Faceoff - RB Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys

Posted 6/24, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Jeff Tefertiller

Marion Barber is an underrated player coming into the 2009 season. After the departure of Julius Jones last offseason, Barber was given a heavier workload in hopes that he could be the primary back. It did not work out as planned. He played injured for most of the season, and had a career-low yard-per-carry average. Barber is a versatile player that is a tough runner in short yardage as well as a good receiver.

With the strong play of Tashard Choice last season and the high expectations on Felix Jones, many fantasy owners are discounting the impact of Marion Barber. His average ranking from the Footballguys.com staff is RB14. Many are worried about a decreased workload, one where Choice and Jones play big parts in the Dallas offense. Well, that could happen, but Barber would still be worth well more than where he is currently being ranked and drafted. In 2006, Barber finished as the RB14 with only 135 carries. In 2007, he finished as the RB7 with only 204 carries. Last season, Marion Barber ended the injury-plagued season as RB16. With Barber's effectiveness at the goal line, fantasy owners should expect Marion Barber to continue to score touchdowns, which accounts for the strong fantasy seasons.

The Dallas Cowboy offense will rely heavily on the running game with release of Terrell Owens. Wade Phillips has indicated the team's desire to run the ball early and often. The loss of Owens will allow for more goal line opportunities for the bruising runner.

There will be plenty of carries for Marion Barber without any concern for the roles Felix Jones and Tashard Choice might play in the Dallas offense. In each of Barber's four season's in the NFL, the Cowboys have had fewer rushing attempts than the season before. But, it has not stopped him from being a strong fantasy back the last three seasons. Below are the team and individual rushing attempts during Barber's four seasons in Dallas.

Considering that Marion Barber has finished as RB16 or better the last three seasons with such a small percentage of the team's carries, it is reasonable to think that he can once again finish as a Top 10 fantasy back with his share of the team's increased number of carries. Barber will need less than half of the Cowboys' team carries to be productive as long as he is featured in short yardage.

Marion Barber is very durable. He plays through injuries. He has missed a total of one game the last three seasons. Fantasy owners should expect a healthy Marion Barber to bounce back and have a productive season. It will not take much for him to duplicate the 2007 statistics.

Downside - by Jason Wood

I've long been a fan of Marion Barber, and was among the first to champion him when too many people were looking at Julius Jones as the nominal 'starter.' He rewarded that faith with a seventh-place finish in 2007, with 12 touchdowns and nearly 1,300 yards from scrimmage.

But a lot has changed since then, not the least of which is the presence of Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones couldn't resist drafting Jones early in the 2008 draft. The speedy burner from his alma mater was expected to be the dynamic, open-field playmaker set to complement the rugged, effective interior game Barber provides. Jones didn't disappoint, but did hurt his toe in the sixth game of the season. He'll be back at full speed this season, and his owner/GM expects him to "have his touches to the ball upped significantly."

The world expected Jones to share the backfield with Barber last year, but no one saw Choice coming. After Jones got hurt last year, Choice started late in the season and averaged an impressive 5.1 yards per rush. The Cowboys now know, for a fact, that three RBs on the roster can make a difference. It's hard to imagine the coaching staff will give anyone the vast majority of the touches under the circumstance.

Will Barber be the lead back? That should be the case. But we can't ignore Barber's decline last season. It would be one thing if his 3.7 yards-per-rush average was indicative of poor run blocking by the Cowboys offensive line, yet Choice averaged more than five yards while Jones averaged an astounding 8.9 yards.

The league is trending more toward a committee system, meaning fewer fantasy RBs are surefire workhorses. But if you're going to draft a runner in the first round, he better be projected to shoulder the load.

As if that weren't reason enough to view Barber cautiously, remember the Cowboys lost Terrell Owens in the offseason and have major question mark at receiver. The lack of a true difference maker in the receiver corps will inevitably allow opposing defenses a chance to play the run. How will Barber and his cohorts handle consistent eight-man fronts?

Barber is talented, and doesn't need 20 carries a game to be a fantasy starter. But with two proven, explosive options behind him and a coaching staff that seems willing to balance the workload, Barber is being given too much credit right now.