Sean's Sports : Ricky Williams vs ... Cedric Benson?

Ricky Williams vs ... Cedric Benson?

Ricky Williams is coming back to the NFL after a 1.5 year suspension for repeatedly getting caught using marijuana. He's still under contract with the Miami Dolphins, and despite having played in only 12 games in the last four years, he'll most likely be an instant upgrade for their running game (with Ronnie Brown out for the season, Jesse Chatman is getting 25-30 carries a game ... that's a good way to go 0-9).

But the starting job for the winless Dolphins isn't the only competition Ricky has a chance to win when he comes back to the league. Cedric Benson of the Bears had this to say:

"We've got this thing that when he gets in the league we're going to compete to see who's the better running back," Benson said. "We always wanted to see who's the better running back."

Why do I find this interesting? Well, on one level I find it amusing that the only time Cedric Benson manages to sound like he actually wants to compete is when he's going up against a most-likely over the hill pothead who Benson thinks he has a shot against. He sure doesn't have a shot against NFL defenses.

On another level, this whole situation plays out very significantly for my fantasy team. I don't know how many fantasy owners out there have Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, and Jesse Chatman on their team, but I'm one of them (actually I released Brown when I found out that he was out for the season, understandably). And I'm seriously considering picking up Ricky Williams. On one hand I'm afraid he'll take Chatman's job. On another, I'm afraid he'll make Chatman worthless by taking half his carries. On a third hand, I'm afraid Williams will go to another team and dominate, possibly hurting my chances during the playoffs. And on my fourth and final hand (I have long toes, in case you were wondering), I'm afraid that if I pick him up he'll do absolutely nothing, and whoever I drop to get him will start to perform well.

I don't think there's an answer to my fantasy football problems. But I'm not going to stop laughing at Cedric Benson and his 3 yards per carry. Nor am I going to stop laughing at all the fools who drafted him (myself included, of course).

Posted by Sean Schulte at 2007-11-16 15:33:00