All Faceoffs · Clinton Portis Player Page · WAS Projections · RB Projections · RB Rankings · WAS Team Report
Faceoff - RB Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
Posted 7/29, exclusive to Footballguys.com
Upside - by David Dodds
At an Average Draft Position of RB13 (19th overall), Clinton Portis remains one of the safer bets to out-perform his draft position. Despite the perception that he is had been in the league forever, Portis is just 28 years old. He has finished as a top 11 running back in six of his seven seasons (his lone exception was in 2006 where he was on pace to be in the top 12 before going down to injury).Last season, Portis managed an impressive 4.3 yards per carry in Zorn's new offense. He has minimal competition for carries (Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright have been there a long time and are in a supporting role only).
Through the first 8 games last year, Portis led all backs in rush attempts (187), rush yards (944), yards per carry (5.05) and fantasy points (144). Over the 7 years Portis has been a pro, among running backs only LaDainian Tomlinson has more rushing yards, first downs and fantasy points.
Washington added run-stopper Albert Haynesworth in the offseason. Why is that important? Because Haynesworth stops drives and gives his offense shorter fields. Just look at the success the Tennessee Titans have had the last two seasons Haynesworth was stopping the run. LenDale White and Chris Johnson had career years last year with the great field position and leads to protect. The beneficiary this year will be Clinton Portis. And with an average draft position of RB13, he is exactly the gift you need in the 2nd round to catapult your squad to a championship.
Downside - by Chris Smith
Clinton Portis is going to be a good running back for the Redskins this season. He has proven over the years to be durable, has excellent vision along with a second gear to make a big play out of nothing. If you are asking me whether Portis should be drafted as a fantasy starter this season, the answer is a resounding 'Yes'. However there are reasons to exercise caution in regards to ranking Portis anywhere near the top-five at his position this season which I will breakdown below.Reasons to exercise caution
- Lots of mileage. Aside from a season-ending injury back in 2006 when he missed eight games, Portis has been very durable. However along with that durability has been a lot of touches on the ball. He has had 370 touches in four of the past five seasons and at only 205 pounds, one has to wonder just how much more Portis can handle before his body begins to break down.
- Offensive line depth and age concerns: The Redskins starting unit has plenty of experience and talent but collectively, they are getting quite long in the tooth. In fact, with 48 combined years of experience, it is possible any one or a few of these linemen can begin declining at any point. To go along with the age concern, the depth along the offensive line in Washington is almost non-existent. An injury or perhaps age catching up to a player will really be a problem up front.
- More possible work for veteran RB Ladell Betts: The word out of Redskins camp this off-season is that the club would like to get Betts more touches in 2009, to help extend Portis' season and career. Portis had a disastrous second half last season, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry and scoring a miserable two touchdowns. More work for Betts may cut into Portis' overall production but get him more effective in the 2nd half of the season.
Last Word
Portis will certainly be effective enough to be a very good fantasy starter in 2009. The question is does he belong in the top-six at his position and there are enough caveats to avoid that scenario this season. At only 205 pounds and with the number of touches over his career, he could begin breaking down at any point and perhaps last year's horrible 2nd half already showcased that decline. Use caution when ranking Portis in 2009.