Fantasy Upside
Don't look now, but Ellington is poised to become the go-to option in the Cardinals' backfield. HC Bruce Arians told reporters at the end of May that Ellington will get 25-30 touches per game this year. We'll quickly suggest that fantasy football owners should take that for what it's worth (not much). That would work out to anywhere from 400 to 480 carries and catches for the season, a staggering amount of activity for a running back in any era. Larry Johnson set the record for single-season rushing attempts in 2006, with 416. He added 41 catches that year, for 456 touches.
Fantasy Downside
The only real concern is whether Ellington is up to the increased workload. He's reportedly added 10 pounds of muscle over the offseason (without, of course, losing any speed that we'll be told of). But he's far from a proven commodity. As a rookie, during a season in which he made Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Williams irrelevant, Ellington had 156 touches. Safe to say that didn't test his durability the way it will be tested this season.
Bottom Line
It's equally safe to say that 156-touch total will go up considerably, even if not to the levels Arian projects. Meanwhile, with Mendenhall and Williams no longer on the roster, Stepfan Taylor and Jonathan Dwyer will be standing by to fill in as -- or if you believe Arians, if -- needed. Neither seems to be a threat to push for a significant workload at this point and Ellington's ranking reflects that.
