5 Ravens To Target In Your Fantasy Football Draft
By Brett Foote
Aug 7, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Bernard Pierce (30) gets tackled by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Nick Moody (54) in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Bernard Pierce, ADP 113.43
If you want to lessen the risk of picking up Ray Rice, you could always draft Pierce as well. At the very worst, you will have a starter and their handcuff. And if Pierce winds up running away with the job (pun intended), you will have basically won the lottery considering where you drafted him at. Fantasy Footballers are obviously putting all their chips in Ray Rice’s basket, and we don’t blame them. But if you get Pierce and somebody else gets Rice, in the worst case you have handcuff trade bait.
We already know that Pierce is going to start the first two games of the season, where he will approach RB1 status. This alone gives him value, and his upside as the potential starter or as a handcuff makes his ADP seem reasonable. We would rather have Pierce than Danny Woodhead, Steven Jackson, Darren Sproles, Maurice Jones-Drew, or Pierre Thomas, who are all coming off draft boards before him. And if you can get Bernard and Pierce, you will have little to worry about.