Welcome to the Rookie Running Back Rescue Unit
You want answers to your running back woes. I'll give you answers right now:
- Kenneth Dixon is the most talented back I'm writing about today.
- Paul Perkins has the best-performing offense.
- Jordan Howard has the best opportunity to earn the touches of a fantasy starter.
Happy? Didn't think so. You always email and Tweet simple questions and three follow-ups later from you, it's clear that you wanted more than you originally asked for.
I know you in this way. It's my job.
Sadly, I don't know the answer to the million-dollar question of the week—and potentially the season: Which one of these three backs will be the league-winning move for fantasy owners? The skills, surrounding teams, and immediate roles for these three backs make the question a multiple choice rather than fill in the blank:
- A: Dixon.
- B: Perkins.
- C: Howard.
- D: All of the above.
- E: None of the above.
I'll open the pages of the 2016 Rookie Scouting Portfolio to share my long-term view of each, how it matches with each offense right now, clues to spot to determine their fantasy relevance, and my educated guess on what to do.
For those of you with a life, here's a handy executive summary to access the things you need to know:
Kenneth Dixon
The Quick-And-Dirty:
- Greatest array of skills called upon for a running back in this draft with the exception of Ezekiel Elliott.
- Excellent change of direction, burst, and creativity between the tackles and the open field.
- Rare skill to win the ball in the air like a wide receiver down field but must refine routes typically targeted to backs.
- A determined runner who routinely earns yards on second, third, and fourth effort.
- Lacks top-end speed, but can turn gains of 10-15 into runs of 30-50.
- Minor issues with patience.
- Determined effort leads to ball security issues.
- Fundamentals as a pass protector are solid but has flaws that give defenders easy counters to the quarterback.
- A back with potentially Marshall Faulk's versatility but the athletic blend more akin to a mix of Frank Gore-Ahmad Bradshaw.
State of the Ravens Offense:
Based on last year's performance, this line has a good reputation. So far, the rookie-heavy left side of the line and center Jeremy Zuttah have struggled in the run game. Zuttah has failed to get a push upfield and when the center-left guard combo is allowing penetration, it makes life miserable on the ground game. Right guard Marshall Yanda is among the best in the league at his position and when the Ravens can run to the right side, they've had success.
The encouraging returns for Dennis Pitta and Steve Smith and the rapport Joe Flacco has in the vertical passing game with Mike Wallace creates enough explosive plays for defenses to loosen up against the run. If the middle and left side of the Ravens' line can firm up, the ground game has a chance to improve notably. The defensive fronts on the schedule is also a list of favorable matchups that's mostly in the middle or lower tiers of Matt Bitonti's rankings.
My outlook for Dixon:
These issues give Dixon an open door to take over the starting job within a matter of weeks if the runner doesn't overthink what he's doing on the field—a realistic danger for any rookie runner. Justin Forsett has struggled thus far because at this point in his career he's a well-rounded veteran who gains what his line gives him. Terrence West has the creativity and athletic ability to create yards on poorly blocked plays but his decision-making and discipline have never been his strong points.
Dixon has the blend of Forsett's positional smarts and versatility and West's athletic ability and creativity. He's likely to practice sometime this week and should earn playing time against the Raiders' Silver and Black Welcome Mat.
Expect Dixon and West to split carries for at least 2-3 weeks but the biggest question might be Dixon's pass protection. If he doesn't perform well in this arena, Forsett could clog the works and make this a three-headed mess. If Dixon doesn't push one, if not both, backs into the background by Week 6, don't expect it to happen at all this year.
Realistic Ceiling: Top 15-20 fantasy RB2. Realistic Mid-Point: Mid-range RB3 flex.
Verdict: Dixon is the best luxury pick and has highest upside option of this trio. If you need a back now, Jordan Howard has more short-term upside. Howard also has enough long-term potential this year that he's the best choice for the ultra-conservative fantasy owner who is alright with the possibility of steady volume-mediocre totals.
Full profile of Dixon, the RSP's No.3 runner in this class:
High school teammates still talk about Dixon carrying the ball 18 consecutive times on a drive in the state semifinals and kicking a 60-yard field goal in practice.
There’s the time Dixon first got called up to varsity as a freshman and because of a log-jam at running back, he played defensive line for three games. He finished that stretch as the team leader in tackles.
