Many of you jumped on the Marion Barber bandwagon early on, and when Fantasy Football draft day came, you jumped at the chance to have the new starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys on your team. But my question to you: Is he worth it?
I’m not a Barber hater by any stretch. I think he brings much needed toughness and aggressive force to the team. He is a force to be reckoned with. But in terms of Fantasy Football, is he really the back you wanted? Granted, he contributed 140 yards rushing and a touchdown reception as well against Green Bay, but who really thinks Wade Phillips will continue to give Barber this many carries? Isn’t it much more likely that the Cowboys will limit the number of touches Barber gets in the weeks ahead and spread the remainder between Felix Jones and Tashard Choice?
My thought going into FF this year was that Barber wouldn’t measure up to most elite back standards. Not because he’s not talented enough, but because he’s historically been utilized as a half of a two-back tandem. Of course, everyone’s talking about his physical style of play and how his recklessness also demands that the coaching staff limit his carries. Those knees won’t hold up forever under this kind of punishment.
As a member of two Yahoo leagues, I wish the bench contributed a little something to the team, but since they don’t, Marion Barber as a leading fantasy rusher may be close to worthless as the season continues. Limit his carries and give Felix the big runs and you’ll have mediocre stats from a back whose value does NOT make the stat sheet.
It just goes to show that Fantasy Football once again cannot make use of some of the game’s most important intangibles.
