He appears to be the top point on a three-pronged attack in Baltimore but with McClein and McGahee still there, lets not go overboard here.

Ideally a coach would start McGahee, bring in Rice on passing downs, then bring in Mclein for short yardage. Keeps everyone healthy

What say you?

Maybe if you coached the team that would be the scenario. But Rice is taking all the 1st team reps...running or passing downs. McGahee avg'd under 4ypc last year, so he will be coming in to give Rice a breather and McClain is the FB now. Last year he was the HB so his carries will go down significantly.

The only worry at this point is will McClain still get the ball at the goal line.

Ray Rice is the best RB on that team now. McGahee will be the backup and he will get carries. I do expect McClain to get the goal-line carries, despite Ray Rice getting a statue of liberty play on the goal line. Depends on the type of league your in, but the Ravens have a pretty good running attack and Ray Rice should lead it. Probably won't approach double digit TDs, but I could see him going for 1000 yards.....

I'm amazed at how Rice's stock is jumping right now. After drafting McGahee last year, there's no way I'm going near that RB situation in Baltimore. Sure, Rice is a very talented back but I just don't see him being the DeAngelo of '09.

In the first drafts I did, Rice was picked around round 10-12 but now a lot of people are picking him at round 5-6 over guys like LJ, Bush or Thomas Jones...that's just crazy. Preseason doesn't mean much to me but that's just me.

Depends where you get him.

I would say late 5th and after is really good value in PPR.

His ceiling is tremendous. That rotoworld article really did a good job of showing all his value. The one thing they left out is that Baltimore's Defense still looks solid and that should continue to let them run all day and control the clock.

The only negative against Rice is that he could lose some or all goalline work. Same thing as Slaton. IMO they're very similar.

no, of course he isnt being overrated. in fact, i just traded forte for him. i even threw in reggie wayne out of respect for ray. /sarcasm. i think he will be decent, but yes, he's being waaaay overhyped. i'd personally want to stay away from that rb situation

I like Rice alot, and I don't think late 5th is that bad for him as he has a chance to be focal point RB for that team. I have no problem taking him over TJ

Oh please, I've seen guys way more overrated than Rice...Mr. Torain anyone?

If they somehow can weed out McGahee, I'd like his situation much more overall. But they seem committed to Rice and its his job to lose.

What remains to be seen is how they'll use McGahee and who'll get the majority of the goal-line carries.

I just think Rice may get more than we think. I mean, McClain bulked up in the offseason. If he's in for GL carries, who is going to block? As I said before, he's a great guy to take a chance on if he is cemented on your team as your current RB3/RB4 (he's my RB4 on my 14 teamer) with the upside to become more.

He your RB4? he being drafted at the end of the 5th round in 12 team leagues..... and you got him as your 4th RB?

Exactly, Rice should easily beat the pants off of McGahee. McGahee hasn't exactly made the most of his opportunities nor has he been able to stay healthy. I think McClain is going to take on more FB duties this season with the loss of Neal. Someone has to block!

I was able to snag Rice in my 10 teamer in the middle of the 8th rd. That is great value for being my RB4.

Yes, although you could probably say he's my RB3 with Moreno being a little knicked up. I drafted last Sunday in a 14 teamer...non-ppr. Numerous reputable fantasy sites have been covering Rice this year, this is exactly why his ADP is shooting up and he's pretty much not a sleeper pick anymore.

my first 6 round picks in order...

Moss
Jacobs
McFadden
Moreno
Schaub
Rice

he has been going way too high as of recent... I feel like I stole him where I got him but I'd rather have Leon Washington in the 10th or something'

got rice in the 11th btw

Reason #432419 I like to draft early. Sleepers are still sleepers.

Even still, football will eventually get to the point where everyone does research like we do.

I love Ray Rice and I'll be grabbing him around the 5th/6th. I'm ready to reach, but only because I have to.

