While Washington Redskins’ fans rejoiced when the team brought in Mike Shanahan as head coach this offseason, fantasy owners cursed his name.

Few coaches have frustrated owners like Shanahan. He always seemed to have a never-ending supply of named and no-named running backs to throw in the backfield. The frustrating part was that whoever he plugged back there seemed to do really, really well.

The problem for fantasy owners was predicting which running back would have said success.

Fantasy owners now face the same problem with the Washington backfield, where a trio of veterans, an old Shanahan protege and a rookie will vie for touches this season.

Clinton Portis: Portis appears to be the odds-on favorite to claim the “starter” title heading into the season. He has a history with Shanahan and may have the freshest legs of the lot, though that is not saying much.

Larry Johnson: There may still be something left in the tank, but it has been hard to tell with LJ these last few seasons. Maybe he mailed it in with the Chiefs, or maybe his skills have eroded. We should find out which of those is true this season.

Willie Parker: Might run the greatest risk of being cut, Fast Willie Parker is an oxymoron of a nickname these days. Once a budding fantasy star, it now appears as if Parker’s light has been all but extinguished.

Ryan Torain: One of the backs Shanahan is most familiar with, Torain had several solid performances under Shanahan in Denver. Now he gets a chance to make the roster and steal some touches from someone at some point this season. If he makes the team, expect him to rise to the top at some point.

Keiland Williams: A long-shot to make the team, the undrafted rookie out of LSU could become the biggest surprise if he makes the 53-man roster roster. If that happens, expect Williams to usurp someone’s carries at some point during the season when you least expect it.

Here are today’s great reads:

• Speaking of the Redskins, they check it at No. 26 on the Fantasy Juggernaut Index that we have been tracking the last few weeks. Interesting placement despite upgrading at quarterback with Donovan McNabb and the hiring of Shanahan. [Roto Arcade]
• For those preparing for real fantasy football drafts, Matthew Berry’s Draft Day Manifesto has been a popular read the last few years. I know ESPN guys can be annoying and grow tiresome, but I actually still like Berry. [ESPN.com]
• More draft prep: Ideal bye week quarterbacks for your fantasy squad. We will have a post soon with all the bye weeks and players for which you will need to account. Always a good idea to keep track of your bye week situations in fantasy drafts, though I do not recommend allowing bye weeks to dictate your draft. [FFToolBox]
• Difficult to project defenses at this time of year, but the 49ers and Chiefs have the best schedules for running backs heading into 2010. If that comes to fruition, Frank Gore and Jamaal Charles should have beastly seasons. [FanHouse]
• Golden Tate has a name that just sounds destined to become a fantasy star. While he may not bud early this season, Tate should get plenty of opportunities in Seattle’s passing game this year. Especially considering the only sure-fire starter ahead of him on the depth chart right now is T.J. Houshmandzadeh. [SI.com]

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