Mendenhall or Charles

[GridIronFavre]

I am looking to make a move this offseason to pick up another RB. One owner has both Mendenhall and Charles, and I was going to try to go after one of them. How do you think the two's futures will pan out? I tend to like Mendenhall much better but I suppose you cannot ignore Charles's production this year. On a related note, does Reggie Bush have any long-term upside anymore? - I was thinking about trying to package him with a pick(s) in the move for Mendenhall or Charles.

[hosler427]

In non-ppr Reggie Bush has little to no upside IMO.

Mendenhall is about 3 huge steps above Charles in non-ppr as well. I don't put too much stock into the half season of production from Charles. He doesn't have the size/build and he isn't elusive. I know there are a ton of people on here that are really on him but Chris Johnson is the exception to the rule and I would temper expectations for Charles.

[Orca]

I don't see Reggie Bush having much value going forward. I think the best you can hope for is a bye week fill in.

I disagree completely with dismissing Charles based on his body of work. You could do the same with Mendenhall. His work has been limited and he has looked incredibly ordinary in a bulk of his work. I think he is ordinary and will continue to be so.

Charles on the other hand has absolutely maximized every touch he has gotten and has been nothing but spectacular. Eight games is a plenty big chunk to evaluate a player.

I would MUCH rather have Charles. The people who are questioning his size are the same people who said that Chris Johnson couldn't handle a full work load.

[BradyT]

I´d rather have Mendenhall.

[thevidon2]

The Steelers draft room (who by most accounts are pretty good) were on their feet cheering when Mendenhall fell to them in the first last year. He is not ordinary.

Go Mendenhall if they are both going to be costly.

Go Charles if he comes cheap.

[kris_kapsner]

Right now I like Mendenhall over Charles.

But, Charles has impressed me this year.

[Orca]

The Steelers draft room (who by most accounts are pretty good) were on their feet cheering when Mendenhall fell to them in the first last year. He is not ordinary.

Go Mendenhall if they are both going to be costly.

Go Charles if he comes cheap.

Jamarcus Russell was a 1st overall pick...

Philadelphia Eagles fans drove to the draft to protest when the Eagles drafted McNabb over Ricky Williams

Where a player is drafted has nothing to do with what they do on the field. Watching Mendenhall play, he looks ordinary to me.

[kris_kapsner]

The Steelers draft room (who by most accounts are pretty good) were on their feet cheering when Mendenhall fell to them in the first last year. He is not ordinary.

Go Mendenhall if they are both going to be costly.

Go Charles if he comes cheap.

Jamarcus Russell was a 1st overall pick...

Philadelphia Eagles fans drove to the draft to protest when the Eagles drafted McNabb over Ricky Williams

Where a player is drafted has nothing to do with what they do on the field. Watching Mendenhall play, he looks ordinary to me.

It has a lot to do with their talent level. Are there some guys that are missed by teams who rise to the top in the NFL? Sure. But, those are usually QBs who ride the bench a bit behind good players like Romo and Brady. Or, they are WRs who just were underestimated going into the draft like Colston or Marshall.

How many elite level starting RBs playing right now were drafted in the 3rd round or later? Not many.

This should be the whole list of starting RBs not drafted in the first two rounds:
Charles (3rd)
Grant (Undrafted)
Kevin Smith (3rd)
Hightower (5th, but for how much longer with Wells there?)
Turner (5th)
Fred Jackson (Undrafted, but will he hold on with Lynch there?)
Harrison (5th)
Barber (4th)
Slaton (3rd)
Pierre Thomas (undrafted)
Jacobs (4th)
Westbrook (3rd)
Gore (3rd)


The list was longer than I thought it would be. But, how many of those are good dynasty RBs? Charles, Grant, Smith, Jackson, Harrison, Slaton, Pierre Thomas and Jacobs are all guys that people would like to sell if they can get a decent price. Turner and Gore are pretty much the only guys that most people have in their top 12 rankings right now unless you're high on Grant and Charles.

The reality is that most starting RBs that "stick" as starters are 1st or 2nd round picks.

[hostile]

In non-ppr Reggie Bush has little to no upside IMO.

Mendenhall is about 3 huge steps above Charles in non-ppr as well. I don't put too much stock into the half season of production from Charles. He doesn't have the size/build and he isn't elusive. I know there are a ton of people on here that are really on him but Chris Johnson is the exception to the rule and I would temper expectations for Charles.

I dunno about that.

This video is a little annoying, but worth watching.

I dont see special, elite talent, but he does make the first couple of guys miss, and in the Broncos game highlights at the end, he shows some damn nice balance...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRDJg6cW5lc

[thevidon2]

The Steelers draft room (who by most accounts are pretty good) were on their feet cheering when Mendenhall fell to them in the first last year. He is not ordinary.

