Fantasy Insight: Who Will Be the Indianapolis Colts' Starting Running Back?

We all know who will start at quarterback for Indianapolis in week one of the 2012 season. What we don't know is who else will be in the backfield.

Among the top questions to be answered during training camp at Anderson University in August is who will be the Colts' starting running back.

There are three chief candidates, but all have their limitations.

Donald Brown had a gaudy yards per carry total in 2011, but is a boom/bust back prone to unproductive stretches in between scintillating runs. For a long time, the book on Brown was that he was a poor blocker, but he visibly improved in 2011, and graded out quite well in pass protection.

Delone Carter was drafted in the fourth round in 2011, and many expected him to challenge for a starting spot. Instead, he struggled to hang on to the football and was surprisingly ineffective in power situations. He was very good on second and short, but his performance on third and fourth down was lacking. 

A few weeks ago, the Colts used a fifth-round pick on another back quite similar to Carter. Vick Ballard is a bruiser who doesn't possess great speed. While Ballard may have been the best player available, he's redundant in an offense that already had Carter. Ballard is a between-the-tackles runner who projects as a thunder back who could complement Donald Brown's lightning.

No matter who wins the starting job, it's clear the Colts are not set up to be a high volume running team. They have three situational runners, but no one who can stay on the field every down. In many respects, the question of who will be the starter is moot. None of the three are likely to get much more than 200 carries. In fact, over the last four seasons, the Colts have only had a 200 carry back once.

Brown has the most potential to be a breakout player, but don't hold your breath. I expect him to win the starting job, but don't think that will translate to more than 10-15 carries a game on the extreme high end.

Look for Donald Brown to chip in 60 total yards a game, and a handful of touchdowns. Watch the competition between Carter and Ballard closely. I expect Ballard to win the second spot, relegating Carter to spot duty. The Colts offense likely won't put up many points, but when they do get into a goal-line run situation, Ballard will be the man to vulture the touchdowns.

None of the Indianapolis backs should be drafted in your fantasy league this year. The Colts will employ a committee approach that will keep the value of all three players to a minimum.