News:Michael Ford will enter the 2013 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Analysis: Although Michael Ford might have been as low as fifth on the LSU depth chart, he might get drafted. He's a former top recruit who almost always produced when on the field, but LSU's incredible running back depth (and perhaps some academic eligibility issues) kept Ford from earning a big role. He led the team with 756 yards (6.0 YPC) on the ground in 2011, rushing for seven touchdowns on 127 carries, and he averaged 5.5 yards per carry in 2011. Ford has a thick build and shows an ability to charge in a straight line, but a lot of his production came on option tosses, and there's little evidence that he has the skills to project as a traditional runner.
News:Michael Ford had one carry for no yards against Arkansas on Friday.
Analysis:Michael Ford has always shown good per-play efficiency for LSU and averaged 5.7 yards per carry this year, but he for some reason is always buried on the depth chart, including behind the obviously inferior Spencer Ware.
News:Michael Ford ran for 13 yards on three carries against Alabama on Saturday.
Analysis:Michael Ford is almost always efficient, but he ranks third in the LSU running back rotation behind Jeremy Hill and Spencer Ware.
News:Michael Ford ran for 78 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries against Texas A&M on Saturday.
Analysis:Michael Ford is a near lock for a healthy rushing average every week, but he doesn't reliably get double-digit carries.
News:Michael Ford ran for 41 yards on seven carries against South Carolina on Saturday.
Analysis:Michael Ford is almost always a highly efficient if not playmaking runner for LSU, but the presence of Spencer Ware, Jeremy Hill and Kenny Hilliard makes him no more than a bench consideration in SEC-only leagues.
News:Michael Ford ran for 76 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries against Towson on Saturday.
Analysis:Michael Ford is explosive and almost always efficient as a runner, but his shaky workload makes him a very risky start outside of SEC-only leagues.
News:Michael Ford ran for 41 yards and a touchdown on eight carries against Auburn on Saturday.
Analysis:Michael Ford might be worth owning in SEC-only leagues until Alfred Blue (knee) returns.
News:Michael Ford ran for 50 yards on eight carries against North Texas on Saturday.
Analysis: With Kenny Hilliard and Alfred Blue stealing the show, Michael Ford is off the fantasy radar.
News:Michael Ford (academics) has received clearance to play, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis:Michael Ford will be productive on a per-play basis, but LSU's absurdly deep backfield won't let him get enough touches to be a fantasy factor in most formats.
News:Michael Ford's eligibility is in question due to academic issues, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Analysis: As it stands now, it sounds vaguely as if Michael Ford is currently ineligible, because an appeal of some sort is taking place. Ford's fantasy value was already extremely low due to the emergence of Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard.
News: LSU freshman Kenny Hilliard led the team in rushing against Arkansas with 102 yards and a score. Spencer Ware and Michael Ford combined for another 149 yards and a touchdown.
Analysis: The LSU backfield seems to have gotten a bit muddy lately so I would avoid it for the rest of the year and during bowl season.
News: LSU rode the legs of its deep backfield to the tune of 353 rushing yards and four touchdowns to down Ole Miss. Alfred Blue led the team with 74 yards, Spencer Ware carried the load with 70 yards and a score, and Michael Ford added 50 yards and another touchdown. Freshman Kenny Hilliard also chipped in for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Analysis: LSU will not be able to do that against Arkansas next week, but Ware should be a decent RB3 start.
News: Ole Miss is atrocious against the run, so don't be surprised if Spencer Ware and Michael Ford both have productive games this weekend.
Analysis: Ware is a solid start while Ford could be worth a RB3 or Flex spot.
News: After Spencer Ware and Michael Ford saw a few carries, it was all Alfred Blue for LSU, as he took just nine carries for 119 yards and two scores.
Analysis: If you were able to start Blue good for you, but he has no real fantasy value after this game.
News: Against Western Kentucky, LSU should use a plethora of running backs as the game should become lopsided very early. Spencer Ware will get the bulk of the work early but expect Michael Ford to put in a good day's work too.
Analysis: Ware should be started obviously but if you have Ford, go ahead and start him as well.
News: Against a titanic Alabama defense, LSU rode tailbacks Spencer Ware and Michael Ford as the two combined to rush for over 100 yards.
Analysis: Ware punished the inside while Ford did the bulk of his damage on the corners. Both are solid starts next week against Western Kentucky.
News: With the absence of Spencer Ware for the Auburn game, the LSU ground looked just fine. Michael Ford came out of the doghouse to rush for 82 yards while freshman Kenny Hilliard had 65 yards and two scores.
Analysis: Ware should return to the top of depth chart for the game against Alabama, but it appears Ford may be the backup once more.
News: One thing that LSU head coach Les Miles stresses is the importance of ball security. Case in point is the diminished playing time of Michael Ford right after fumbling against Kentucky.
Analysis: Ford is likely out of the picture for a while especially with the steady play of Spencer Ware and the emergence of Alfred Blue.
News: Florida could not stop LSU running back Spencer Ware on Saturday as the bruiser rumbled for 109 yards and two scores on 24 carries. Alfred Blue added another 14 carries for 70 yards and a score.
