The Miami Dolphins have a great one, two punch in the backfield with running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown.  The question however is not which running back will be the starter, but which running back should be drafted first in fantasy football.  Both backs have proven to be reliable fantasy options when healthy and given a fair share of opportunities.  I have participated in some mock drafts and have seen Brown going anywhere from the 4^th round down to the 6^th round.   This is followed by Williams generally being selected about two rounds later than his backfield counterpart.  Both players bring great attributes to the table, but both have negatives associated with their games.  Brown is generally regarded by many fantasy owners to be an injury risk and Williams desire to play could be a question mark. 

After all Brown missed seven games last season due to injury and Williams had been stated as saying that this could be his final season.  However, whenever either player has been given the majority of the carries that player has performed well above the running back norm.  To get a better understanding about each player’s abilities I have provided a chart of their statistics below.  The category of total touches is a combination of the player’s total rushing carries along with their total receptions.  Also, the player’s total yards from receptions and carries are combined, along with all touchdowns scored.

As you can see each player has put up great numbers when staying healthy throughout the season.  However, if either back were to get injured the value of the other player would skyrocket as is evidenced by Ricky Williams’s breakout last season after Ronnie Brown went down.  A big question mark that most owners may have with Williams is his age.  He is well past the 30 year mark where most running backs will be labeled as being bust worthy.

However, don’t forget that Ricky did take some “time off” a few years back so the extra wear and tear on his over 30 year old body is not where it likely should be.  My suggestion to any owner would be to take a shot on either one of these players if the opportunity presents itself, especially in the later rounds.  I personally would not want to spend any more than a 6^th rounder on Brown and possibly a 10^th rounder on Williams.  Just don’t forget to take a closer look at the numbers before draft day.  It is clear that the Dolphins like to run and if you were to combine both players total touches and total yards for either 2008 or 2009 it is clear that close to 2000 total yards and close to 20 touchdowns will clearly be produced by this backfield.  It is just a matter of which back will last the season and get the most opportunities.