When Trent Richardson was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in week two, many fantasy football prognosticators (myself included) thought that his fantasy value was about to skyrocket. No longer would he have to face stacked boxes as the only offensive threat. Opposing defenses would now have to account for more than just the running back. He was going to benefit from a stretched field opened up by new teammates Andrew Luck, Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton, all of which are capable of making oppositions pay on the scoreboard.
Now two months later, it has become clear that Richardson is a 2013 fantasy football bust. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since week four. In his last five games, he has averaged 31 rushing yards per contest, and exceeded 50 rushing yards once. In that same timeframe, he has averaged just over four fantasy points per game. Even worse, he is losing snaps to Donald Brown. Richardson isn’t even the best running back on his own team, let alone on any fantasy teams.
If you can get anything for Richardson at this point via trade, then by all means pull the trigger on whatever deal you can get. For some reason Richardson is still owned in 96 percent of Yahoo! leagues, despite running indecisively and showing no signs of progress over the last two months. To make matters worse, the Colts have some tough matchups for running backs ahead, including games against the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs.
I understand that it is tough to cut a player that you picked in the first few rounds of your draft, but there are better options available going forward. Andre Brown is available in 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues and rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown in his season debut today. Shane Vereen is available in 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues and is looking to make his return next week to a New England Patriots offense that is finally getting healthy. Mike James is available in 68 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite being the primary running back with Doug Martin sent to season ending injured reserve.
We all had higher hopes for Richardson this season. Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown fantasy owners anything to think that he is going to turn it around this season. It is probably best for your fantasy team to cut ties and move on.
As always, I welcome your comments. If you think I’m wrong, I’m willing to listen. Just back it up with some facts and solid evidence. Thanks for reading and good luck this season.
Dustin Manko is an author at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustinManko, ”Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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