The Value of the EDB

As I continue my summer-long obsession with crafting the perfect fantasy football draft strategy, I am concerned that one of the most valuable commodities in FF is dying off. The unparalleled producer, the prize roster-dweller, the Every Down Back (EDB). These are the workhorses. The guys who combine talent and durability in a package so reliable that offensive coordinators will accept no substitutes. And with the popularity of the running back by committee principle (RBBC), drafting even a single EDB is no longer a certainty. And now even premier backs are being relegated to platoon duty thanks to an influx of talented rookies. New members of the committee system this season will include Willie Parker (thanks to Reshard Mendenhall), Justin Fargas (if McFadden > or = Peterson then Justin better be praying he gets the same timeshare deal in Oakland that Chester Taylor got in Minnestoa), Tatum Bell (Kevin Smith, meet Tatum Bell. Tatum, meet the bench), and DeAngelo Williams (Jonathon Stewart was built for goal-line carries). So the question is, with up-and-comers vulturing carries for established backs, is an over-the-hill, or questionable talent that gets all the carries more valuable than a truly talented back who's going to share carries? Before this latest bout of speculation, I would have skipped right over Frank Gore and Clinton Portis and taken a Maurice Jones-Drew if necessary. But now I'm not so sure. I'll have to see how the RBBC candidates shake out in pre-season before making a call. But I still submit that any draft pick after the five spot is going to be a painful pick. Maybe another mock will soothe my mind...