Analysis:Michael Ford seems to have fallen out of favor with the coaching staff while Ware continues to do the dirty work for the Tiger offense.
News: LSU running back Michael Ford fumbled against Kentucky and saw limited carries afterwards. If Ford cannot hold onto the ball, expect Les Miles to share the wealth even more between Spencer Ware, Alfred Blue, and Terrance Magee.
Analysis: As long as Ware is healthy, he should get the lion's share of the carries, but the dropoff from Ford to Blue or Magee is a big one so I would expect Ford to continue to see touches.
News: The leading rusher for LSU against Kentucky was not Spencer Ware nor Michael Ford as Alfred Blue rushed for a team-high 72 yards and a score.
Analysis: Ware left early with a leg injury but Ford seemed to be fine. It is likely that the starters got rest as the game got out of hand pretty early.
News: When LSU squares off against Kentucky, the Wildcats better be ready for a steady dose of Spencer Ware and Michael Ford. Ware and Ford are punishing opposing defenses and, with the Cats giving up over 200 yards a game, both should get their numbers.
Analysis: Ware is the punishing back who grinds it out while Ford is the speedier back who gets the defense after Ware has worn them down. Both Ware and Ford should be solid starts this week.
News: Against the 3-3-5 defense, LSU running backs Spencer Ware and Michael Ford did a fair amount of damage. Ware rushed the ball 23 times for 92 yards while Ford had 82 yards and two touchdowns.
Analysis: The Tiger gameplan is that Ware wears down the defense and as they are just catching their breath, that is when Ford runs around them into the endzone. Thus far it has been nothing but successful.
News: With their smallish 3-4 defense, I doubt the West Virginia front seven will be able to slow down either Spencer Ware or fellow LSU tailback Michael Ford when the two teams face off this weekend.
Analysis: Ware should go for around 100-2 while Ford should be good for 80-1 against the Mountaineers.
News: The LSU duo of Spencer Ware and Michael Ford accounted for four of the the team's five rushing scores with Ford leading the ground swell with 72 yards. Alfred Blue rushed for 53 yards and a score while Ware saw limited action with just 20 yards and two touchdowns.
Analysis: Ware is the top back but the amount of time that Ford has been seeing gives him some fantasy potential in some leagues.
News: As was often the case last season, the LSU ground game carried the team to victory against Oregon on Saturday. Spencer Ware carried the ball 26 times for 99 yards and a score while Michael Ford rushed for 96 yards and two scores on 14 totes.
Analysis: Despite the apparent timeshare in the backfield, Ware did carry it 26 times so don't abandon him just yet.
News: After missing some time for an undisclosed medical treatment, LSU running back Spencer Ware looked as good as ever during the team's scrimmage. Ware carried the ball 10 times for 50 yards while Michael Ford led the ground attack with 65 yards.
Analysis: Ware has all the makings of the next good LSU back so snatch him up before his stock continues to rise.
News: LSU head coach Les Miles made freshman running back Terrence Magee very happy when he said that the youngster has handled himself like a veteran and will see the field.
Analysis: It is no secret that Miles likes to share the wealth but with Spencer Ware, Alfred Blue, Michael Ford, and Jakhari Gore, you have to wonder how Magee will factor in.
LSU's Ford Rushes For 58 Yards In Win Over Ole Miss
News: Ford took nine carries for 58 yards and posted one reception for 27 yards and a touchdown Saturday as Louisiana State edged out Mississippi 43-36 at home in Baton Rouge.
Analysis: Ford's 58 yards against the Rebels represented his best production on the ground in four starts, but still leaves the freshman having totaled only 244 yards and three touchdowns for the season.
News: Ford ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries against McNeese State Saturday.
Analysis: Although Ford will have his day as LSU's top runner eventually, Stevan Ridley is still the lead option for the team. Look for Ridley to gradually give up small bits of the workload as the season goes on, but Ford is still only worth SEC-only league consideration.
News: LSU coach Les Miles said Ford "might be the best" running back on the team, TheTownTalk.com reports.
Analysis: LSU has been trying to sell Richard Murphy and Stevan Ridley as the top running backs on the team all offseason, but we figured it was only a matter of time before Ford's advantage in talent starting to become glaring. Expect a running back committee in the beginning of the season, but this former five-star recruit is bound to pull away soon enough.
News: Ford has been getting a lot of carries in spring practice as backup tailback Richard Murphy recovers from an injury, and has "definitely caught the eye" of his coaches and teammates, ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Despite his small size - 5-10 and 200 pounds - Ford is apparently as comfortable with a physical run game as he is using his speed to get outside. "Michael Ford is a power back also," says teammate Stevan Ridley. "He's a bit shorter and a little bit lighter than me, but he probably has a step or two on me." Given that Ford led all backs in the team's second scrimmage Saturday (16 carries for 76 yards), it seems that he's definitely a candidate for rotation in the LSU backfield. "He's going to give us some carries this fall," head coach Les Miles comments.
