with the injuries in New York.