Moreno moves closer to playing Week 13 against the Chiefs
The Denver Broncos had all their active players practicing on Thanksgiving, including starting running back Knowshon Moreno. After Moreno bruised his ankle late in the Broncos overtime loss to the Patriots last week, his status has been in question. Now back at practice, the Broncos are hoping he’ll be ready to go on Sunday in possibly their most decisive game of the season against the Chiefs.
To put it elegantly, Moreno is a very talented running back. Best described though, Moreno is an absolute beast. He runs like he has the biggest possible chip on his shoulder. On top of great vision in the hole and ability to execute, he punishes defenders at the end of every run. There’s no doubt he’ll keep up that style of play this Sunday.
In their Week 12 loss to the Patriots, Moreno kept the Broncos alive until the very end. While quarterback Peyton Manning only threw for 150 yards, Moreno ran for 224 yards and a touchdown on 37 attempts. His longest run was only 18 yards, further enforcing his nearly unbelievable durability.
Just as Moreno’s efforts carried the Broncos last week, they’ll need a similar performance against the Chiefs resilient defense this week. With defensive leaders Tamba Hali and Justin Houston banged up, the Broncos will look to move the ball on the ground. If Moreno is as healthy as he claims to be, he’s one running back you can’t afford to sit in your fantasy league.
Moreno moves closer to playing Week 13 against the Chiefs
The Denver Broncos had all their active players practicing on Thanksgiving, including starting running back Knowshon Moreno. After Moreno bruised his ankle late in the Broncos overtime loss to the Patriots last week, his status has been in question. Now back at practice, the Broncos are hoping he’ll be ready to go on Sunday in possibly their most decisive game of the season against the Chiefs.
To put it elegantly, Moreno is a very talented running back. Best described though, Moreno is an absolute beast. He runs like he has the biggest possible chip on his shoulder. On top of great vision in the hole and ability to execute, he punishes defenders at the end of every run. There’s no doubt he’ll keep up that style of play this Sunday.
In their Week 12 loss to the Patriots, Moreno kept the Broncos alive until the very end. While quarterback Peyton Manning only threw for 150 yards, Moreno ran for 224 yards and a touchdown on 37 attempts. His longest run was only 18 yards, further enforcing his nearly unbelievable durability.
Just as Moreno’s efforts carried the Broncos last week, they’ll need a similar performance against the Chiefs resilient defense this week. With defensive leaders Tamba Hali and Justin Houston banged up, the Broncos will look to move the ball on the ground. If Moreno is as healthy as he claims to be, he’s one running back you can’t afford to sit in your fantasy league.
Bell has a shot at a solid game this week against the Bears
It’s time to make a move. There is a good chance that a group of teams is bunched near the top of your league. There is also a good chance some teams may already be in preparation for next season. Here’s hoping you are in that conglomerate near the top, but even if you are somewhere in the middle, there’s an opportunity to change that. Now is the point in the year to separate from the pack and solidify your spot as a playoff team.
With nine weeks gone by, some running back situations are becoming clearer. Zac Stacy is the obvious go to back in St. Louis. While Rashard Mendenhall is supposedly on his way back, Andre Ellington has proven that if the Cardinals want to win, they better give him the rock. And Eddie Lacy is running over defenders like a dump truck in Green Bay.
Other situations remain murky. Can Knowshon Moreno maintain his stranglehold as Denver’s main tailback during the meat of their schedule? Will Cincinnati realize that more Gio Bernard touches are good?
There isn’t a lot of time left to make sure you’ve got a shot to come out on top. Hopefully you have someone like Stacy or Ellington. But, even if you don’t, or are still looking for someone to start this Sunday, here are some sleepers for Week 10.
Tashard Choice (BUF)
The Bills operate a two-back system, and those two back’s last names are Jackson and Spiller. Furthermore, it seems that both are getting healthier each week (even if Spiller’s ankle isn’t at 100 percent). However, Choice may become a factor because of what is going on for Buffalo at quarterback. Yes, EJ Manuel will play for the first time since getting injured in Week 5, but they haven’t had much luck with the position all year.
If Jeff Tuel was half-competent, they would have beaten the Chiefs last week, and just because Manuel is coming back, doesn’t mean that he will be full-strength.
Plus, it seems prudent for the Bills to rely on their running game this week against Pittsburgh. The historically tough Steelers defense is 31st against the run; they allow 4.2 yards per carry and have surrendered 12 touchdowns. Jackson and Spiller will get carries, but Choice might be able to sneak a touchdown in near the goal line or closing out one of the halves.
Joique Bell (DET)
If Jim Schwartz is worth his salt as an NFL head coach, he’ll have a good game plan for his team coming off their bye. They should be well-rested and they are going against a Chicago Bears defense that played on Monday night. While the Bears pulled out the win, they got owned by the aforementioned Lacy and the Packers running game. Reggie Bush has been more than effective in the high octane Lions’ offense, but Bell actually has more touchdowns (4) on the season than Bush (2).
This is a game that looms large in the NFC North race, and has a lot at stake fantasy-wise. The Bears are 29th against the run and have given up 4.4 yards per carry. They aren’t much better against the pass, ranked 23rd, but running the ball with a purpose could be the key to winning this game and positioning the Lions at the top of the division.
