Ladell Betts Set to Have A Breakout Fantasy Season?
Ray Tannock | August 22, 2009
The Redskins have announced the Ladell Betts will be their go to guy on third downs and in the two-minute drill, an announcement that seems to support the notion that Portis’ well is drying up, and his best days are behind him.
But this isn’t all that bad especially if you are looking for a sleeper back that could have a better season than you think.
Trust me; Ladell Betts isn’t going to be on anyone’s top list of backs to draft, so the likelihood of him being available in the later round is pretty high. In addition, there are some changes going on in Washington that could yield TDs galore for Betts and possibly more.
The two minute drill offers a lot of endzone opportunities which could translate into a lot of scores for Betts. Since Portis is aging and the Redskins don’t want to risk any injury, Betts and his bruising style is a perfect fit.
Third down also has its potential perks.
Betts has proved to be a viable threat out of the backfield as well as a big threat on the ground. Although typically, owners don’t garner a lot of points from a third down back, if you pile up goalline TDs and hit and run yardage as a runner and receiver all-of-the-sudden Betts looks like a pretty interesting pick.
Portis’ health is also a big factor.
The last time Portis went down Betts rushed for over 1100 yards in case anyone forgot, and the chances of Portis getting hurt are pretty high. Injuries to his knee, back, ribs, and neck have began to wreak havoc on Portis’ 27-year-old frame and his performance has taken a hit as well; undoubtedly the team will cut his touches back to try and utilize both Portis and Betts to the fullest extent.
In a perfect world, the redskins would go to two back system, and it very well may happen later in the season, but taking a chance on Betts is not really as risky as it seems. If you’re not sold, at the very least, put him at the top of your watch list and keep a very close eye on him.
Favorable matchups for Fantasy managers owning Redskin players:
Week Two against the Rams
Week Three @ Detroit
Week Seven against KC
Week 15 @ Oakland
Hits and other quick news around the league:
Kenneth Moore-WR-Carolina is having a fine camp for Carolina and could have the inside track for the fourth receiving spot. Mark Clayton-WR-Ravens, says he is close to 100 percent but he still doesn’t seem to be a guarantee for opening day, or for that matter a good option for Fantasy this year, and finally Matt Cassel-QB-Kansas City continues to struggle in KC and I wouldn’t recommend playing into the hype of last year at all.
Tags: Ladell Betts, Mark Clayton, Matt Cassel
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I remember in 2006 when Portis went down to injury and Betts was the starter. He rattled off five games in a row of 100+ yards and three of those games were in the fantasy playoffs! He’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Me too, and that is why I think he’ll eventually have a great year!
Ray, great read man.
Every year we hear tunes like this about Portis and Betts but when the game is on the line they can’t help but feed Portis the rock.. his stats are unreal and I just don’t see that changing much. I do know that Betts will indeed steal touches and when your fantasy football team needs that 1 td to smoke your versus, well Betts will get the TD not Portis, and so it goes.
Ladell Betts is a great late round flier in the draft if you have the roster space. He is also a great guy to watch in your “dominator” configuration. Be the first in your league to know about breaking news with a subscription to our “Dominator Service” http://top-fantasy-football.com/dominator-service
Thanks man, I really don’t see Portis being any better than he was last year; he has a ton of mileage on the frame and his O-Line is approaching geriatric status; Betts should be comparable this year.