Brandon Jacobs?

[gablefan]

I think with his speed he is very easily a prime backup in this league, that could be really good if Tiki went down.

[slowride]

Expect him to get nearly all goalline carries this year for the Giants. Definitely worth a pick.

[LoPan]

So you guys see him as a sort of Michael Turner/Maurice Morris or in other words a quality backup in a proven running system?

No, these guys aren't as familar with the NYG running game. If Tiki went down, BJ would not be the starter. I like him, but he's not about to breakout.

What does their depth chart look like now? I looked a few days ago and he was second in line. Do you think they'd make a trade before they let him start?

[Amazinz]

So you guys see him as a sort of Michael Turner/Maurice Morris or in other words a quality backup in a proven running system?

No, these guys aren't as familar with the NYG running game. If Tiki went down, BJ would not be the starter. I like him, but he's not about to breakout.

What does their depth chart look like now? I looked a few days ago and he was second in line. Do you think they'd make a trade before they let him start?

No offense intended to Twisted but he is wrong. Jacobs is the primary backup and barring some unusual circumstances would be the #1 if Tiki were to get hurt. The only RB who even had a remote chance was Derrick Ward and he has a broken foot!

[JakeTrain72]

After watching him help my Salukis in football, I can say that he is probably not going to be the next Larry Johnson. He is strong and once he is more comfortable with the system and blocking schemes he will be a great between the tackles type of runner. He doesn't have the same burst of the elite guys but is tough to bring down and does a good job at following his blocks. If he can improve his quickness and agility over the next year or so he might be a solid starting RB in the NFL. But I am guessing he ends up being a productive backup for many years.

He will vulture plenty of TDs.

I see Tiki doing less and Jacobs doing more in his soph campaign. I fear Tiki will not reach 10 TDs including reception TDs and Jacobs becomes a Stephen Davis type of back for the Gmen.

[thursday_13]

The gold standard for a fantasy football back is a guy who will break 1,000 yards and score 10 TD's. Those are numbers that make you at least a 2nd round back.

Can Brandon Jacobs do that? Of course. Tiki Barber is a solid running back, but he put up 1,860 yards last year in the Giant's system. And improved passing game form a more mature Eli will help even more. Barber isn't exactly Ladanian Tomlinson. He isn't big, he isn't speedy, and he isn't powerful. Why wouldn't a power running back (6'4", 260 lbs) handle a 250 carry workload and bust 1,000 yards? I find difficulty agreeing with any past criticism, particularly those who fail to remember that Jacobs was the third head in that Auburn backfield back in 2003.

Yes, that's right, in that backfield there was Jacons, Carnell Williams, and Ronnie Brown. Take note that in 2003, Jacobs was the #2 rusher. I take that at face value. Jacobs is just as good as Williams and Brown. Which should be inticing considering how good those two already are. (Lets not forget just how talented SEC running backs tend to be, I think there was a great article at ESPN.com about that a while back.)

Furthermore, consider the huge injury risk Tiki is at right now. I want all of you to check the numbers, look at running backs who have run 1700 yards in a season. Look at what happened to a majority of them the next year to two years. {Terrell Davis, Jamal Anderson, Jamal Lewis, Curtis Martin, ahman Green}; every one of those guys experienced a huge drop off the following year. Going back and looking at the top 20 single season running performances, there was an average dropoff of 1300 yards the next year. (I have the numbers to back that up, I'll e-mail it to anyone who doesn't believe me). Tiki is almost likely to experience a huge dropoff.

Also, Barber has already openly stated that he has no desire to run as much as he did last year, yeilding not only goal line carries (and you can count on those) but late game carries. And Anquan Boldin owners out there will attest that late game numbers count just as much as the early game stuff.

I say that if you are looking for a fantastic later round prospect, Jacobs is one of the best. Think about it. Tiki is risky. There is no one else on the depth chart, and the running system has been sucessful. If I put odds on Jacobs to be a top ten running back this year, I'd go as far as saying it's 2-5. That's pretty good odds.

[moochman]

That's a hell of a post Thursday13. I agree with much of what you said, but comparing Jacobs to Caddy and Brown is unfair. He is a different back then they. More of a workhorse who will be hard pressed to total the yardage that those two would. He will, and I think this season, be a TD vulture supreme. I could see Jacobs ending up with 10+ TDs and 300-400 yard this year. If Tiki stays healthy.

If Tiki is gone the VaGiants might not see the redzone as much and Jacobs could actually score less.

[Amazinz]

I think that Jacobs could have success but unless there is an injury to Tiki it will hinge first and foremost on his ability to pick up the blitz. Secondly, just introducing Jacobs into the Giants running game does not equal instant success. The Giants running attack is dominant because of Tiki, not the other way around. Tiki is not speedy? My eyes are bleeding. Tiki is an elite back. I can't believe some people still do not believe that.

[thursday_13]

If Tiki stays healthy, I will agree that Jacobs yards are very limited. 350-450 yards seems likely. I am not 100% of the TD's, though. I can see him pulling down 10, easily. A good tool to estimate his TD's is to look at the average number of rushing TD's a team has scored in the past, and what the coach tends to dish out. In the case of the Giants, there are potentially 18-20 rushing TD's out there.


With tiki experiencing a lesser role, assuming it's not preseason BS we have all come to love, Jacobs will be getting even more red zone carries, and not just goal line stuff. I think he'll have at least 8, but potentially he could get 14-15.

Now, if Tiki goes down, Jacobs looks to me like a 1,100 yards back, with 13 TD's.

[Kensat30]

Brandon Jacobs has one of the biggest upsides, if not THE biggest upside for a guy you can get into the 14th-16th round range. If I'm a Tiki Barber this year, I make damn sure Jacobs is on my roster. New York is one of the most explosive offensive teams in the NFL right now IMO, it's a great place for a fantasy RB to call home.