By Danny Goldin
November 3, 2009 6:40pm CST

Sure, it's a blessing whenever your tailback can crank out a 60-yard touchdown scamper and put you over the top in your weekly matchup, but long-distance scores come few and far between for most backs. Having a guy that gets the rock fed to him within sniffing distance of the end zone can provide you with a far more reliable source of weekly scores. With that said, you can use this column to provide a weekly look at what each team across the league has been doing when they approach the goal line.

Arizona Cardinals: Tim Hightower and Chris Wells are in a full-blown 50-50 timeshare at halfback right now. Still, while Beanie has the skills to be a fine short-yardage back, Hightower has held the goal-line duties with success all year long and added another one-yard score on Sunday. As long as Tim continues to produce in the goal-line role, there doesn't seem to be any reason for the Cardinals to make a switch, meaning Beanie owners will be left crossing their fingers that Hightower fails for once and opens the door.

Atlanta Falcons: For all the announcers' talk about how much Michael Turner has struggled this season, he's still been pretty darn friendly to his fantasy owners. He's scored every week since the season opener and is still sets the precedent for goal-line rushers to follow.

Baltimore Ravens: Willis McGahee actually lost a yard on his lone two carries against Denver. Ray Rice scored from seven yards out, this after he lost four yards on a carry from the three, but the fact that he was in the game and receiving handoffs from that close to the end zone may be an indication that the Ravens have finally just handed their backfield to Rice altogether, even by the stripe. Le'Ron McClain had three carries, one a 20-yarder on third-and-one, and is not out of the picture, but the Ravens clearly have the most confidence in Rice.

Buffalo Bills: The Bills didn't have any third-and-short scenarios against Houston and only cracked the Texans' 10-yard line once; Marshawn Lynch was in the game when they did. He and Fred Jackson split carries evenly at nine apiece, but Lynch appears to have the goal-line gig to himself right now.

Carolina Panthers: DeAngelo Williams far outgained Jonathan Stewart from a yardage standpoint against Arizona, but that's not to say Stewart was bad, and it was Jonathan who scored both of the duo's two touchdowns. The Panthers have great confidence in both backs by the goal line, and you can expect about three-fifths of the future goal-line touches to go Williams' way, similar to the distribution of overall snaps.

Chicago Bears: Matt Forte had two touchdowns against Cleveland, one that came from one yard out. Hopefully the game can serve as a catalyst for him to get his season back on track, and it serves as a reminder that he's still firmly entrenched as the Bears' goal-line back.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals were on a bye in Week 8, not that we needed a game's worth of plays to know that Cedric Benson is their unquestioned goal-line back.

Cleveland Browns: Jamal Lewis got a crack from the one-yard line but failed to gain any yardage, and Derek Anderson did the job himself the next play off a QB-sneak. Lewis remains the goal-line back here, but the chances could come so few and far between that it may end up being a moot point.

Dallas Cowboys: Marion Barber's 14 carries against Seattle were more than Felix Jones and Tashard Choice (12) combined. Barber also converted on a two-yard plunge, and there's no doubt that he will remain Dallas' goal-line runner as long as he's in the stadium.

Denver Broncos: Knowshon Moreno just looks like a guy who will score a ton of touchdowns when all is said and done with his career. He scored Denver's lone touchdown from one yard out and overall looked much more effective in his 10 carries than Correll Buckhalter did in his eight. I wouldn't say that Moreno holds sole possession of the goal-line gig in Denver, but he definitely should get a larger portion of the future looks than Buckhalter.

Detroit Lions: Kevin Smith aggravated his shoulder injury last week, and Maurice Morris looked pretty good spelling him. Word out of Detroit is that Morris could be given a decent amount of carries going forward, possibly around 10-12 a game. Still, Smith has been effective in the goal-line role this season and will maintain his hold on the gig as long as he's healthy enough to play.

Green Bay Packers: Ryan Grant was unable to get much going as the Packers played most of Sunday behind the Vikings, but there's certainly reason to be worried about his hold on Green Bay's short-yardage touches. Fullback John Kuhn already has three touchdowns this season, and Ahman Green was in the game when the Packers got to Minnesota's six-yard line in the middle of the third quarter. You'd think that Grant would still be the goal-line guy here, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

Houston Texans: This situation took a complete 180 in Week 8. Chris Brown had been getting the goal-line touches most of the season, but Steve Slaton looked to be laying claim in Week 7 when he scored twice, once from one yard out. As you're probably well aware of, Slaton fumbled in the first quarter and was benched the rest of the game, opening up the door for Ryan Moats. Moats went on to score three times, including a one-yarder and a three-yarder. In his statements since, head coach Gary Kubiak has stated that he plans to use all three backs going forward, though he failed to elaborate on what exactly that meant. Obviously this is a tough one to decipher, and while I still think Slaton will be the best bet to gain the most overall yardage next week and going forward, I think he could be the odd man out at the goal line, where Brown and Moats could split the touches. Stay tuned.

Indianapolis Colts: Joseph Addai's touchdown came via his 22-yard toss to Reggie Wayne, but his owners will take the scores however they come. He'll be the lone goal-line back as long as Donald Brown (shoulder), who should be questionable for Week 9, remains out. Once Brown returns, he could get goal-line touches every now and then, though Addai is still the better bet.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Maurice Jones-Drew didn't need the red zone to cash in on his two scores last week, scoring from 79 and 80 yards out. He leads the league with 10 touchdowns and is option No. 1, 2 and 3 when the Jags approach the end zone.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs were on a bye in Week 8, and they'll be without former goal-line back Larry Johnson (suspension) this upcoming week, a potentially the rest of the season. Jamaal Charles will start in LJ's place, though Charles is more of a scat-back who doesn't seem like an ideal goal-line runner. The Chiefs may activate Kolby Smith (knee) off the PUP list, and if so, he'd be your likely goal-line back here, while fullback/halfback hybrid Jackie Battle could potentially handle the duties if Smith remains inactive.

