By Matt Bressington
The fullback is a valuable weapon if used correctly within an offense. There are very few technically full-time fullbacks in any leagues these days but there are a handful of utility
athletes in the European Football League today that are listed as FB. After it was suggested, there was no love for fullbacks in the positional power rankings, this simply had to be
amended. Just so it’s clear, this is based on how they are entered into the European League of Football player database. Some players listed as HBs are probably more like FBs, but they
aren’t listed as such and so aren’t included. Only players listed as FB have been used for this one so it will be short considering half of the players listed haven’t played yet.
However, let’s get straight into it.
1. Patrick Poetsch – Rhein Fire
Was there going to be much of an argument here? Poetsch is probably the most recognized FB in the ELF and it’s probably because he is used so effectively as a blocker, runner and even
out of the backfield, against the Galaxy. We saw him catch a TD over a former Rabun Gap defensive back. He’s also contributed to special teams over his time with the Rhein Fire and
Cologne Centurions. It is no surprise that he takes the top spot, and his 2021 and 2022 AllStar selections are the closing point on this case.
2. Leon Helm – Frankfurt Galaxy
The former champion Galaxy are another well-known team in the ELF to utilize the fullback position at times. The starter there and second on this list, is Leon Helm. The 2022 2nd team All-Star is in his second season with the German outfit and has found himself with a touchdown and 3.67 yards per carry to start the campaign. His modus operandi is certainly a
Red-Zone threat. Last season he had 11 carries during his 11 games but still managed to put up 5 TDs on the season. He leads the position in rushing TDs and is tied with Poetsch for total. Another player in the top echelon of the positional standing who will likely not have much pushback.
3. Niklas Ritter – Leipzig Kings
Ritters is a bit more of an outside pick considering the inexperience in the ELF but as mentioned before, very few players listed as FBs in the league have played in these opening weeks. Combined with the expectation of an all-out-rushing attack from the Kings, I’m expecting him to see some touches during the year. The only doubt is that the Kings are favoring an 11-man personal grouping with a TE rather than a typical FB. Time will tell how this progresses during the season and it’s purely based on the lack of game time and expected game plan from his team. He is 6’1 and 262 pounds so a goal-line situational player could be very valuable.
Honorable Mentions
To conclude, this was a harder one to make due to the number of players and the lack of film to go on. The rest of the players making up the FBs are William Harvey and Dimitri Gfeller
both of the Helvetic Guards, Gfeller being the starter of the two. Bola Moussa and Max Bähr both of the Thunder and are both yet to play for the team according to the numbers. And
finally, Jeton Novoberdalija of the Centurions who does have one carry for 4 yards so could see himself also in the convocation for trying to unseat the unanimous top two