Portis vs. Alexander

[Mookie4ever]

I have seen it time and again people choosing Portis over Alexander and it doesn't make any sense to me. In the FFC cheet sheets Portis is #2 and Alexander is #5.

Alexander is bigger, stronger, has a better track record and is an established system in an explosive offense where he is the the centerpiece.

Portis is smaller and moving to a new team with a poorer offense than Seattle or Denver.

Denver has made stars of Anderson, Davis and Gary - Portis is the product of a great system and has yet to prove that he can do it outside of Denver.

Why should I pick Portis over Alexander?

[Franchise Fan]

I would take Alexander.
You made many good points, and Portis' high ranking is based on his stats from dever and the kids pure talent. But I dont think that he can put up better fantasy numbers than Alexander because the lack of offense in Washington. Defenses will be waiting for Portis to touch the ball, while in Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck's emergence as a quality quarterback will keep defenses back, leaving more room for alexander to run.

[WhiteChocolate]

I have seen it time and again people choosing Portis over Alexander and it doesn't make any sense to me. In the FFC cheet sheets Portis is #2 and Alexander is #5.

Alexander is bigger, stronger, has a better track record and is an established system in an explosive offense where he is the the centerpiece.

Portis is smaller and moving to a new team with a poorer offense than Seattle or Denver.

Denver has made stars of Anderson, Davis and Gary - Portis is the product of a great system and has yet to prove that he can do it outside of Denver.

Why should I pick Portis over Alexander?

The fact that Alexander is bigger and stronger is completely irrelevant, I can name many many backs bigger and stronger then Portis... lets take Jerome Bettis, Ron Dayne or Mike Alstott for example... you also neglected to mention Portis' speed and shiftiness, although theres fast backs in the league, I don't think theres any that can make a cut, or put on their dancing shoes, like Clinton Portis does. Furthermore, I wouldn't say that Washington has a poorer offense then Seattle or Denver, first off we haven't seen them do there thing yet this year, nor do we know what Gibbs has in store, but last time I checked, they have an established Quarterback, a solid line, two extrememly solid receivers who compliment eachother perfectly, and a coach who is willing to feed his Running Back the ball. That running back is Clinton Portis, my opinion is biased somewhat due to being a Clinton fan, and having him on my fantasy team, but I do legitimately think he's a better and more consistent fantasy producer, or at least I feel he has more potential and ability to make him the better fantasy producer. HOWEVER I will admit, even though I believe Portis will be better this season and in seasons to come, if your looking for the less Risky pick, Alexander would probably be your man, cause his situation hasn't changed, and his season is a little more predictable. Clinton for President.

[34=Sweetness]

Alexander can be a bit on the streaky side, which can kill you in weekly H2H games. I would rank Shaun at 5th, behind LT, Priest, Portis, and Green. Id be happy with any of the top 5 though.

[Cornbread Maxwell]

I agree with you Mook. I think Portis is slightly overranked right now. Actually, I dont care which of the 2 I get in a draft, and ideally I just want the 2nd one drafted for value reasons.

As for SA - I think his biggest knock against him is the fact that he has a tendency to disapear a couple games a yr, which has created an inconsistant tag on him.

[CC]

This is easily Portis, easily.

Plus for a dynasty league keep in mind Alexander may not be running behind Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson & Co. and may not be reaping the benefits of a strong offence and a run-oriented red zone coach next year.

BTW, wasn't Priest or LT2 #2 in the FFC Cheat Sheets?

[34=Sweetness]

Ya, why is portis #2? I wouldnt take him over LT or Priest.

[Mookie4ever]

This is easily Portis, easily.

Plus for a dynasty league keep in mind Alexander may not be running behind Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson & Co. and may not be reaping the benefits of a strong offence and a run-oriented red zone coach next year.

BTW, wasn't Priest or LT2 #2 in the FFC Cheat Sheets?

For a single season league - SA is running behind one of the best O-lines with 2 pro-bowlers.

I don't know if my opinion would change that much is it was a keeper league. Portis has never had 300 carries in a season and he takes some big hits. I would like to see how he does in a new system and see that he doesn't loose goaline carries to a bigger back before I use a #2 pick on him.

and yes the cafe cheat sheet has these top 6:

LT
Portis
Priest
Green
SA
Duece

My top 6 are:

LT
Priest
SA
Duece
Green
Portis

[Poobah]

I think in combination scoring league, both Portis and Alexander fall behind Green and McAllister. Not that 5 and 6 respectively are bad places. I'd take any of the 6 (LT/Holmes in the top two obviously) when building a team. In scoring leagues, Alexander would be a spot or two higher. I don't think any of these 6 have been especially overrated or underrated, just rated, according to different criteria and scoring systems. Just personal preference at this level, people.

[CC]

Actually this is the ranking of RB's in the FFC Combined Cheat Sheets.

01) 1, 2, 1954 LaDainian Tomlinson
02) 1, 3, 1912 Priest Holmes
03) 2, 6, 1828 Clinton Portis
04) 3, 5, 1807 Ahman Green
05) 4, 8, 1709 Deuce McAllister
06) 5, 10, 1632 Shaun Alexander

Even though Portis missed a few games last year, he still had better numbers than Alexander, if you want to pass on that, thats your choice.

The thing about Portis is he not only has a great deal more potential than Alexander, he has a better track record as well.