According to Ian Rapoport on Twitter, Ronnie Hillman, Montee Ball, and Knowshon Moreno will rotate drive-by-drive as a running back by committee, or RBBC, in Denver.
The goal of the drive-by-drive rotation will be to keep the offense moving fast with few substitutions while allowing each running back their fair chance to get in a groove. But it leaves little certainty for fantasy football drafters.
Ronnie Hillman has been named the starter for Week 1, but Montee Ball, Denver’s rookie running back, has long been projected as the one to get the most carries this season.
Other analysts are still promoting Knowshon Moreno as a sleeper, noting his low average draft position as a bargain if he plays like he did at the end of 2012 and his experience protecting Peyton Manning.
At least for the Week 1 showdown against the Ravens, as Rotoworld’s Evan Silva describes it, the Broncos backfield is “a fantasy situation to avoid.” Without knowing who will get the majority of the touches…or how the Broncos offensive line will hold up against the rebuilt Baltimore defense, it’s hard to put faith in any of these guys.
For the long haul, the safe play is to treat the Broncos running backs like Pokémon. You gotta get ’em all.
If you’ve already drafted and have rostered Hillman or Ball, at least consider stashing Moreno on your bench until we see how the workload is split in Week 1. Any or all of the backs could have value this season, but you may need to own the whole herd to benefit.