His coach at Louisiana Tech claims he knew Dixon was for real when the freshman showed up and tore through the first-string defense for a long score on the team’s first scrimmage of the year. Teammates and coaches revere Dixon as one of the hardest working players they’ve ever been around and testify he can squat 600 pounds.
I watched Dixon during a televised beating by Oklahoma approach Head Coach Skip Holtz on the sideline and offer a solution to a problem the offense was facing. Holtz’s stoic sideline demeanor melted away and he was rapt with Dixon’s explanation, asking questions and waiting for the back to answer. When Dixon finished, he offered a few words of encouragement to the coach before heading to the bench, leaving Holtz shaking his head and grinning.
Other than the Holtz story, which I saw from the Oklahoma game, I knew none of these stories about Dixon until sitting down to write this entry. All I knew is what I saw on tape. Based solely on the film, my first sentence of Dixon’s profile was going to be the following:
If I were picking one running back based solely on will to win, Dixon is my top choice hands-down.
The film is that clear.
You never needed to know that he broke Marshall Faulk’s freshman TD record (27), or that he tied Montee Ball for the second all-time career TD record (83) to understand this fact. You just have to watch him break three tackles and elude three more (include one guy twice) while waging an all-out battle for a one-yard gain to get a taste of that will to win.
The craziest thing about Dixon is that he might remain the easiest running back to underestimate in this draft. It’s possible to watch the Bulldog runner and somehow overlook every meaningful dimension of his game:
Watch Dixon get last-second separation from a defensive back, displaying the veteran savvy of James Jones on a back-shoulder fade from Aaron Rodgers, then toe-tap both feet along the left boundary of the end zone, and you forget that he’s a running back.
There’s the time a Mississippi defensive lineman got hold of Dixon at the entrance of a hole and tried to yank the back down by the collar. Only it’s wasn’t the jersey, but the facemask that that 300-pounder grabbed. Dixon ripped past, burst through the crease, and while cutting across the middle of the field to the opposite hash for the score, he can be seen trying to adjust the helmet that was twisted enough that at least one eye was staring through the ear hole.
Watch him break into the open field for a gain of 40-50 yards—watch because you’d never expect him to rip off this sort of yardage, based on his timed 4.58 speed until you actually see how fast he can get on top of a defense with his initial burst.
Then watch him squeeze yards from a dead play by making multiple tacklers miss with highlight-reel jump cuts, spin moves, and playground jukes, all exhibited with an exceptional degree of control, and it’s easy to forget that Dixon is a professional grade, 215-pound feature back until someone actually gets a hand on him.
What’s mind-blowing is that most analysts are wondering if Dixon is big enough. His college teammates remember him arriving on campus at his high school playing weight of 235-240 pounds. I’m still getting over that one because I thought Dixon was one of those guys trying to add weight. Then I saw his a high school photo of him on the field and it was just the opposite.
Dixon’s effort, creativity, and work ethic make him a locker room favorite. I had a reader tell me that he was concerned that Dixon was so versatile that a head coach might overlook him as a potential starter. Based on what I’ve seen and read, if Dixon performs well enough in camp to earn additional playing time and the coaches are ignoring the development, I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out Dixon’s teammates lobbied hard for the rookie—not excluding negotiation tactics that could be defined as threats of felonious assault.
The Louisiana Tech back is equal parts gritty and elusive. He’s just as likely to drop the pads and attack defenders in the hole or at the end of runs as he is to leave them looking for their jock. When Dixon is on his game, he consistently gets lower pad level than his opponent and uses his legs to drive forward. Although Dixon’s pad level is usually low enough to force a stalemate, if not lower than the opponent’s to work through the contact, I have seen two attempts where the runner lost fumbles because he didn’t get his pads as low as he was capable and the defenders got perfect hits on the ball.
His legs are strong enough that he can at least force stalemates on collisions where defenders seem to have the initial advantage. When he’s the aggressor, he often drives NFL-sized safeties 3-5 yards off their spot.
Dixon has an excellent feel for shaking off hits from indirect angles of pursuit. Even when the defender has an angle, Dixon can turn his body down hill and find a creative way to earn the advantage and break the tackle. He knows how to deliver contact and bounce off it without getting wrapped. He also has a reliable stiff arm that, in addition to having the effect of a trip-hammer jab, has been used to swipe it across a defender in pursuit, hook the opponent, and flip the man to the ground.
