Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

Which backup running back would you most like to have on your roster?

DISH ADAMS

I think the choice has to be Bernard Scott since Delone Carter and Earnest Graham aren't really backups anymore. Is Michael Bush considered a backup? He's really not the starter but gets regular work, and so does Jonathan Stewart. So assuming those are guys gone in every league who are more 1A backs than backups, I would think that the 3 game stretch Scott gets as the starter during the playoff run for fantasy makes him very valuable. He'll only get a handful of touches before Benson is suspended, but he will see more and more touches leading up to the suspension as the Bengals get him in shape to prepare for an increased workload. If he is successful while Benson is out, as he should be based on their offensive scheme, there is virtually no chance of him disappearing into oblivion as a full-time backup, rather he'll likely have a 30/70 split on touches at worst..

Adams is the publisher of www.fantasyinsights.com. Adams appears on NBC in Los Angeles on The Challenge with Fred Roggin following NFL Sunday Night Football in America, with extended web commentary on NBCLA’s website. On Bloomberg Sports ”4th & Fantasy” Dish became the “man who beat the machine,” outpicking Bloomberg Sports Fantasy Decision Maker data tool for the 2010 season. Dish also hosts Fantasy Insights, a podcast on Voiceamericasports.com weekly on Thursdays from 5:00-6:00 PM EST.

JARED SMOLA

Despite BenJarvus Green-Ellis' monster Week 5 performance, I'm still high on rookie Stevan Ridley. I think he's the most-well rounded back on New England's roster and wouldn't be surprised to see him emerge as the primary ball-carrier in the 2nd half of the season.

Smola is the Senior Editor of DraftSharks.com. DraftSharks has been providing fantasy football analysis since 1999. The site provides its members with feature articles, daily email updates, in-depth player profiles and projections, its exclusive MVP Draft Board, and much more. This past year, Draft Sharks took home the Fantasy Sports Trade Association's award for most accurate preseason projections.

IAN ALLAN

The 49ers have gotten their running game going, it seems. Frank Gore has gone over 100 yards two weeks in a row. He’s not particularly durable, so I imagine Kendall Hunter will start some games for that team before the year is through. Hunter might prove to be even better than Gore. He’s definitely faster.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.

ALAN SATTERLEE

There are a few backs that would be a good reply to this question – Kendall Hunter, Stevan Ridley, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert. However, we'll take Tolbert. For starters, unlike almost any other situation in the NFL, the San Diego backfield is putting up points split between two backs consistently enough to make either of them solid fantasy plays on any given week. Ryan Matthews is the #5 RB through Week 5, but Tolbert is no slouch himself, ranked as the #10 RB in PPR scoring. More so than Jonathan Stewart (#24 RB), Tolbert adds good value every week as it is now, plus he would be an every week starter if Ryan Matthews were to get hurt. Tolbert's stats are inflated by a big 3-TD game in Week 1, but he has double-digit fantasy points in three of five games this season and he's on pace for 90 receptions. Should Matthews go down, Tolbert becomes that much more attractive of course. While Mathews has been very effective this season he hasn’t shown he can be a bell-cow for 16 games over an NFL season. In the four games Matthews missed completely last season (weeks 3, 11, 12, 13), Tolbert's full-season pace over those games were 300 carries, 52 receptions and 1,696 yards. In short, Tolbert adds both current value as a flex option and has speculative value should Mathews miss time.

Dynasty Rogues is the fantasy football information site run by fantasy football enthusiasts for fantasy football enthusiasts. The site includes a year-round approach to analyzing football information for those in dynasty and redraft leagues. Dynasty Rogues were the 2008 Champion of the Fantasy Index Experts' Competition.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Two non-starting runners that interest me are Oakland's Michael Bush and Cleveland's Montario Hardesty. Bush is a solid between-the-tackles runner who's behind an injury-prone starter (Darren McFadden), and Oakland's offensive line is a plus unit. Bush isn't as talented as McFadden, but a lot of runners would star in this system. Hardesty might be better than Peyton Hillis to begin with, at least as a runner, and Hillis is doing all he can to burn bridges in Cleveland.

Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 18 years and writing about it for 15. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.

TIM HEANEY

I would've said Delone Carter before Joseph Addai's injury and Jackie Battle before his Week 5 breakout. Since they're not fair to use as answers now that they have a clear shot to start, I'd first go with the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarco Murray (especially in PPR). The Felix Jones injury countdown is always on, and now that Tony Romo is healthy, we'll probably see less Tashard Choice and more of the rookie from Oklahoma, who has a similar skill set to Jones with better pass catching. Technically they're not true backups, but New England's Stevan Ridley, New Orleans' Mark Ingram and Washington's Roy Helu stand high on my list, too. The Pats like to run more as the season winds down, and Ridley could even be in a fantasy-relevant tandem with BenJarvus Green-Ellis if he doesn't overtake him. Would it be far-fetched if the throw-happy Saints mimicked New England's late-season plan? The bruising Ingram might start moving ahead of Pierre Thomas and even take some work from Darren Sproles just to give the O a rest. Helu ... well, it's not bad to tuck away a Shanahan backfield member if you're throwing darts.

Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers services including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Now 100 percent free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com has provided content to USA Today, Yahoo! Sports, and FOXSports.com among many other organizations.

MIKE NAZAREK

Packers RB James Starks will eventually push starting RB Ryan Grant to the side.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy drafting programs including auction values, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at miken@ffmastermind.com

SAM HENDRICKS

Trick question because there are a few “backup” RBs who are just about starters in my book. Jonathan Stewart in CAR has to top the list even though DeAngelo Williams is supposed to be the starting RB. Tim Hightower in WAS may be the #2 back behind Ryan Torrain but if I know anything about Shanahan it is that he changes his mind about RBs more than Lady Gaga changes clothes. Mark Ingram/Darren Sproles is another case. You pick who is the “starter” and I will take the other person in a NY minute. Now if you want to go legitimate sleeper it comes down to Steven Ridley or Delone Carter and I have been touting Carter all season long. He has not proven me right yet but with the hammy to Addai he will get his 2 week audition and I think he can make the most of it.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

JEFFREY KAMYS

With the 49ers offense improving, Kendall Hunter sitting behind the oft injured Frank Gore is very inticing. Hunter has been extremely productive as well, when he has been given a chance to touch the ball.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Call me crazy, but I'm going with Roy Helu. We know Ryan Torain can't stay healthy, Tim Hightower has already had his shot, and Mike Shanahan is a fickle mastermind. Helu has the talent to stay in that job once he gets it, which should be in a week or two (when Torain gets hurt). Another choice would be Stevan Ridley, but Bill Belichick is even more frustrating than Shanahan (maybe), so one headache on my roster is enough.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past ten years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

New this season! We'll post the weekly question on Facebook, and the best reader answer will get included in the column. Here is this week's reader winner:

ERIC HACHLINSKI

Montario Hardesty. Peyton Hillis had a problem going the distance at the end of the season and Hardesty has already proven he can fill that lead back role (which was his to begin with). Hillis still doesn't have a contract - he takes a beating - and Hardesty has already cut into some of his work. I would have said Delone Carter... but that whole team is just a mess.

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