Pick 9 of 10 and I'm goin WR WR the first two rounds.

EDIT: And actually, a rise up the draft boards might help. How many people think much of a semi-lead RB from a 3 prong attack? Obviously we know he's not, but this could still be the general consensus.

Screw Yahoo! Stop putting names out there when no one knows why these guys are good!

quick note... in 140 total touches last season, rice scored a grand total of 0 TDs...

Get that talk outta here and have a sip of this kool-aid

McGahee is 28 years old and healthy. He almost averaged the same ypc as Rice and he was hurt all of last year.

McGahee is only 1 season removed from a Pro Bowl season of 1200+ yards rushing and 43 catches

Rice may be the future in Baltimore but the Ravens would be fools not to give half the snaps to McGahee with the amount of money they are paying him

I am avoiding this mess altogether. I think people are too quick to dismiss McClain. He is a better back than most people realize and will possibly even put up better numbers than the hype machine Rice. Reaching for this guy is bad idea IMO ...I think he's a boom or bust pick that you likely have to target in the 4th, 5th or 6th rounds now ...no thanks.

In Football you can't look at the past in regards to RB's who have a lot of miles on them. Once they go bad they're gone. McGahee is an old 28 with major knee surgeries on both knees, B-More would be silly to rely on him as their feature back. They can't cut him because they don't have anyone else worthy to spell Rice and they feel they're a Super Bowl calibur team. If Rice proves he can stay healthy and productive, you won't be seeing much of Willis.

mgahee hasn't reach any threshold, whether it be age or # of carries, that would indicate that he's "gone"... in reality, the rumblings in BAL camp is that he looks better than ever... it sounds as though you're over-rationalizing the situation to fit your argument... i think occam's razor applies here...

he's supposed to be the fullback though

If Rice is the better back then Baltimore would be fools to not let him run the show.

He sure seemed more than capable of being an everydown back in the last preseason game.

Money doesn't really matter in this type of situation. As someone has mentioned, the Ravens are a playoff team right now and they need to start the best back that gives them the best chance to win.

If McGahee was that guy, he would be in with the first team. Do you think they'd risk their season by giving McGahee the bulk carries because he gets paid X amount of money this year? Wouldn't be a smart decision on their part...

Pretty clear tha Rice is in the lead right now and as many of us have said, who knows who McClain will be used but seeing how he scored the most TDs last year, you would assume he's the GL back.

Rice is quickly becoming the most overrated player on the board. He was a great flex-play/bye weel play with juicy upside that you could grab pretty late in the draft, but now he is being drafted as if this situation was already set in stone. If McClain gets the goal-line touches and McGahee splits the carries, I would much prefer either of them in the last few rounds than Rice in the 4th/5th/6th.


He went 6th round in my first draft and 4th round in my second, and that was before yahoo and rw jumped on the hype train. I can't wait to see where this ends up by next week.

4th round is pretty ridiculous...

Reasons to be skeptical:

1. His status as a clear cut starter is based on usage patterns in two preseason games.

2. His status as the goal line back is based on one possession in one of those games.

3. Peter King is calling it a committee. http://twitter.com/SI_PeterKing (Of course, it's usually wise to apply the Costanza principle to anything Peter King says about fantasy football, so take that for what it's worth.)

He could have a great year, but accurately predicting usage patterns is nearly impossible; we're still just reading tea leaves at this point.

Like others have mentioned, McClain is now the fullback. O'neal isn't there anymore so McClain actually needs to fill that spot.

I can see McClain vulturing TDs, but otherwise I don't see him getting anywhere near as many carries as he did last season.

Within 72 hours this guy went from underrated sleeper to overrated bust candidate. lol.

Haha..this is great.

Once Yahoo starts a front page story on the guy it is all over

You mean 2 days ago Rice Rice Baby article?

Yea, secret is out.

I thought the quotes were that he was in the best shape he's ever been in and has looked well. Well what are they supposed to say? If he's doing what they tell him to do and he seems determined now that his job is gone....good for him.