There’s one specific area of Dixon’s style that leaves him out of control and it’s when he’s trying to avoid a collision as a short-yardage runner with a cutback. The angles he takes leaves his pads too far over his legs and limit Dixon’s ability to generate a push on the opponent.
Much of what’s described above is attributable to Dixon’s vision and decision-making. He reads the line of scrimmage at the exchange point with the quarterback and anticipates penetration well enough pre- and post-snap to make adjustments. Dixon also has the feet-eyes coordination to change direction with a move as dramatic as a jump cut or as simple as changing the length of his stride at the exchange point with the quarterback.
A patient runner, Dixon understands how to press and cut to set up backside rushing lanes or alter his pace to let his teammates do the job in front of him. Once in the open field, Dixon exhibits similar patience with blockers. There are some plays where he rushes some of his runs to creases or open areas when setting up the run with a little more patience behind his blocks could help him gain more yardage, but he’s a relentless worker who has developed a well-rounded game, and I don’t expect occasional impatience to be a long-term flaw.
Although Dixon lacks off-the-charts times with his burst and change of direction, his performances are starter to star-caliber in range. More important is the creativity and judgment with the moves. When you watch Dixon’s film, you see a quick runner with balance and lateral agility whose repertoire of moves makes defenders miss in tight spaces or leaves them out of position to make an effective tackle.
Dixon’s intensity and relentless effort make him hard to bring down in the first place. Add effective movement to the equation and he doesn’t need to be a sabermetrician's dream to make defenders miss and earn yards after contact. Not only does Dixon routinely make the first defender miss, but he also leaves multiple opponents flailing for him because of his skill to freeze them with dips, jukes, head fakes, jump cuts, stutters, and spins.
All of these moves are often layered in impressive fashion to avoid penetration into the backfield, get down hill, and maximize potential gains. He can go from a dramatic move to a subtle one. Although I believe Dixon has starter-level talent, I'm not convinced his quickness and agility will be the primary reasons he maintains that role in the league. He may remind me stylistically of Marshall Faulk, but he’s a quarter-step slower. Dixon’s power will also come into greater play if he develops into more than a committee back.
The difference between Dixon’s speed and Faulk’s 4.3-40 is that Dixon can beat defensive backs to extend runs of 10-15 yards into gains of 30-50 yards, but he lacks breakaway speed that beats good pursuit angles of cornerbacks and turns 40-yard gains into 80-yard scores. Dixon has enough burst and long speed to beat linebackers and safeties to the edge.
A good reality check about Dixon’s athletic talents is to compare his timed speed, quickness, and agility with Devonta Freeman. The Falcons back ran a 4.58-second 40, a 4.26-second 20-shuttle, and a 7.11-second three-cone drill. Although 10 pounds heavier, Dixon’s 40 matches Freeman’s, the 20-shuttle is two-hundredths of a second slower, and the LaTech rookie’s three-cone is .14 seconds faster.
Freeman out-produced a superior athlete in Tevin Coleman last year because he’s a savvier runner who understands how to set up blocks. Dixon’s strengths, like Freeman’s, are also rooted in his vision and footwork.
Ball security is a strength. Dixon carries the ball high and tight with either arm, and he often keeps the ball tight when executing changes of direction that render his peers vulnerable to fumbling.
Dixon understands his pass protection assignments and will adjust with his linemen if a defender beats a teammate and forces the back to slide to a different assignment during the play. He’ll climb the pocket deep enough to attack a defender so the quarterback still has a good area to maneuver. Dixon moves his feet well to remain square to his opponent before he engages or to force his assignment wide of the pocket when possible. When it’s time to deliver a punch, the back keeps his feet on the ground, extends his arms, rolls his hips, and drives the defender off a spot. There are plays where he’ll overextend his base and when his timing is off, he ends up “catching” the defender’s contact and taking the first punch rather than dictating the action.
Dixon is a willing and aggressive cut blocker. He’ll take on bigger opponents and sets good angles at the edge. When he fails to complete his assignments it’s often because he drops his head into the attempt and his approach is too low.
Dixon has starter skills as a receiver and with a few minor improvements, he could be a star. He catches the ball with his hands, tracks the ball over his shoulder, and he has a feel for creating space at the last moment against tight coverage near the boundary to win the ball. Analysts are raving about C.J. Prosise’s experience as a slot receiver, but Dixon never played the position and can do everything Prosise can as a receiver.