Miami Dolphins: Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams both struggled to get much going against the Jets, and Week 8 marked the first time that neither found paydirt. Still, the Dolphins have great confidence in both backs, and the two should continue to split the goal-line carries going forward, with Brown getting a bit higher percentage of the opportunities.

Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson's nine touchdowns are second only to MJD this season, and AP cashed in on a one-yard scamper in the Brett Favre at Lambeau. Chester Taylor will continue to play on passing downs, but AP's role as the goal-line back is unthreatened.

New England Patriots: The Patriots were on a bye in Week 8. Laurence Maroney scored a one-yard touchdown run back in their last game, and New England's recent trying out of free agent backs Marcus Mason and Maurice Hicks would seem to indicate that Fred Taylor (ankle) and Sammy Morris (knee) are still at least a few weeks from playing, meaning Maroney should continue to see the bulk of the goal-line touches.

New Orleans Saints: Mike Bell got all of New Orleans' goal-line carries the previous few weeks and started for the Saints on Monday night, but Pierre Thomas looked excellent against Atlanta and scored twice, including a one-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Reggie Bush scored on a toss from one-yard out as well, and it looks like the Saints will continue to use the three somewhat interchangeably, depending on which play Sean Payton has in mind. I like Thomas the best of this trio, but that's not to say Bell and Bush won't continue to get their share of touchdown chances.

New York Giants: Brandon Jacobs moved the chains on third-and-one from Philadelphia's 14-yard line in the third quarter. After gaining nine yards on two carries, Jacobs again converted a third-and-one, moving the ball to the one-yard line. Still, for whatever reason, the Giants passed on first down, and after an incompletion, called Ahmad Bradshaw's number on second down, and he cashed in on the short-yardage plunge. I'd still say Jacobs is the goal-line back in New York, and he's actually been the more effective runner of the duo each of the past two weeks, but that doesn't mean the Giants' staff won't continue to frustrate with their handling of this timeshare.

New York Jets: Shonn Greene came back to Earth against Miami, and while he will steal around 10 carries from Thomas Jones each week, he won't be a threat to vulture TJ's goal-line carries anytime soon. Jones owners should be more worried about Mark Sanchez, who scored on a one-yard scamper last week, his third rushing touchdown of the season. Still, Jones should continue to get the looks much more often than not.

Oakland Raiders: It's anyone's guess how this situation will shape up after the Week 9 bye once Darren McFadden (knee) makes his expected return in Week 10. Still, there's no doubt that Justin Fargas has been the team's best back, outperforming Michael Bush, and probably it's best overall player the past three weeks. He scored from three yards out against San Diego and is probably the best bet to receive this team's future goal-line carries, although I certainly wouldn't bet the bank on it.

Philadelphia Eagles: Brian Westbrook (concussion) is scheduled to resume practicing on Wednesday, and it seems like he'll probably suit up against the Cowboys on Sunday. With that said, the goal-line situation in Philly will continue to be an all-out free-for-all. Westbrook and LeSean McCoy are the best bets to handle a given goal-line carry, although fullback Leonard Weaver is now in the mix as well, and Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are both potential threats out of the wildcat formation as well.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers were on a bye in Week 8. Hopefully you didn't forget that Willie Parker received just one carry in Week 7 and has been an afterthought behind Rashard Mendenhall, who appears to have locked down the goal-line touches for this offense. Mendy's only real threat is Ben Roethlisberger on a QB-sneak.

San Diego Chargers: After eight unsuccessful tries from within five yards of the end zone in Week 7, including four from the one-yard line, LaDainian Tomlinson finally cracked through on Sunday, scoring twice against Oakland. While Darren Sproles will continue to steal snaps from LT, that doesn't mean Tomlinson is in any danger of losing the touches whenever San Diego get within three or four yards out.

San Francisco 49ers: Frank Gore had a rare long touchdown (64 yards) against the Colts, and he's looked healthy the past two weeks after missing two games with an ankle injury. He'll continue to get nearly all the touches in this backfield, and most certainly at the goal line.

Seattle Seahawks: Edgerrin James did move the chains on a third-and-one in the fourth quarter, though Julius Jones was in the game when Seattle inherited the ball inside Dallas' 10-yard line on their next drive following a Tony Romo fumble. Jones still seems like the best bet here, though you should be aware that the Seahawks opted to pass the ball more often than not in short-yardage situations on Sunday, an indication of their lack of trust in the running game/offensive line.

St. Louis Rams: Steven Jackson finally found paydirt on Sunday, his first score of the season, and was the only back to receive a carry for the Rams. He'll continue to be front and center whenever the Rams approach the goal line, as rare of an occasion as that may be.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers were on a bye in Week 8, and this situation should continue to be as fluid as any in the league once they get back into action. The Bucs will continue to feed the hot (or less cold) hand in their backfield, and it seems that they don't really have a preference between Derrick Ward or Cadillac Williams at the goal line.

Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson is clearly the far superior overall back, but LenDale White does still seem to have the goal-line job in Tennessee. The Titans had three third-and-shorts on Sunday; they handed it off to White on two of them, and he moved the chains both times. Vince Young is a threat with his legs around the end zone as well, but you can still expect White to be in the game and toting the rock whenever the Titans get within two or three yards from the stripe.

Washington Redskins: The Redskins were on a bye in Week 8, and Clinton Portis still holds a clear monopoly on the team's goal-line snaps. Take that for what it's worth, since the Redskins offensive unit has been pretty darn poor, but you can still expect at least a few more touchdowns coming Portis' way this season.