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Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Crowded backfields

A crowded backfield is something no fantasy owner ever wants to see. But there are several situations in the NFL right now where there is no clear-cut favorite to be the starter when the season opens in a couple of weeks.

What's a fantasy owner to do?

Here's a quick look at three of those situations:

Denver: Not surprisingly, Maurice Clarett won't be a factor here despite the fact the team wasted a third-round pick on him. Mike Anderson appears to have grabbed the job by playing well in the preseason, including a 93-yard run against Indianapolis. That doesn't mean Quentin Griffin won't steal the job away from him at some point. That will leave Tatum Bell and a rejuvenated Ron Dayne on the outside looking in.

Carolina: Stephen Davis has been a little slow to return from injury and was starting to slow down anyway. Deshaun Foster is the man here, but has also had injury problems in his career. The team likes rookie Eric Shelton, but Foster will open as the starter. Former Pitt player Nick Goings is the odd man out.

Minnesota: Mike Tice still lists oft-injured Michael Bennett as the starter, but Mewelde Moore will be the more valuable fantasy back on this team. Moe Williams may steal some goal line carries, though. Ciatrick Fason is the sleeper of the group, but has been unimpressive.

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