Off Season Review: Running Backs

For Part 1 of the off season review, I helped you all out by giving you the interesting quarterback situations for you all to keep your eyes on.  Now, in the interest of making this league interesting, and helping those of you who don't know Heath Miller from Zack Miller, I'll do the same with the running backs.

First, off the top of my head without having to look anything up:

THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS
David Wilson takes over for Ahmad Bradshaw, and as a Giants fan, this makes me happy.  The Giants are one of the few teams left in fantasy that will commit to at least try to establish some kind of running game.  While returning kicks, you could see Wilson has the ability to break big plays and as the primary back we may see that.  He has top-5 fantasy potential at the position.  There's just one little problem:  he fumbles.  Tom Coughlin HATES fumbles.

"I HATE FUMBLES!!!!!!!!!"

See.  That's the look of a man that would do something crazy.  Like bench David Wilson.  Therefore keep Andre Brown in mind.

DENVER
Slick Willy McGahee is gone and who the starter is anyone's guess.  Knowshon?  Lance Ball?  Ronnie Hillman?  Whoever it is would be an RB2 at best since they figure to throw it most of the time.  Except if there's one thing Peyton Manning loves, it's that draw play on 1st and Goal.

ATLANTA 
Pretty much since he joined the league, Steven Jackson has been a top 10 back..........when he plays.  Ok the top 10 thing might be debatable, but that's when he was on St. Louis.  On Atlanta?  He'll be the guy tasked with taking this offense to the next level.  I believe, like the Giants, the Falcons wanna establish some kind of running game. And Jackson is guaranteed to be the goal line back.  Again, injury caveat applies, but the risk-to-reward ratio just swung toward reward.

GREEN BAY
Ryan Grant had one good year five years ago, and since then Green Bay has been looking for a decent running back.  Grant got hurt.  James Starks didn't pan out.  Alex Green got some games last year.  Remember Ced Benson?  This year they got the top RB in the draft, Eddy Lacy out of Alabama.  If there's one rookie who could help and become a viable starter, it's Lacy.  He'll have plenty of holes to run through and a clear path to #1 spot.  Defenses will not be worried about stopping the run when Aaron Rodgers is on the field.  Lacy has a chance.

INDIANAPOLIS
Ahmad Bradshaw's new team had no real running game last year and Luck took a ton of hits.

like this

...and this....

even the Jets got him

Evidence dictates that they should start running the ball.  Bradshaw should get the most carries considering his competition is Donald Brown and Vic Ballard.  Keep in mind, Bradshaw is an elite pass blocker and has good hands.  So he figures to be on the field the most and to get some check down points.

DETROIT
I still believe Reggie Bush has some good football left.  Watch this for a minute or so:

Nothin wrong with that.  In this offense, there's potential for a lot of carries, and even better, A LOT of catches.  Titus Young is a crazy bastard and was released (seriously a crazy bastard: http://deadspin.com/titus-young-arrested-again-503570801) and Black Wes Welker is more like Black Julian Edleman.  Besides Bush and Johnson.  Always a winning duo.

JETS
It looked like they did well when they got Mike Goodson.  Then Mike Goodson did this: http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/9286124/mike-goodson-new-york-jets-arrested-drug-weapons-charges.  So new Jets GM Dan Something, traded for Chris Ivory at the draft.  Ivory got into some games two years ago for New Orleans and did very well.  He looked good last year in limited action.  Now he gets his chance.  The Jets QB situation is a disaster.  This could lead to 30 carries per game, OR, they could be so bad the offense is never on the field.  But Ivory has talent.

ARIZONA
The Adam Bergen All Stars have retooled their offense and brought in Mendenhall to go with Carson Palmer.  Ryan Williams may get yet a 3rd chance to prove himself, but usually he just winds up getting hurt.  Mendy will be a full year removed from ACL surgery, so maybe he gets a step back.