He can become a reliable weapon in the middle of the field as a slot option, but he’ll need to work on this area of his game. Most of his issues don’t involve typical running back routes: He’ll have to stop leaving his feet for passes where he can extend for the ball with his feet on the ground. There are routes where he’ll have to get better at attack and other targets where retreating is a better idea to gain position. He also has lapses with getting his head around fast enough on routes where he breaks to the sideline.
I won’t be surprised if scouts underestimate Dixon. There are no resume bullets that stand out: He doesn’t come from a big-time program. He didn’t win a Heisman. He didn’t win a national championship. He didn’t rule the NFL Combine.
Dixon and Elliott have the greatest array of skills that teams require from a running back. In terms of overall style, the Bulldog and the Heisman winner are far apart. In terms of overall talent, it’s nearly even. If a team is seeking an every-down back who can run a wider range of plays, Dixon has more value than Henry.
There will be a lot of “yeah, buts” from scouts and personnel people when they watch Dixon. But by August, don’t be surprised if players or coaches have their own “yeah, buts” as responses to those skeptical about Dixon becoming the main man in their backfield.
Back to Top
Paul Perkins
The Quick and Dirty:
- A competent zone scheme runner who understands how to press and cut to set up his blockers.
- Has footwork reminiscent of Devonta Freeman-LeSean McCoy that makes him a good cutback and open field runner.
- Like Freeman and McCoy, Perkins has the slippery power to avoid direct angles from defenders and run through wraps.
- Lacks a top gear like Dixon, but if a defense makes a mistake he can break a long run of 30-40 yards.
- Knew his pass protection assignments well at UCLA but tipped off his blocks and easily beaten to the punch.
- His stop-start style is both a blessing and curse depending on how he applies it.
State of the Giants Offense:
New York's offensive line has been good enough to create creases for its trio of runners. Scatback Shane Vereen has been the most efficient but even the far less electric Orleans Darkwa has produced behind this unit.
The return of Victor Cruz and the addition of Sterling Shepard makes the Giants a consistent passing game and the potential for explosive plays of at least 16 yards through the air forces defenses to cheat towards the pass. It explains why Vereen, regarded more as a passing-down back, has performed efficiently as a ball carrier.
My outlook for Perkins:
Unlike the Ravens, who appear poised to welcome a lead back due to the performance of its current tandem, the Giants appear content to remain a true committee. The staff and players have lobbied for Darkwa to earn more carries since the end of the Tom Coughlin era.
Then there's the veteran Bobby Rainey, a versatile favorite of mine with excellent vision, change of direction, and burst. He might be the best upside option on the depth chart right now. The biggest question is ball security.
Perkins will have to prove that he's already approaching that Devonta Freeman-LeSean McCoy level on a consistent basis to change the Giants' mind and end the committee approach. Expect him to earn touches but not enough this week to consider it an audition for a feature role.
Realistic Ceiling: Top 25-36 fantasy RB3. Realistic Mid-Point: Bye-week flex (RB4-RB5).
Verdict: I don't trust Perkins' pass protection until I see it. I'm also waiting to see if he has pared down his stop-start style and become more efficient for this level of football. Orleans Darkwa and Bobby Rainey are the players to own for the Giants because they are proven veterans with complementary skills similar to Rashad Jennings and Vereen.
Perkins is a luxury pick and swing for the fences. If you need a back now, Darkwa is the guy. If you're desperate and seeking the best combination of playing time and upside, Rainey is a good fit because he can turn ordinary plays into gains of 50-60 yards. There is a boom-bust nature with Rainey and that's ball security issues that could put him on the bench.
Full profile of Perkins, the RSP's No.11 runner in this class:
Perkins’ style reminds me of backs like Devonta Freeman and LeSean McCoy, and to a limited degree, so does his talent. He’s a smart runner with balance, moves, and burst. He's patient enough to read and react to the correct assignment, and he'll be the aggressor to deliver contact at the end of runs.
A mature decision-maker, Perkins is patient and confident with setting up angles on defenders in the hole and baiting them with his agility. He has press and cut skills to stretch a defense and cut back with minimal steps from a lateral path to a down hill path.
That Devonta Freeman-LeSean McCoy ability comes into play with his footwork. He accelerates in and out of cuts and when he bounces plays outside, he can layer moves in space to weaken a defender’s pursuit angle and run through whatever is left. He also understands how to vary the stride and pace of his footwork to enhance creases or set up blocks in the open field.
