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Ask the Experts

Which backup turned starting RB has the most value?

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp to Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which former backup running back, now a starter, will have the most value the rest of the way?

CORY BONINI

As the best of all uninspiring choices, I'd have to go with Zac Stacy. He should see the lion's share of the workload in St. Louis the rest of the way and has enough talent to remain a No. 2 fantasy back on a weekly basis. His schedule isn't particularly favorable, but quality players find ways to make the best out of tough situations.

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BOB HENRY

There are two that stand out - Rashad Jennings and Bobby Rainey. Jennings has performed well enough that the coaches have already stated their desire to keep him in the game plans even after Darren McFadden returns, which is to say the devil you know is worse than the devil you don't. They know what they have in McFadden and with free agency coming after the season for him, they might have more interest in keeping Jennings as part of their solution and left McFadden walk. In Tampa Bay, Rainey was the unlikely hero on Sunday scoring three touchdowns, but he's a much better option as a three-down back than Brian Leonard. Leonard is a viable third down option who can play a little fullback, but he's a plodder while Rainey offers more speed, elusiveness and gives the offense more of a big play threat out of the backfield. Expect Rainey to be the Bucs featured back the rest of the way and Jennings to remain involved even if/when McFadden returns from his ever-so-balky hamstring.

Henry is a senior writer/analyst for Footballguys.com since 2004 and an industry veteran of 17+ years. His responsibilities at Footballguys include leading the annual training camp reports, providing detailed preseason and year-forward projections during the season that help drive the Footballguys suite of mobile, web and desktop draft and in-season management tools, along with managing the depth charts and his popular weekly Sleepers column during the season.

DAVID DOREY

I like Ben Tate in this regard – he’s more than capable and the Texans will enjoy one of the lighter rushing schedules facing JAC, NE, @JAC, @IND and DEN. The offense has been lacking but Tate will get an easier slate of games if only from playing the Jaguars twice.

Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.

MICAH JAMES

This is an easy answer for me because I've been touting Ben Tate's value since the preseason. With Case Keenum under center the Texans have thrown a bit more, but I believe the coaching staff would like to shift the team's focus back on the running game and with Tate's ribs no longer bothering him I look for him to be a high-end RB2 for the remainder of 2013. (Of course facing the Jaguars twice doesn't hurt either!)

James, the FFMagicMan, won the FSTA Accuracy Rankings Challenge in 2012, finishing first out of 61 expert entries with an unprecedented Top-9 finish in each of the four measured skill positions. You can frequently hear him on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio and every week on his fantasy football podcast, Trick Plays, with co-host Coach Dennis Esser. Find James on Twitter and on Facebook, and check his website every week for the latest up-to-date player rankings.

SAM HENDRICKS

Without a doubt Zac Stacy. He has averaged 104 combined yards and 2.5 catches since taking over the lead role in week 5 for the Rams. Recent TDs versus IND and TEN give me even more hope that he will find the end zone sooner rather than later in his remaining six games. He has a decent schedule with some hard games (AZ, TB and SEA) sprinkled in amongst the easier games (SF, CHI and NO) and his competition is non existent. Honorable mention goes to Ben Tate a distant second.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.

ALAN SATTERLEE

I will take this time if I may to plug our dynasty analysis, dating back to last spring and into the summer on someone we were irrationally high on, and that player is RB Zac Stacy. It took four weeks for Stacy to by-pass Darryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead (neither of which are capable to be a bell-cow back). Stacy is not an elite athlete but he is a complete back who can do many things well and has fantastic strength; he averaged 5.4 YPC over his 4-year career at Vanderbilt in a very difficult conference and on crappy teams. With Kellen Clemons under center for the Rams, they will continue to feed Stacy a ton of carries. He's averaged 22.8 carries per game since Week 5 and Stacy is built to maintain that workload. Moreover, Stacy is also being involved in the passing game with 15 receptions over his last five games. Fresh off a bye, the Rams (and you) should ride Stacy down the stretch as a high-end RB2 to low-end RB1.

Satterlee is Co-Owner and Chief Editor/COO of FantasyFootballWarehouse.com. FFW features comprehensive profiles for all the major 2013 skill-position rookies, its Trading Spaces series, the team Deep Dives, the Speed Bump competition plus draft strategies, rankings, projections and more. FFW runs in tandem with its dynasty site DynastyFootballWarehouse.com.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I know he's been cut by two teams and I know it was against a hopeless Falcons defense, but when a running back puts up 163 yards and 3 TDs, I think this guy can play. Bobby Rainey is operating behind a very good run-blocking line, and this is a team with a thin receiving corps and rookie quarterback -- they want to run the ball. He has a couple of bad matchups for running backs the rest of the way, but he showed plenty of ability as a receiver with the Ravens two preseasons ago, and in Week 16 he faces the Rams.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for 12 years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

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