Is Beanie Wells a Fantasy Football Top 25 Player?

Eric StashinAug 16, 2010

Chris “Beanie” Wells was highly-touted coming out of college a year ago. The Cardinals selected him in the first round of the draft (31st overall) and he was expected to compete with Tim Hightower for the bulk of the carries.

It was hard to argue with the thinking. Wells was coming off a junior season for Ohio State where he had averaged 5.8 yards per carry (1,197 yards) and 8 touchdowns, having missed three games. In his sophomore campaign, he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns.

He missed time in training camp, however, and never was able to overtake Hightower for starting duties. He was still impressive, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, as he rushed for 793 yards and 7 touchdowns.

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The Cardinals as a whole are changing, with Matt Leinart assuming the starting quarterback duties with Kurt Warner retiring. Could there be a change at running back as well?

One factor which generally goes unnoticed by fantasy owners is his ability to pick up the blitz. If you can’t do that, it’s hard to be a third down back, meaning you are going to be on the field less often. According to the team’s website (click here for the article), that’s an aspect of his game that is improved from last season.

Injuries are another concern, having already suffered a rib injury this preseason. However, he recently drew praise from head coach Ken Wisenhunt for his ability to play through it (the quote comes courtesy of the Arizona Republic, which you can read by clicking here):

“I know he was sore. I think when you’re a player working like he’s working to get as many reps as he can, that’s an important thing. I’m glad to see Beanie take that course of action.”

That type of hard work could easily lead to extra carries, though Hightower isn’t going anywhere. This scenario seems primed to be a clear running back by committee.

Wells did receive more carries a year ago (176 vs. 143) and was more productive with those touches (4.5 YPC vs. 4.2 YPC). Hightower, however, was significantly more successful in the passing game, with 63 receptions for 428 yards, as compared to Wells’ 12 catches for 143 yards.

While Wells may have improved, Hightower is clearly the more dangerous player in that scenario. That’s going to hurt Wells’ time on the field, especially with a young quarterback now running the show. He’s going to need a safety valve, and the better receiver could be beneficial.

I’m not about to downgrade Wells’ ability. I have him ranked as the 14th best running back on my draft board (click here for the full rankings). Still, according to Mock Draft Central, he’s being selected as the 24th player off the board.

That seems a bit early to me, especially given some of the negatives surrounding him and questions about his playing time. He’s going to be sharing time and he may not be given the chance to play on many passing downs. Great player, but not a top-25 talent for me. I’d much rather have him in the mid-to-late third round.

What are your thoughts? Do you see Wells as a second round talent? Why or why not?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s 2010 rankings:

Also, make sure to check out our recent rookie rankings:

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