Perkins isn’t a big back, but he can drag defensive backs, linebackers, and some defensive ends for yards after contact for 4-8 yards. He keeps his legs high through contact, and he runs through the trash of a crease that can trip up backs at the lower legs. Perkins also has an intensity and awareness to his second efforts that helps maintain his orientation after contact: he never thinks he’s down when he’s not. He also has slippery fish power, to twist through contact and keep his legs moving.
Armed with good stop-start burst, Perkins has the shiftiness to make sharp lateral cuts behind the line of scrimmage and the burst to outrun penetration to the corner. He’s fast enough to beat the pursuit of defensive linemen and turn a negative situation into a positive gain. Once in the open field, Perkins has the burst and stamina to maintain his pace after avoiding multiple defenders—even when cutting across the width of the field.
His speed is good enough to break long runs, and depending on the pre-snap alignment of the defensive backs, Perkins can take it 40-60 yards. He’s not a true breakaway threat with a third gear to pull away from cornerbacks with excellent pursuit angles. But if the defense screws up and Perkins reaches open field, he’ll turn that mistake into at least a gain of 30-40 yards.
He possesses a good stiff-arm to ward off pursuit. He can force a defender backward with the contact and it’s because he has sound placement when he delivers it. His ball security is sound. Perkins carries the ball high and tight under his sideline arm.
Perkins doesn’t get fooled easily as a pass protector diagnosing potential assignments. He doesn’t get baited by phony pressure that sets up games that defensive linemen play to screw up blocking schemes. He does a good job stepping into the line of scrimmage to deliver his hands and turn a blitzing defender from the pocket.
Perkins has to bend at the knees, not the hips, when engaging his opponents with a stand-up block. He also has to learn to deliver a punch and not drop his head at the point of engagement. Right now, he’s tipping off his blocks.
He’s also too passive the collision point with his opponents and this gets him beaten despite the good position he establishes. Perkins “catches” defenders rather than delivers the first punch. Although he has shown the aggressiveness to climb into the pocket to meet defenders doesn’t do it often enough.
When cut-blocking, Perkins takes the wrong angles on the defender and drops his head. There are also assignments where he appears undecided on the type of block he wants to deliver and the result looks like some ineffective variant of a stand-up block and cut. When Perkins tries this move, two things happen: He fails to score the effective knock-down of a cut and he’s out of position to follow up after the first hit.
I have no doubt that Perkins can do competent work for an offense as a ball carrier. There are a lot lof backs on depth charts where this statement qualifies. His pass protection is holding him back from earning that opportunity early in his career. If Perkins can get more explosive, he has the skills to develop into an effective starter who, like Devonta Freeman, can be as good as his surrounding talent.
Perkins would be a great fit as the third back behind Freeman in Atlanta, because his style is similar and he’d be a good hedge for the Falcons offense in case Tevin Coleman continues to struggle with the professional demands of the outside zone scheme.
Jordan Howard
The Quick and Dirty:
- Sturdy power back who breaks arm tackles above the waist and below the knees.
- Effective pad level that allows him to work through downhill confrontations with safeties and linebackers.
- Patient runner with in power run game that uses trap, power, and ISO blocking schemes.
- Enough burst to get past the line of scrimmage but looked like a one-speed runner without a second gear.
- Possesses baseline skills to change direction, but not a natural cutback runner.
- Competent receiver with consistent hands.
- The best pass protection technique of Dixon and Perkins in terms of throwing a punch but gets beaten to the punch too often.
- If Howard has the physical skills to thrive as a long-term starter, think a blend of Stephen Davis and Cedric Benson.
State of the Bears Offense:
The addition of Josh Sitton elevates Chicago's line to a unit on the verge of making Matt Bitonti's top tier. The state of the Bears' quarterback play makes it conceivable that opponents will load the box with defenders and dare Chicago the pass. But I'm leaning towards defenses letting Howard run until he proves that he can not only move the chains on six and seven-man fronts but also earn those explosive plays of 12 yards or more on a consistent enough basis for defenses to dare Chicago to throw.
If that happens, the receiving corps is physically talented enough to generate a balanced offense. The question mark is Hoyer and/or Jay Cutler. This team looks good enough to support a consistent yardage producer at the running back position but it needs a back capable of elevating the offense with those gains of 12-20 yards.
My outlook for Howard:
With Jeremy Langford and Ka'Deem Carey out, Howard earns a true tryout to take the job and keep it. But Carey will be back soon and veteran Joique Bell earned an opportunity in his stead. Howard, Carey, and Bell are all physical runners. Langford is not and he's been criticized for not creating more than what the Bears' line presents to him.
