This Years Clinton Portis

[dgroundhog_ffc]

It took what....all of 3 days for Hearst to hold off Barlow for the starting nod? That has to hurt Barlow's value, and barring Hearst injury he's not at all Portis-ish this year.


49ers: Hearst holding off Barlow

by Fanball Staff - Fanball.com
Monday, July 28, 2003

News
According to the Associated Press, both Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow have looked good in training camp. It appears as if Hearst will be the starter once again, but Barlow's role will increase. "Right now, we're just going to continue where it left off,'' Niners running backs coach Tim Lappano said. "But we're definitely going to get Kevan in the football game a little bit more. He needs a few more touches than he had a year ago, and we'll see what happens. He's definitely a playmaker, and you've got to get your best guys the ball."

Views
Sadly, it sounds like one of them has to get hurt for this backfield to style fantasy owners. Obviously, we aren't cheering for that, so all we can tell you is to prioritize other teams when looking for a running back. All that said, Barlow is a nice sleeper.

[Rodge]

I agree with what the Guru said about Kevan Barlow. SF is a running-back-by-committee team and Barlow simply is not going to produce good fantasy stats. I also think that Onterrio Smith is going to be a HUGE bust this year. Everyone seems to be jumping on the Smith bandwagon. I really believe that Doug Chapman will end up starting. Mike Tice has already hinted towards that. Even if Smith does start, the Vikes may use a running back-by-committee approach (a fantasy football nightmare). Also, remember that Moe Williams scored 11 td's last year, so he may get all the goal line carries again this year.

One of my sleeper RBs this year is Correll Buckhalter. This guy should take over Duce Staley's job as the starter. I plan on drafting Buckhalter real late, but with plenty of RBs in front of him on the depth chart. He is a risk that could pay off with big rewards.

I also think that Charles Rogers could have a decent season. Even the rookie WR numbers are against him, he will be the Lion's go to receiver.