Go Mendenhall if they are both going to be costly.

Go Charles if he comes cheap.

Jamarcus Russell was a 1st overall pick...

Philadelphia Eagles fans drove to the draft to protest when the Eagles drafted McNabb over Ricky Williams

Where a player is drafted has nothing to do with what they do on the field. Watching Mendenhall play, he looks ordinary to me.

Are you seriously going to compare the Raiders draft decision makers to those of the Steelers? Cmon can we please base our arguments in at least a little bit of reality......

Note that I didnt just say "Oh he was a first round pick", I said "He was selected in the first round by people who know how to evaluate personnel pretty damn well".

[Orca]

The Steelers draft room (who by most accounts are pretty good) were on their feet cheering when Mendenhall fell to them in the first last year. He is not ordinary.

Go Mendenhall if they are both going to be costly.

Go Charles if he comes cheap.

Jamarcus Russell was a 1st overall pick...

Philadelphia Eagles fans drove to the draft to protest when the Eagles drafted McNabb over Ricky Williams

Where a player is drafted has nothing to do with what they do on the field. Watching Mendenhall play, he looks ordinary to me.

Are you seriously going to compare the Raiders draft decision makers to those of the Steelers? Cmon can we please base our arguments in at least a little bit of reality......

Note that I didnt just say "Oh he was a first round pick", I said "He was selected in the first round by people who know how to evaluate personnel pretty damn well".

Everyone makes mistakes...Mendenhall will be one of theirs. Only time will tell.

But for people to be so GaGa over a partial season of mediocre performance by Mendy and then dismiss 8 games of dominance from Charles is mind boggling.

[Misfit74]

Jamarcus Russell was a 1st overall pick...

Philadelphia Eagles fans drove to the draft to protest when the Eagles drafted McNabb over Ricky Williams

Where a player is drafted has nothing to do with what they do on the field. Watching Mendenhall play, he looks ordinary to me.

Are you seriously going to compare the Raiders draft decision makers to those of the Steelers? Cmon can we please base our arguments in at least a little bit of reality......

Note that I didnt just say "Oh he was a first round pick", I said "He was selected in the first round by people who know how to evaluate personnel pretty damn well".

Everyone makes mistakes...Mendenhall will be one of theirs. Only time will tell.

But for people to be so Gaga over a partial season of mediocre performance by Mendy and then dismiss 8 games of dominance from Charles is mind boggling.

Looks like Skip has found another Anti-Mendenhall supporter. The bandwagon is now 2.

[skip]

It has a lot to do with their talent level. Are there some guys that are missed by teams who rise to the top in the NFL? Sure. But, those are usually QBs who ride the bench a bit behind good players like Romo and Brady. Or, they are WRs who just were underestimated going into the draft like Colston or Marshall.

Where a player is drafted has to do with their PERCEIVED talent level. Not their actual talent level. Team make mistakes early in the draft all the time - at all positions. There are also players who are drafted later with plenty of talent for a number of reasons. Some because of the college systems they play in don't showcase their talents. Some play at smaller schools.

As to some players on your list:

Brian Westbrook was a stud - regardless of where he ranks this season.
Marion Barber's value has nothing to do with his talent level but on his time share situation. He has the talent to be a #1 RB ahead of many starters in the NFL.
Pierre Thomas' situation is much the same as Barber's.

This is just a small set of guys who are being sold in fantasy leagues because of situation, not talent. We can go back and forth on how we value any number of players. What matters is not what they did in college, how teams rated them coming out, etc. What matters is what they have shown they can do on the football field in the NFL.

[skip]

Looks like Skip has found another Anti-Mendenhall supporter. The bandwagon is now 2.

I worry more about your allegiance to Roy Williams than to Mendenhall. At least you should admit defeat on that one.

As to Charles vs. Mendy, this is a tough call right now. I believe Charles has more upside, so that is likely the way I would go. However, his situation (he plays for the Chiefs who still have Matt Cassel at QB) makes me a little nervous. There are no guarantees that he will even be the starter in 2010. If he is, then that's fantastic. For Mendy, he is in the better situation. There is little doubt at this point that the Steelers will be going into next season with him as their #1. And it should be no surprise that I have him in the non-elite category, which by Kris' standards means he wont stick as a starter for long in the NFL.

[Misfit74]

Looks like Skip has found another Anti-Mendenhall supporter. The bandwagon is now 2.

I worry more about your allegiance to Roy Williams than to Mendenhall. At least you should admit defeat on that one.

I think 'allegiance' is probably the wrong term. I held hope for him, since I traded for him last year (Kurt Warner/Javon Walker for Roy) and drafted him in round 5 of a startup this year. He did not emerge as I thought he would. I thought being in that offense w/ a good QB would help him turn around his career and produce. So far, that hasn't happened. I was wrong.