I see it reported this offseason that Chris Johnson may be prepared to stage a lengthy hold-out that could potentially linger into the regular season. What I haven't seen written is who would stand to benefit the most from such a move by Johnson: Javon Ringer.
Ringer slipped in the draft two years ago, after entering his senior year at Michigan State as the top-ranked rusher on many boards. Johnson's explosive 2009 left him an afterthought behind Lendale White, who was jettisoned to Seattle this offseason.
I'm not telling you Ringer can match Johnson's lofty 2009 production, but if "Every Coach's Dream" holds out or gets injured - holdouts are often banged up if they miss much camp - Ringer stands to inherit a 20-touch role in an offense that loves to run.
It's always about preparing for what's next.
Posts
Okay - who would you draft first - Gerhart or Ringer? If CJ doesn't miss any games (which I seriously doubt he will, even though he's not even the highest paid RB on his team...) then does Ringer even have any value. Gerhart will get carries no matter what to help keep AD fresh.
ReplyDeleteI think Gerhart conceivably has more value, but I picked Ringer because he is under-the-radar and the Johnson contract situation makes him viable. I purposefully have omitted rookies in my free agent recommendations since they have to be drafted in Dyanasty leagues. Should I make this point more clear? I own CJ in 2 leagues so it's also personal to me. The holdout concern is very real IMO in the face of a likely lockout.
ReplyDeleteI also see Ringer as a true handcuff who has limited value unless Johnson is out. I think Gerhart has value as a #3/4 RB-TD Vulture.