Bell has a shot at a solid game this week against the Bears
It’s time to make a move. There is a good chance that a group of teams is bunched near the top of your league. There is also a good chance some teams may already be in preparation for next season. Here’s hoping you are in that conglomerate near the top, but even if you are somewhere in the middle, there’s an opportunity to change that. Now is the point in the year to separate from the pack and solidify your spot as a playoff team.
With nine weeks gone by, some running back situations are becoming clearer. Zac Stacy is the obvious go to back in St. Louis. While Rashard Mendenhall is supposedly on his way back, Andre Ellington has proven that if the Cardinals want to win, they better give him the rock. And Eddie Lacy is running over defenders like a dump truck in Green Bay.
Other situations remain murky. Can Knowshon Moreno maintain his stranglehold as Denver’s main tailback during the meat of their schedule? Will Cincinnati realize that more Gio Bernard touches are good?
There isn’t a lot of time left to make sure you’ve got a shot to come out on top. Hopefully you have someone like Stacy or Ellington. But, even if you don’t, or are still looking for someone to start this Sunday, here are some sleepers for Week 10.
Tashard Choice (BUF)
The Bills operate a two-back system, and those two back’s last names are Jackson and Spiller. Furthermore, it seems that both are getting healthier each week (even if Spiller’s ankle isn’t at 100 percent). However, Choice may become a factor because of what is going on for Buffalo at quarterback. Yes, EJ Manuel will play for the first time since getting injured in Week 5, but they haven’t had much luck with the position all year.
If Jeff Tuel was half-competent, they would have beaten the Chiefs last week, and just because Manuel is coming back, doesn’t mean that he will be full-strength.
Plus, it seems prudent for the Bills to rely on their running game this week against Pittsburgh. The historically tough Steelers defense is 31st against the run; they allow 4.2 yards per carry and have surrendered 12 touchdowns. Jackson and Spiller will get carries, but Choice might be able to sneak a touchdown in near the goal line or closing out one of the halves.
Joique Bell (DET)
If Jim Schwartz is worth his salt as an NFL head coach, he’ll have a good game plan for his team coming off their bye. They should be well-rested and they are going against a Chicago Bears defense that played on Monday night. While the Bears pulled out the win, they got owned by the aforementioned Lacy and the Packers running game. Reggie Bush has been more than effective in the high octane Lions’ offense, but Bell actually has more touchdowns (4) on the season than Bush (2).
This is a game that looms large in the NFC North race, and has a lot at stake fantasy-wise. The Bears are 29th against the run and have given up 4.4 yards per carry. They aren’t much better against the pass, ranked 23rd, but running the ball with a purpose could be the key to winning this game and positioning the Lions at the top of the division.
Ball is reaping the benefits, while Hillman is in the doghouse
The Denver Broncos rotation of 3 running backs has finally yielded a weakest link, resulting in the deactivation of Ronnie Hillman. Now officially 2nd to Knowshon Moreno, rookie Montee Ball now has the opportunity to play up to the potential of his draft position.
Don’t be mistaken, Moreno is undoubtedly the most valuable Bronco running back, but the Broncos are determined to make sure he isn’t overused. It’s unlikely that Ball will come close to matching Moreno’s numbers, but he is unquestionably the change-of-pace back for the time being.
As head coach John Fox plans to rest Moreno more moving forward, Ball gains the fortunate chance to insert himself into an already insuppressible offense.
Ball had 11 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown during the Broncos Week 8 win over the Washington Redskins. This was only 3 fewer attempts than Moreno to go along with a slightly better average yardage per carry. Most notably, Ball was given the bulk of the red zone rushes.
Ball’s increased role in the offense has surely boosted his fantasy stock. In their effort to preserve Moreno, the Broncos may unleash a considerable talent in Ball.
The Backfield in Denver is about as confusing as the backfield in New England.
Both teams are currently splitting time shares between three running backs. This extended running back by committee is extremely hard for fantasy owners to decide who to put one them in their starting line-up.
Denver is no longer a run first team, now that Peyton has all the weapons he needs in the passing attack. The run game is used as a way to either protect Manning as he throws or to check out of pass plays to gouge the defense in sporadic run plays.
Each running back in Denver has their issues, which means neither one of them can be trusted to be the main back.
Knowshon Moreno is a solid runner between the tackles and can get outside with moderate speed. He’s the best of the bunch, but once Denver builds a big lead, the coaching staff is going to give the younger backs plenty of minutes to help them develop.
Ronnie Hillman is a speed back that is great when the Broncos need a change-of-pace, but at 5’9″ and 195 pounds, he’s not built to take the punishment of an every down back.
Montee Ball seemed like the back of the future in Denver, but with fumbles in consecutive games and trouble picking up blitz, he needs plenty of practice before he has any real fantasy value.
Fantasy owners should look at the snap counts in order to choose which running back in Denver they should start on Sundays. Moreno has 34 carries on the season while Ball has 31 and Hillman 14. The three-headed monster carried the ball 32 times resulting in 166 yards against the hapless Raiders defense. The three of them seem to be getting the job done and fantasy owners should expect the trend in Denver to continue.
Moreno is the back to own until he gets injured or one of the younger players can really step up and gain Manning’s trust.
Touring the Capitol 