What about the preseason don't u buy n2? If they wanted to save McGahee for the season he wouldn't be playing at all or he would be playing with starters. He's in there with the scrubs, that should show u what they think of him. They don't put Rice in with the back ups because he's their guy.

I'd draft him in the 5th round, so if guys like me are reaching so others can't get their sleeper in the 7th...oh well. But if it's between him and some 3rd tier WR i'm going to get Rice.

If McFadden is a legit value pic in the 4th round Rice is a steal in the 5th.

it's abundantly clear that rice is the starter... no argument there considering he's practicing and playing with the 1st team offense, but to rationalize that mcgahee is done is a bit foolish imho...

big difference in talent level... mcfadden is considered top shelf talent, rice not so much...

No one is saying Rice isn't the starter. What they are saying is, his goal-line carry was on a trick play. A Statue of Liberty play is not the same as smashing your way through into the end zone. If he starts doing that, then your case becomes much stronger. But until then, I think a lot of us are still expecting McClain to take those carries, and to see Rice and McGahee splitting the rest.

I personally am expecting that split to be almost even, but that is just my personal opinion. Ravens football is smash-mouth, and wee little guys like Rice, compared to guys like McGahee, don't fit into that profile. I don't doubt he will be an important part of the Ravens gameplan, but if you are counting McGahee and McClain out you are in for a world of disappointment. They are just too good to be tossed aside for an undersized unproven talent like Rice.

I did a draft last night with a $115 buy in. So its not just some random free league.
Ray Rice went in round 5.3 ...#51 overall
24th RB selected.....Seemed a little high with larry johnson and wille parker and others still on the board. He is definitely not a sleeper anymore. If you want him now, your gonna have to pay for him. With high upside guys still left on the board,and a guy like mcgahee who could really take some carries, it might be best to let someone else use that late 4th,early 5th rd pick on him and use yours for a good wr and take felix jones or menfenhall later in the draft

That talent level was displayed to you on the college level. Nothing he's done in the NFL warrants this. But i guess if R.Bush can get drafted in the 4-5th round 3yrs after he's showed to be a bust i guess McFadden can slide right in there as well.

And McFadden's competition in Oakland is much harder than Rice's in Baltimore. Rice was 2nd round pick, it's not like he's a undrafted FA. The talent is there, his program just wasn't on the same level as an Arkansas.

this is all we have to go by... both players had mediocre/disappointing rookie campaigns due to injury...

There's a premium for upside and tell me what good WR's were on the board in the 5th round?

Eh, I don't agree. As I grabbed him in the 6th round, 71st overall, if I'm looking at guys like Ward, Avery, Berrian, Hester, Holt...I'm drafting Rice every single time.

This is with RBs like Felix, Brown, Sproles, Medenhall and Fred Jackson still on the board.

All dependent on your draft...

But the difference is Rice is the clear cut starter. McFadden is still fighting for that right.

14 teamer right?

i'll give you that now, but do you honestly think mcfadden won't be starting this season, barring an injury?

yes

You'd think so, but it concerns me that a top 5 pick can't convince his coaching staff that he's significantly better than M.Bush and an injured Fargas as a ball carrier. I'm just saying....

6th round, yes that is a very good pick. 5th round is probably just the right price (hoping he lasts to 5.11 - that's my pick). 4th round is a bit expensive, but you'll see people reach cause of the upside. PPR it might even be ok for 4th round, but personally would rather take Gonzalez or Marshawn Lynch in the 4th than Rice.

I'm gonna take Rice at 5.2 in a 10 team PPR 2 QB league if anyone wants to gauge value.

Terrell Owens,Cotchery,Braylon edwards,brandon marshall, and all the big TE's exceptwitten

TO shouldn't be available in the 5th round in any league.

71st is fine. I would take him at 71..but 51 was too high for me.