The NFL season is set to start on Thursday as the Ravens visit the Broncos as defending Super Bowl champions and as the fantasy football season starts up too, Reggie Bush, Joique Bell and Shane Vereen stand to be three of the best draft picks at running back for PPR leagues.
PPR leagues put a premium on players that can catch the ball and past wide receivers like Brandon Marshall and Calvin Johnson, running backs are very valuable if they can add catches out of the backfield and Bush, Bell and Vereen likely will be the leaders in that category this season. Bush comes to the Detroit Lions by way of the Dolphins and Saints and he now puts himself in an offense that perfectly suits his talent, size, speed and ability.
Bush wasn't an every down back in New Orleans, but he caught the ball better than anyone and then when he went to the Dolphins, he was that every down back and now he has both sets of skills complete as he comes to Detroit. Jim Schwartz has been looking for a player like Bush since he got to the team and while Joique Bell still will be very solid out of the backfield, Bush is going to pick up where he left off and all those years of not getting every carry is coming back as a positive thing, since Bush now isn't breaking down at his age but still looking as good as ever.
Matthew Stafford threw a ridiculous 727 passes last season, almost 100 more than the guy before him and even if that falls off a bit, expect Bush to get the ball early and often in the season. Last season Bell caught 52 balls for 485 yards and while the production will go down, he is a smart handcuff for any Bush owner and he still likely will put up 30-50 catches and targets. Names like Adrian Peterson, C.J. Spiller, , LeSean McCoy, Trent Richardson, Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles, Doug Martin, Marshawn Lynch and others will go before Bush, but his double threat out of the backfield makes him an MVP type pick for PPR leagues.
Bush had 14 catches for 147 yards in two preseason games and after Stafford targeted RBs last season 144 times, that number could go up with Bush and Bell. Bush has had over 50 receptions three different times and he has never had less than 34 in any season and that came during an injury plagued one and as a rookie he ended up with 88 catches and while he may not get that many this season, at least 50 looks realistic.
Shane Vereen is looking like a huge sleeper in PPR leagues, as Bill Belichick has said that he plans to use him in various spots, including out of the backfield and split wide, possibly taking over where Aaron Hernandez left off. Last season he had just eight catches, but this season that will likely change now that Danny Woodhead is gone as well. Vereen likely will pick up the touches left by Woodhead and he could have a huge season after rushing for 251 yards last season.
Go with Bush over Vereen with Bell third.