Who is Carolina's best fantasy running back: DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart?
Fantasy owners (and I include myself here) like to sit at their computers and pine for the good ol' days before RBBCs, muttering silent curses under their breath at the Mike Shanahans of the world who foisted upon us the most overused acronym this side of LOL.
(For those of you who aren't computer savvy, that's short for laugh out loud). But I digress.
Despite the headaches RBBC's cause, maybe it's about time we acknowledge that the men who actually get paid to manage and coach NFL teams are on to something here. After all, none of us wants to revisit drafting Jamal Anderson the season after his 437 touches or Larry Johnson after his 457 touches.
Sometimes less really can be more, and sometimes a time share at running back really can be better for all parties involved, including fantasy owners. Such is the case in Carolina, at least, where DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have flourished in the arrangement.
Last season, Williams gained 1,369 yards from scrimmage and scored seven touchdowns. Stewart gained 1,272 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 times. Both backs went over 1,100 yards on the ground, marking the first time in NFL history that one team had two players surpass that mark in the same year.
So if Williams and Stewart each have great fantasy value, and neither has a lot of career mileage, then which back should you pick first on draft day? Well, the fact that Carolina is committed enough to the run means that there are plenty of carries for both players.
The nod in this corner, though, goes to Stewart, mainly because his career path seems to be trending upward. Remember, Williams' body of work, while impressive, is skewed a bit by his 20 total touchdowns in 2008.
At the age of 23, Stewart is also much younger than the 27-year-old Williams. Both players have been banged up at times the past two seasons, but Stewart gets a slight edge because he has yet to miss a game.
Still, if none of that sways you, you could always flip a coin.
Bottom line: Stewart and Williams are both quality fantasy backs, but the most upside belongs to Stewart.
