News:Cierre Wood will enter the 2013 NFL Draft, ESPN's Joe Schad reports.
Analysis:Cierre Wood is a bit under the radar at the moment since he was Notre Dame's backup running back this year, but he's among the draft's best prospects at the position, and a better one than the guy who started ahead of him (Theo Riddick) this year. Wood's demotion this year was probably due largely to a two-game suspension he had to start the year, and he stayed on the bench because Notre Dame didn't want to mess with a winning formula. Wood ran for 742 yards (6.5 YPC) and four touchdowns in 11 games off the bench this year, and he had 1,102 yards (5.1 YPC) and nine scores in 2011. Wood is merely decent-to-good in terms of athleticism, but he complements that with good balance and a standout ability to plant and cut. He should be on teams' radars in the fourth round, and maybe even the third. George Atkinson should have a big 2013 as Notre Dame's primary remaining running back.
Notre Dame's Wood Has Extremely Quiet Night in Championship Game Loss
News:Cierre Wood ran for two yards on four carries while having one catch for negative two yards in Notre Dame's 42-14 loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game on January 7th.
Analysis: The Notre Dame offense had trouble getting any sort of a running game established all night and that rang true for Cierre Wood.
News:Cierre Wood ran for 20 yards in Notre Dame's 22-13 win over USC on Saturday night.
Analysis: This was Theo Riddick's night, thus the limited workload for Cierre Wood. Expect a similar output in the BCS title game as well, as Riddick continues to be Notre Dame's hot back.
News:Cierre Wood ran for 150 yards and scored a touchdown on 11 carries in Notre Dame's 38-0 win over Wake Forest on Saturday night.
Analysis:Cierre Wood showed his explosiveness with a long of 68 yards.
News:Cierre Wood had 33 yards on six rushes in Notre Dame's 21-6 win over Boston College on Saturday night.
Analysis: Theo Riddick's big night made for a quieter night for Cierre Wood, but that should have no impact on his fantasy status because it's difficult to know which Irish rusher will have a big performance next week.
News:Cierre Wood had 13 carries for 70 yards Saturday against Pittsburgh.
Analysis:Cierre Wood continues to be a productive as a second back. He has at least 66 yards rushing in his last five games and has broke the 100-yard plane twice.
News:Cierre Wood had a 62-yard touchdown and 74 yards total in Notre Dame's 30-13 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night.
Analysis:Cierre Wood's didn't see the number of carries he normally does but his 62-yard touchdown was a crucial score early on in the game.
News:Cierre Wood ran for 66 yards on 12 carries in Notre Dame's 20-13 win over Stanford on Saturday.
Analysis: Notre Dame scored through the air on Saturday but Cierre Wood's 5.5 yard average is solid.
Notre Dame's Wood Has Another Big Performance in Win
News:Cierre Wood ran for 118 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns in Notre Dame's 41-3 win over Miami on Saturday night.
Analysis:Cierre Wood has been on an absolute roll since he returned from his suspension.
News:Cierre Wood rushed for 39 yards on seven carries in Notre Dame's 13-6 win over Michigan on Saturday night.
Analysis:Cierre Wood's numbers weren't flashy but his 5.6 yards per carry is solid.
Notre Dame's Wood Leads Irish in Rushing in Return
News:Cierre Wood led the Irish in rushing in his return from suspension in the 20-3 victory over Michigan State on Saturday with 56 yards on 10 carries.
Analysis: It was a solid return for Cierre Wood, who averaged 5.6 yards per carry and had a long of 26, showing how talented he can be.
Notre Dame's Wood Listed as Backup for Game Against Michigan State
News:Cierre Wood was listed as the number two running back on a depth chart released Monday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Analysis: Theo Riddick will remain the starter along with Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III as the number two backs. This makes sense, in the sense of Riddick has a good rhythm going and has played well the first two weeks. One has to wonder, however, which way Brian Kelly will go if one of has a hot hand come Saturday.
News:Cierre Wood has been suspended for Notre Dame's first two games for a violation of team rules, head coach Brian Kelly announced.
Analysis: Theo Riddick and George Atkinson will likely get a boost at playing time at running back as a result. Cierre Wood will miss games against Navy and Purdue.
News:Cierre Wood has been suspended for Notre Dame's first game against Navy, NBCSports.com reports.
Analysis: Theo Riddick will likely start at running back with George Atkinson also getting significant touches.
Notre Dame's Wood Could See Increased Action Early
News: With Tommy Rees suspended for the opener and the quarterback position in flux, Cierre Wood could see a lot of action early, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: Head coach Brian Kelly hasn't quite figured out if he wants Andrew Hendrix or Everett Golson as his starter against Navy yet. How do you help ease in a rather inexperienced quarterback? Hand the ball off to your 1,000-yard rusher in Cierre Wood.
News: With the season-ending injury to Jonas Gray, Theo Riddick could move from receiver to running back to help out Cierre Wood. “We’ll sit down as a staff and see what Theo is able to do physically and then decide whether he can go into a running back position and help us out." coach Brian Kelly said.
Analysis: Riddick hasn't played the last two weeks due to a hamstring injury. But if he's able to play, look for him to get some carries this weekend against Stanford.
News: For the second straight game, Brian Kelly has elected to give running backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray an even split in number of touches. Both backs were solid, with Gray rushing for 92 yards and a score and Wood rushing for 87 yards.
Analysis: With Maryland and Boston College up next, both backs are startable if you are in need of help at the position.
