Football is a tough business and the New York Giants can attest to that, as they had to cut longtime running back Ahmad Bradshaw on Wednesday in an attempt to stay under the cap.
Bradshaw has been one of the most important players for the Giants during his six year run with the team, a run that included two Super Bowl championships. Bradshaw was known as one of the toughest players in the Giants locker room, frequently playing when he wasn't fully healthy.
While that was one of Bradshaw's strengths, it also proved to be one of his biggest weaknesses, as he was hurt for the past few seasons, dealing with multiple foot surgeries. Bradshaw played in all 16 games in just one season for the Giants (2010) and missed a total of 12 games over his Giants career.
Bradshaw rushed for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns this season, the second time he has reached 1,000 yards in his career. In 2010 he had a career high 1,235 yards and eight touchdowns, while averaging over four yards per carry.
Bradshaw was a solid fantasy option this year, but missing two games was crucial for any owner that didn't have David Wilson or Andre Brown. Bradshaw was ranked 60th in standard PPR Yahoo fantasy leagues, posting 178 points in 14 games.
Heading into the 2013 season, both Wilson and Brown (if the Giants re-sign him, which they likely will) should be valuable draft options as the top running backs on the team. Both showed great potential during the 2012 season while playing in place of Bradshaw, especially Brown, who was commanding all the goal-line carries before getting hurt.
Wilson was picked fairly high last season because most fantasy owners saw potential in the speedster from Virginia Tech, but after he fumbled in the opening game against the Cowboys, he was put in Tom Coughlin's dog house. After being relegated to just kickoff duty, Wilson broke out big against the New Orleans Saints, setting a team record with 327 all-purpose yards.
Wilson showed explosiveness against the Saints, rushing for 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yard score to put the game away in the second half. He became the first player in NFL history to have 200 kickoff return yards and 100 yards in the same game. If he continues to play on special teams he will be a dual threat for fantasy owners.
Brown made the most of his playing time before getting hurt, leading the Giants with eight touchdowns while rushing for 385 yards on 73 carries. With Bradshaw hurt, he started his first-career game against the Panthers, rushing for a career-high 113 yards on 20 carries to go with two rushing touchdowns. He also added three receptions for 17 yards in the game as well and proved to be a solid receiver out of the backfield.
The Giants will miss Bradshaw's leadership and toughness, but fantasy owners will reap the benefits of Wilson with the veteran now out of the picture.