Empty the Bench

You’ll notice three somewhat fantasy-relevant names missing from this week’s running back ranks: Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, and Fred Taylor. They all play for the New England Patriots, and until further notice we can’t necessarily advocate starting any of them. Some backfield platoons can be dealt with, but this is one you shouldn’t want any part of.

Through four games, of this trio only Maroney (10 carries in Week 1) and Taylor (21 carries in Week 3) have had at least 10 carries in a given game. There’s simply no rhyme or reason to this rotation, and it’s been that way in New England for some time now. Sure, you might get lucky here and there, but you can’t feel good about plugging in any one of these backs… especially this week, on the road, against a Denver Broncos rush defense that currently ranks fifth overall in allowing just 77.3 yards per on the ground.

The pass-happy Pats have no reason to change their game plan this week. Even if they did, there’s no reason to think they’ll suddenly lean on one of those guys significantly more than the other two… and again, even if they did, good luck figuring who that guy would be.

Unless you’re simply out of other reasonable options, for now it’s better to avoid this maddening situation altogether.

**UPDATE** Fred Taylor needs ankle surgery, so you can take him out of the equation. Something tells me all this changes, however, is that it’ll now be Kevin Faulk vulturing carries from Maroney and Morris; I’d be surprised if Maroney or Morris emerges as the clear-cut starter, at least until one or the other suffers an injury.

See also:
- Week 5 QB Rankings
- Week 5 WR Ranks
- Week 5 TE Ranks
- Week 5 DEF Ranks

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings @ STL
2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans vs. IND
3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars @ SEA
4. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
5. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
6. Steve Slaton, Houston Texans @ ARZ
7. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers vs. WSH
8. Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons @ SF
9. Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins vs. NYJ
10. Marion Barber, Dallas Cowboys @ KC
11. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants vs. OAK
12. Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions vs. PIT
13. Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills vs. CLE
14. Glen Coffee, San Francisco 49ers vs. ATL
15. Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts @ TEN

Running back rankings 16 through 38, after the jump…

16. Thomas Jones, New York Jets @ MIA
17. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos vs. NE
18. Willis McGahee, Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN
19. Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants vs. OAK
20. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN
21. Julius Jones, Seattle Seahawks vs. JAX
22. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts @ TEN
23. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams vs. MIN
24. Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals vs. HOU
25. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Benglas @ BAL
26. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins @ CAR
27. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills vs. CLE
28. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs vs. DAL
29. Carnell Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs @ PHI
30. James Harrison, Cleveland Browns @ BUF
31. Ricky Williams, Miami Dolphins vs. NYJ
32. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles vs. TB
33. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers vs. WSH
34. Tashard Choice, Dallas Cowboys @ KC
35. Leon Washington, New York Jets @ MIA
36. Mewelde Moore, Pittsburgh Steelers @ DET
37. Chris Wells, Arizona Cardinals vs. HOU
38. Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders @ NYG (You have better options, right?)
39. LenDale White, Tennessee Titans vs. IND

See also:
- Week 5 QB Rankings
- Week 5 WR Ranks
- Week 5 TE Ranks
- Week 5 DEF Ranks

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