The Rewards And Frustrations of "The Goal Line Back"
What is a "Goal Line Back"? A goal line back is a
running back that a team inserts into the lineup when they are in
scoring position, usually inside the 5 yard line. This back typically
is a little bigger than a regular back because he is used to power the
ball into the end zone.
A goal line back can yield great rewards in the form of Touchdowns. Last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jerome Bettis started
the season as such a back. He had 52 carries for 129 yards and 8 TD's
in the first 7 games of the season. However, injuries to Duce Staley,
the team's regular tailback, caused Bettis to revert to his old role of
an every down back. The Oakland Raiders have also utilized the goal
line back. Over the last 6 years Zack Crockett has totaled only 861 yards but has 34 TD's. The Minnesota Vikings in the past have used Leroy Hoard and then later Moe Williams in
this same capacity. So in TD only leagues, the goal line back can be a
great asset to your team because what they do best is score Touchdowns.
On the flipside the goal line back can ruin a great fantasy week. If
you have a team's main running back and the team gets down in scoring
position, your back can be lifted for that goal line back. For example,
last season Duce Staley had 151 carries for 707 yards but only 1 TD in those same 7 games as Bettis. This I am sure frustrated many Staley owners. In yardage leagues Duce still did well but in TD leagues he was a bust.
So when drafting your running back crew, look closely at the role of goal line back and how he will affect your player.
BlackJack
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