News: The Notre Dame two-headed rushing attack was in full effect against Navy with Cierre Wood rushing for 66 yards and two scores and Jonas Gray rushing for 69 yards and three scores.
Analysis: Both running backs have been receiving a pretty equal share of carries over the last few weeks which cuts into each back's fantasy value. Notre Dame just doesn't consistently run the ball enough to make either strong plays.
News: Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly indicated during his weekly press conference that running back Jonas Gray has "warranted more time on the field."
Analysis:Cierre Wood could see diminished work in the Irish backfield. Kelly had this to say about Wood: “He’s got to figure it out. He’s an adult. He’s got to figure out what he needs to do to play at a high level..." Both backs could be successful this week against a poor Navy defense, but keep in mind that Wood will have competition for carries as the season progresses.
News: Notre Dame running backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray both had nice games in the blowout win against Purdue. Wood received 20 carries en rout to a 191 yard and one-score day, while Gray received 15 carries for 94 yards and a score.
Analysis: Wood continues to be an extremely reliable running back on a weekly basis. Gray isn't really startable unless you are in a very deep league due to the inconsistent carry total.
News: Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood led the Irish in carries and yards against Pittsburgh with 23 carries for 94 yards. Jonas Gray only had three carries but one happened to be a 79-yard score.
Analysis: Gray had seen an increase in carries for two straight weeks, but it was all Wood in this one. Wood is a solid weekly start as he's only been held scoreless once this season. Gray remains only a handcuff.
News: Notre Dame running backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray had a similar workload in the win against Michigan St. Wood had 61 yards and 2 scores on 14 carries while Gray had 65 yards on 12 carries.
Analysis: The Notre Dame coaches have slowly been increasing Gray's workload as the season has continued. Wood should continue to see the goal line carries, but this development is definitely not good for Wood's fantasy value.
News: Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood rumbled through the Wolverine defense to the tune of 127 yards and a score.
Analysis: Wood was able to plow through the gaping holes made available as the Wolverines were forced to pay so much attention to the Irish aerial attack.
News: Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and added 44 yards through the air on 3 receptions in the loss against South Florida.
Analysis: Wood was the lone consistent offensive performer for Notre Dame. His performance wasn't the only encouraging sign of things to come for Wood's season. Jonas Gray only had 4 carries for 17 yards but also added a fumble. Wood could be in for a huge season.
News: Notre Dame running back turned wide receiver Theo Riddick has shown this Fall that he is ready to expand his role from last year and become a top play maker for the Irish this year.
Analysis: ![CDATA[I really like what we are hearing out of Fall camp on Riddick. Last season Riddick was great before an injury derailed him, but it seems that Riddick is finding a really nice role in this offense now. He has the potential to get a ton of catches this season, so he becomes even more valuable in a PPR league. One other positive on Riddick, because of the lack of Notre Dame's running back depth, he could be the starting running back if Cierre Wood went down.
]]
News: A year after a Notre Dame had issues with their offensive line because of lost starters, head coach Brian Kelly says "our offensive line gives us experience and depth. We really like our offensive line."
Analysis: It doesn't matter who starts at quarterback for the Irish this season if the offensive line doesn't improve from last year's play. Hearing Kelly speak highly of his offensive line is great news for not only Dayne Crist or Tommy Rees, but for running back Cierre Wood as well.
News: Wood ran 14 times for 88 yards and caught a 5-yard pass in Saturday's 27-3 win over Army.
Analysis: He continues to start for the injured Armando Allen.
News: Wood rushed 19 times for 71 yards and caught two passes for 25 yards in Notre Dame's 28-3 win over Utah on Saturday.
Analysis: Wood touched the ball 21 times in the game, which is always a good sign.
News: Wood rushed 16 times for 58 yards and caught five passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns in Notre Dame's 28-27 loss to Tulsa on Saturday.
Analysis: Wood started for the inactive Armando Allen and had a pretty good all-around game. In the last few weeks Allen has tried to play through the injury but he didn't see the field against Tulsa.
News: Wood carried eight times for 17 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 37 yards in Notre Dame's 35-17 loss to Navy on Saturday.
Analysis: Wood is slowly losing carries to Armando Allen as Allen recovers from a sore hip.
News: Wood rushed 11 times for 94 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 29 yards in Notre Dame's 44-20 win over Western Michigan on Saturday.
Analysis: Wood looked good in place of the banged up Armando Allen. Keep an eye on Allen's status to see Wood's value going forward.
News: Wood rushed seven times for 28 yards in Notre Dame's 23-17 win over Pitt on Saturday.
Analysis: Wood is the backup to Armando Allen. The backup running back in a spread offense doesn't hold much fantasy value.
News: Wood ran for 58 yards on just seven carries in Notre Dame's 23-12 win against Purdue Saturday.
Analysis: Wood remains the number two running back for now but expect him to get more and more touches and slowly take carries away from Armando Allen as the season goes on.
News: Wood is Notre Dame's No. 2 running back and is pushing Armando Allen for the starting spot, South Bend Tribune writer Eric Hansen reports.
Analysis: This is a bit surprising, as Armando Allen and Robert Hughes had a secure grip in a timeshare previously. It looks like Hughes will fade into irrelevance or strict short-yardage situations, while Allen's days as starter might be numbered too. We're guessing Wood gets an increasing workload as the year goes on, with Allen toughing it out and keeping the starting spot. None of these players look like great fantasy options right now.
