That team was so deep. Consider the RB’s on that team: Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee! You are joking me right? Unfortunately, there is little chance that you could have those three players on your fantasy team. Chances are that come draft day, you will have to decide which one to go with.

In this article, I will look at two of those Miami standouts, Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee. Back then, Portis was the man and he almost broke McGahee's spirit that year. It wasn't until Portis moved on to the NFL and Frank Gore suffered the first of his ACL injuries, that McGahee was afforded the opportunity to show his stuff at Miami.

After McGahee's horrific injury in the Fiesta Bowl, he bounced back in a major way in 2004, scoring 13 touchdowns. Portis, on the other hand, has been fairly consistent throughout his career. He has managed to outrush McGahee every year with the exception of 2006, and even then, he had one more touchdown in 8 games than McGahee had in 14.

So the question becomes... Will Portis be able to top McGahee again in 2008? Or will McGahee finally turn the tables on C-Port and out-produce him from here on out? Let's take a look.

How a draft can change things. Going into the draft, coming off decent seasons last year, both Portis and McGahee were jockeying for top 10 considerations. I had Portis #7 and McGahee #10, but with Cam Cameron (and his track record with RBs) coming on board for the Ravens, McGahee was poised to make a move up the rankings, while Portis, with a new head coach (Jim Zorn) coming with a pass happy offense, looked to inch down the rankings.

However, the Ravens used a high draft pick to secure RB Ray Rice, who is a known quantity in both receiving and pass blocking, two things that McGahee isn't exactly known for. I would expect the Ravens to use Rice immediately in a 3rd down role, and that will limit McGahee's potential increase in touches.

On the flip side, the Redskins used the draft to secure several WRs who, along with Santana Moss, should allow Coach Zorn to be able to stretch the field horizontally as well as vertically, and that could open up just enough room for Portis to allow him to reverse his y.p.c. trend. Portis has long established his superiority to backup Ladell Betts, so he doesn't have to worry too much about someone else taking his touches.

I give a healthy advantage to Portis here.

Clinton Portis came into the league one year before McGahee, but they are essentially the same age. McGahee has done an amazing job of staying healthy since his horrific injury in his last college game, but he has been unable to truly recapture the form that made him a certain top 3 pick before his injury. Perhaps it’s that missing explosiveness; but McGahee, with the exception of his first season, has not been a finisher and only has 31 career rushing touchdowns.

Portis, on the other hand, has always had a nose for the end zone, as his 63 rushing touchdowns in 84 games would attest. Portis has never really had a "significant injury to his legs either, so that is another advantage Portis holds over McGahee.

For McGahee, you have to consider the direction the Ravens go in 2008 before settling on his value. If they turn over the reins to Joe Flacco at any point this year, you can certainly expect that defenses will key in on McGahee, much like the past few years. Also keep your eye on Jonathan Ogden. Should he retire, the offensive line may need time to gel as some shifting of line personnel could come into play. If Boller starts and if Ogden plays and if Ray Rice isn't the pass blocker or receiver as he demonstrated in college, than McGahee will have opportunities for increased production. But that's quite a parlay of “ifs“.

As for Portis, everything is setting up nicely for him. If Jason Campbell can make a smooth transition to the new offense and one WR other than Santana Moss can step up, Portis should have every opportunity that he had last year, with a possibility for increased efficiency.

First off, you can never really go wrong with a player from The U. If nothing else, your team will get a karma boost from having a player from The U on your team J

That said, while I fully expect Willis McGahee to be a productive RB this upcoming season, unfortunately, I just don't see him as a fantasy championship winning RB with the Ravens in obvious transition mode. I would love McGahee as my #2, but at this point in time, I would be worried if he had to be my #1 fantasy back.

Portis, on the other hand, with his supporting cast and an offensive philosophy that should be less predictable than in years past, could be a top 5 RB this year and the next few years.

REDRAFT EDGE: Portis

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DYNASTY EDGE: Portis

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