I think the concern with Rodgers taking over is being blown a little bit out of proportion. The O-line is solid, the WR's are young and deep, the defense is good enough to get the ball back to the offense. This is just a solid team and Ryan Grant proved that he can be a solid back.

Barber on the other hand has been doing it well for a while now. You know what you're getting with him. Romo, TO and Witten definitely gives him room to operate and while Felix Jones should provide more production than Julius did, Barber will still be the one the 'Boys lean on.

For me, the tiebreaker always comes down to upside. We know more or less what Barber can give us, but Grant has an opportunity to explode. It's a close call, but I'd give the edge to Grant.

absolutely ,i would take ryan grant over marion barber

the packers have a great o-line,their offense is intact and full of talent ,the only difference is aaron rogers,that change could cut back on throws and add more runs,which means more touchs for ryan grant (running/catching)

marion barber ...samething ,same talent around with the same need for touchs,nothing has changed his status for more touchs,i actually think felix is gonna take touchs from barber,maybe not too much but 1-3 more would hurt barbers stats,imo

I really cant see Felix Jones taking much more away from Barber than Julius Jones did last year.

Barber might see a couple less touches per game between the 20's but I think Felix being more dynamic than Julius will result in a stronger offense and result in more TD chances for Barber in the red zone. Especially with nothing new on the WR front for Dallas except everyone being another year older.

Fact is Barber was about the 7th overall back last year in standard leagues and I dont see him dipping out of the top 10.

Yes his running style is one that beats up a player (both him and others), but Barber isnt being used as an every down back like they used to in days gone by. He protects his knees very well with his mean stiff arm and that is the biggest point of contention with most hard running RB's.

Grant did well last year, but you can be sure defenses respected what Favre can do a hell of alot more than what Rodgers can do. Plus Rodgers hasnt been able to remain without injuries despite being used so sparingly. If he goes down, the QB situation gets even worse for Grant.

While I do think Grant, being a solo back has an advantage in that regard over Barber, I also think hes going to have to fight a hell of alot harder for his yards.

In the end both are good backs, but I would put Barber in the 8-10 spot and Grant in the 9-11 spot

Typo - U meant to say Ryan Grant where you said Barber is a flashpoint.

Tough guys to rank... Given the lack of top-shelf feature backs in the league these days, I think one could reasonably justify taking either between RB10 or 15. I'd take either of the top 2 QBs or any of the top 5 WRs (especially in ppr) over Grant or Barber, but that still puts them somewhere in round 2 of a redraft.

However both, imo, have some big question marks. Grant may be a one-hit-wonder who benefited from Favre's resurgence. Barber has probably hit the maximum number of carries he'll get with Dallas in a given season (~200) and is having a contract battle, but he sure does a lot with just 200 carries, doesn't he?

The best way to frame this debate might be in terms of risk: Grant is riskier, but doesn't contend with others for carries and probably has a higher upside; Barber is highly reliable but will contend with Jones and maybe Choice for carries. If you're a gambler, take Grant who could contend for a rushing title, if he is for real. If you seek consistency, take Barber, who will get you 1000 yds and 10 tds, but I wouldn't expect to put up much more.

If I had to pick right now, I'd probably take Grant over Barber, but its close...

Barber has to be the guy. look at the offense in the redzone. the Pack's Zone scheme and o-lines' smallish size doesn't make them a very efficient running team inside the 20. They are a spread team that allows grant to slash for big yards, but Dallas' style inside the twenty and Barber's tenacity will yield him more touchdowns and more points in almost every format. -- This from a packer fan

I'm inclined to say Grant here, but it's very close. There is nothing in either of their resumes right now that says either one can handle the load for a full season. But Grant doesn't have somebody who was drafted specifically to spell him. I take Grant by a hair over Barber.