Knowshon Moreno, the fifth-best running back in fantasy football last season, has left Denver and agreed to terms on a deal with the Miami Dolphins. The move has massive implications at the running back position, but it's not such a positive for Moreno's immediate prospects.
A former bust who finally emerged in the stat sheets at the end of the 2012 campaign, the Georgia product had been prone to injuries and buried on the depth chart in Denver before the addition of Peyton Manning. With the future Hall of Famer under center, Moreno seemed to find his statistical stride and went on to post career-bests across the board in 2013. You might disagree, but that had a lot to do with Manning. Think about it ... just about every runner who has shared a backfield with him has found success.
Moreno, Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai come to mind.
Now in Miami, Moreno is going to take a statistical hit. While it was a best-case scenario for his value based on what's happened during the free-agent period, he's joining a rushing offense that ranked as the seventh-worst in the league last season.
He also sees a gigantic downgrade at quarterback from Manning to Ryan Tannehill. That is going to have an effect, as defenses don't have to be as honest against the Dolphins. While Moreno is a virtual lock to move past Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas on the depth chart, he's also going to move from RB1 status to more of a borderline RB2/RB3 in most fantasy drafts.
The big winner with this move is Montee Ball.
Remember what I said about Manning and the success of his past running backs? Well, Ball is next in line to reap the rewards. He showed flashes of potential at the end of his rookie season and will now step into a far more prominent role in the team's backfield. So while it might be a risk to draft a runner with no skins on the wall in the first or second round, well, that's where Ball is going to come off the board in 2014.
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
