LeGarrette Blount vs. Frank Gore: 2011 Fantasy Football Tug-of-War

I had an interesting dilemma in my fantasy football keeper league. I had to decide if I wanted to retain LeGarrette Blount or Frank Gore. 

It’s not a PPR league, which evens the playing field. Do I go with the proven player or the young upstart?

Gore has had five straight seasons with 1,300-plus total yards. He has a track record of being one of the best running backs in the league.

I have him ranked higher than Blount, which is on par with most rankings. The beauty of Gore is that if he gets shut down in the running game he can still make up for it in the passing game.

Plus, Jim Harbaugh is committed to building the offense around Gore.

He’s not without a downside, though. Gore has missed nine games in the past three years, including five last year with a hip injury.

While he hasn’t reached 30, he is in the neighborhood. He has averaged 300 touches over the past five years—or 21.4 a game—giving Gore some serious mileage.

He’s unhappy about his contract as well.  He is saying the right things about not wanting to be a distraction to his teammates or coaches, and at least he is in camp unlike Chris Johnson, but it would not be a stretch to say that could weigh on his mind during the year.

I would be surprised if the Niners paid the man. To me, running back is the most replaceable position in football, especially with Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon appearing ready to handle the load once Gore is gone. That has to factor in since this is a keeper league.

Meanwhile, Blount is 24 (25 in December). The Bucs did not make a splash in the NFL draft or free agency to provide serious competition to Blount.

Blount ran for 1,007 yards on 201 carries (5.0 yards per carry) with six touchdowns. He was non-existent in the passing game, but that is less of an issue since this isn’t a PPR league.

While it takes away from his total yardage numbers, I think he’ll do enough damage on the ground to make up for it.

He’s a big back (6’0″, 245 pounds) with good speed, power and even the ability to leap would-be tacklers.

Plus, I prefer his fantasy playoffs matchups with Jacksonville, Dallas and Carolina over San Francisco’s of Arizona, Pittsburgh and Seattle.

I decided to keep Blount over Gore. Am I nuts? Feel free to speak your mind.

Also check out:

• 2011 Fantasy Football QB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football RB Rankings – PPR
• 2011 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
• 2011 Fantasy Football TE Rankings