After the Baltimore Ravens moved on from Ray Rice this week in the aftermath of footage of his domestic violence incident with his then-fiancee leaking, fantasy football owners rushed to their computers to add Justin Forsett on the waiver wire.
Bernard Pierce opened the season as the backup to Rice and primary handcuff, but he lost touches after an early fumble landed him in the doghouse. Forsett came in and rushed 11 times for 70 yards and a touchdown, likely earning him the starting spot this Thursday vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.
So who is the most desirable back over the long haul?
The Case for Forsett
First of all, Forsett didn't fumble on Sunday, so he's got the leg up. Forsett is a shiftier, fast runner and therefore has much more big-play potential. While he's never carried the majority of a workload before-his career high in carries is 118, set in 2010 with the Seattle Seahaws-he's been very productive in the limited action he's seen.
Forsett's career yards per carry is 4.9, and it's dragged down a bit by a putrid 3.2 yard average in 2010. Aside from that season, he has only one other campaign in which his yards per attempt were under 5.2.
The Case for Pierce
Pierce was the primary backup entering the game and the season, and one fumble isn't likely to erase everything he'd earned in the past two seasons. However, last year was prime time for Pierce to usurp the struggling Rice, and he responded by posting a 2.9 yards per carry average.
The previous season, however, Pierce looked the part of future fantasy stud. He averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. He's also not the smallish back Forsett is, meaning he is built to carry bigger workloads.
Even if he doesn't start, he can be trusted to stay healthy more than Forsett can. He's also going to get the goal line carries over Forsett, meaning it's easier for him to score points when the offense isn't clicking.
Verdict: Go with the upside. Pierce may be a little more stable, but he's not going to offer the week-winning, big play potential of Forsett. Furthermore, Pierce doesn't have a great 2013 to prop him up.
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