If all Bell needed was extra time to rehab, he could surprise big-time and take this job over. While possible that Bell felt the pressure to return to the field earlier than he should have with the addition of Ameer Abdullah last year, it's speculative analysis. If you lose out on all your waiver options this week and you have the luxury to add Bell as a speculative option, it could be a shockingly good play with little downside.
For now, it's Howard's job to lose. My greatest concern is that he doesn't have enough in him to create big plays. Even if he wins this job for the rest of the year, I wouldn't be surprised if his a consistent producer of 70-90 total yards but the Bears' passing game limits his red zone opporutnities and his fantasy upside.
Realistic Ceiling: Top 20-36 fantasy RB2-3. Realistic Mid-Point: High-end RB3.
Verdict: If you need a runner now but one of your injured runners could return to form within the next 4-5 weeks, Howard is the safest pick of the trio. If you're seeking upside, Howard has some due to volume but this offense will have to gel for him to surprise me as anything better than a RB3.
Full profile of Howard, the RSP's No.15 runner in this class:
Howard is a power back with the skills to contribute as a two-down and short yardage role player immediately. He’s a sturdy runner who breaks arm tackles that wrap him above his waist or below the knee. If a defender can maintain his grip, Howard understands how to drag them a good distance. And when given a chance, Howards likes to punish his opponents after he wears them down.
When hit head-on by safeties and linebackers, Howard can slide to a side, keep his feet moving, fall forward or lean through contact for yards after the collision. He has a knack for aligning his feet, knees, and pads to set up his position so he earns yards after downhill confrontations.
Whether a safety or linebacker hits Howard head-on or or from an indirect pursuit angle, Howard has the size and balance to bounce off contact. Against linemen, Howard has the technique and size not to give up ground when they deliver a hit.
Howard can be late to drop his pads. When this happens, there are times he’ll lose position. On these plays he’ll take hits to his hips and his chest. But he’s also capable of getting low enough to go under or over his opponents for extra yards.
Howard is a patient runner on gap and man blocking plays. He's adept at setting up the wind back block by widening or pressing lanes and working back to the lead blocker. Howard will vary the length of his stride, so he can gauge the progress of a developing crease as he approaches the hole.
Once he times up the opening correctly, Howard runs with excellent body lean. When he hits opponents with his pads, he’ll pull his head up and through the contact to generate leverage and earn yards after contact. He practices sound ball security between tackles and in the open field: High and tight and under the arm away from the pursuit side of the defense.
Howard runs with enough burst to reach the second level, but I only see one true speed from him as a runner. If he can have a downhill path or a solid runway to gradually accelerate, he has enough speed to get outside on designed plays or obvious cutback opportunities where the defense sold out too hard.
Howard will never be confused with Matt Forte, but he can cut within tight quarters and twist free of wraps to back his way for extra yards. He has enough get-off to make penetration miss in the backfield. He can execute hard lateral cuts behind the line of scrimmage and then alter his stride to set up his next change of direction. Howard’s hips are flexible enough to change direction and get down hill fast, but he lacks the agility to make a cutback and then avoid a gap defender in his path.
Howard is a competent receiver. He catches the ball with his hands, and he’ll adjust to targets thrown high or wide from his frame without leaving his feet unless absolutely necessary.
His pass protection is a potential asset. Howard knows how to set up angles on edge defenders to encourage them to take paths outside the pocket. He’s consistent at getting his hands inside the body of the defender, and he’ll throw punches. Howard knows how to square, bend, and roll his hips into a punch, but he needs to do this against all three levels of the defense—not just defensive backs and smaller linebackers. He also must become more aggressive and not get beaten to the punch by his opponents.
I love his power game, but I’m not convinced he has the caliber of burst and speed that a power back like Stephen Davis or even Cedric Benson had. If Howard lacks this baseline quickness, he’ll have a difficult time earning a consistent role in an offense. If he has the burst to attack NFL creases, he’ll provide depth with starter potential on a power running team that thrives off the play action game.
Coda
If you ask me, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard might have more value than Paul Perkins right now. If Latavius Murray stops delivering that one decent gain per game early in a contest, these two runners could become viable fantasy options soon. Washington has the safest PPR upside but I wouldnt rule out Richard because he's better between the tackles than Murray is right now.