2012 Fantasy Football Quick Hitters: Ray Rice, Matt Forte Ink New Deals
In the constantly active world of contract disputes, Ray Rice and the Baltimore Ravens reached an agreement on Monday that effectively removes the franchise tag. Rice would’ve made only 7.7 million this year under the franchise tag and thanks to his new deal he will be making a cool $17 million in the first year of his 5 year $40 million dollar deal.
Running-backs are like Starting Pitchers in baseball and can go down with a career threatening injury at any time, so you can understand Rice’s (and Forte, mentioned below) insistence on receiving a long term contract.
As for the Fantasy implications, Rice is my #1 RB and #1 overall player and this contract solidifies that for me. The phrase “got the money now he’s packing it in” is used way too much in sports, and it’s really the exception rather than the rule. One thing fantasy owners should not forget (which I’m sure the Ravens used as a bargaining chip), is that Rice has 598 rushing attempts combined over the last 2 years. That’s a lot of usage, and it doesn’t even count the 139 receptions over the past two years either.
Matt Forte | Running Back | Chicago Bears
Like Rice, Forte also got himself free of the franchise tag’s 7.7 million dollar tender for 2012. Forte unlike Rice, was a lot more vocal about his gripes with being slapped with the 1-year tender. His gripes are worthy; Forte received a 4 year $32 million dollar deal which was well deserved after having perhaps the best season (albeit injury shortened) of his career.
Forte has always been a great receiver, but over the past two years he has added an important dimension to his game; ball protection. After fumbling 5 times in 258 attempts in 2009, Forte has fumbled only once in his past 440 rushing attempts (which spans the past two seasons). Forte’s improvement in that area no doubt elevates him to elite status; however, the Bears brought in Michael Bush who has logged solid numbers in a backup role with the Raiders over the years. That’s a huge slap in the face for one of the best all-around backs in the game.
The biggest question for fantasy owners, and Matt Forte for that matter, is: Did the Bears sign Bush as an insurance policy to the now “injury-prone” Forte, or will he have a role that sees him getting 10-12 carries per game – as well as goal line work. Time will tell, but Forte is no doubt one of the highest risk reward backs in Fantasy, and with the contract situation behind him, he should be on your radar at around “the turn” of the 1st and 2nd round.
Written by Ilyn Yeh and Joshua Kay exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. For more great fantasy football advice, follow Ilyn on twitter @ilyn and Josh @RaysNut_1292.
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(December 3, 2011 – Source: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)
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