Agreed. RBs get hurt, in games and in practice, far too often for a RS to be worth it for a guy who has any potential of contributing as a true frosh.
I may be wrong here, but can't you redshirt a player to start off the season and then play them if everyone else were to get hurt? You would lose the extra year of eligibility, but you could still do it if you needed/wanted to. So if you don't think a freshmen is going to play or see the field much, if at all, why wouldn't you redshirt him? Or am I misunderstanding the rules and the way it works?