Aug 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice (27) is introduced prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Ray Rice – ADP 63.93
Admittedly, you are taking on some risk if you draft Ray Rice. But you will look like a genius and get a RB1 quality player for a steal if he returns to form in 2014. These are the moves that win fantasy football championships, or ruin your season. Rice is going a bit low for a projected starting running back in a run heavy offense because of his two game suspension, the injury woes of last season, and the fear that he is in the dreaded decline stage that running backs face as they get close to 30.
But Rice isn’t 30 yet, and he battled a hip problem all last season. He has shown time and time again this offseason that he is 100% healthy and looks like his old explosive self out on the field. To top it off, the coaching staff has stood behind him through the disciplinary process and has verbally committed to keep him in a major role on the offense. The biggest threat Rice faces is Bernard Pierce, who will start the first two games of the season. But even if Pierce excels, Rice will get snaps. If you can get him as a RB3, the upside is impossible to ignore.