Ranking the Ricky Suitors
First things first. I don't think Ricky Williams will have a major impact on fantasy football this season. He's thirty years old and hasn't played football all year. By the time he's in football shape, the fantasy season will be over. And Williams will probably be a backup no matter where he plays. With that said, he's worth a look in very deep leagues where you can afford a flier. Let's rank my top-five most likely destinations for Williams.
5. St. Louis - Scott Linehan has coached Ricky before and seems open to coaching him again. But do the Rams really need a veteran backup that badly? They'd probably rather develop Antonio Pittman and Brian Leonard.
4. New England - Bill Belichick probably doesn't care about Ricky's negative perception around the league. He knows through Nick Saban and many AFC East games what kind of player Williams can be. With that said, I just don't think the Patriots will feel their need is big enough at running back to bother. Is he really that much better than Corey Dillon?
3. Denver - Mike Shanahan wouldn't relish the P.R. hit he'd take going from Travis Henry to Ricky Williams, but that's never stopped him from taking chances before. The Broncos have shown interest in Ricky in the past.
2. Miami - He's still on the roster and they need a running back. Cam Cameron hasn't said much about Williams since taking over, so it's anyone's guess what they will do. Common sense says they are through with him, but you never know. They have a two-week roster exemption to decide what to do with Williams, but a decision should come quickly.
1. Tampa Bay - These rankings are just guesses; I don't have inside information. But the Bucs are desperate to make the playoffs, love to take chances on sketchy veterans (Jerramy Stevens, David Boston), and have a need at running back. Jon Gruden loves to rehab old stars, and Ricky would bring some size to the position that Earnest Graham and Michael Pittman don't.
Update: It sounds like the Dolphins are open to bringing Ricky back, and we'll find out in the next few days. If I read this article first, Miami would have been ranked in the top spot.
Comments
The Dolphins should keep Ricky for the balance of the season for three reasons.
1- They have a need at RB
2- Why not see what Ricky can do and perhaps peak trade interest in another club?
3- They haven't won any games this year so I don't think Ricky will be a negative in the locker room. I mean, the locker room probably can't get any lower.
Posted by: royaltee | November 14, 2007 11:34 AM
I dunno. Chi town seems like a logical fit
Posted by: Paulo | November 14, 2007 12:17 PM
I'm not sure I understand how these other teams would acquire Williams. The trade deadline for the NFL season has passed and I don't think that Miami would cut Williams when they could trade him in the off-season. What makes the most sense to me is #2 in an earlier post, run Ricky and look to trade him to build team.
Posted by: Shayne | November 14, 2007 12:29 PM
you're half right shayne.
the trade deadline has come and gone, so they couldn't trade him.
but they only get a 2 week exemption for him, so after 2 weeks, they've either got to cut him, or cut somebody else. and roster spots for a struggling team trying to find out who's gonna contribute next year are almost as valuable as those on a team in the playoff hunt.
unless ricky gets a chance and plays REALLY well, he's got minimal trade value. i mean, teams wouldn't give up the necessary picks to get michael turner, they're sure not gonna take a shot on someone with a track record of letting teams down.
Posted by: matt | November 14, 2007 12:43 PM
The best the Dolphins could possibly get for Ricky during the offseason assuming they play him and he looks decent is a super late 2nd day pick at best.
No team wants to cut any player and watch them perform well for another team, especially one playoff bound or in their same division (Pats)
Posted by: royaltee | November 14, 2007 12:56 PM
I think if Cameron is asking the team what they think, he wants Ricky to play for the 'Phins. Otherwise, who cares what the players think. And the players will probably take any help they can.
I think Royaltee's points are fair and who knows, maybe they get a sixth-round pick. You saw how much haggling went into Trent Green, which wasn't too different a value.
Posted by: Gregg | November 14, 2007 01:06 PM
actually... it's business time.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kHOSEcmZvG8
Posted by: matt | November 14, 2007 01:44 PM