FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

Each season a number of players break out, generally on someone else's fantasy team, but obtaining those players before they turn hot is what your player drafts or auctions should be about. While we will be spending plenty of time this season looking at players, let's take a look back over the past four drafts that should be providing at least a few players that will turn in their first big career year.

I have taken the liberty of color coding the players for discussion purposes, but the assignments are somewhat subjective right now.

Everyone will be hotly pursuing what runningback will be turning the corner this season, but let's look back and see what past history can tell us about the position.

Those players thought most likely to have a good 2003 campaign include Kevan Barlow who is slowly taking the reins from Garrison Hearst, Trung Canidate who jumps on the Redskin's carousel, Correll Buckhalter who returns from injury after showing nice promise in his rookie year and T.J. Duckett who will help the Falcons to keep defenses guessing.

Oddly, the past few years has seen a number of players taken in the fourth through sixth rounds that had great games only to settle back into a different role for various reasons. Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson took their turns as the Bronco wunderkind for a season and Sammy Morris started strong only to fade into the background. It appears the deeper backs benefited from an injury situation on their team, but then returned to being the average back that was drafted deeply.

This season's rookie crop is different than any in recent memory. Not one of them were drafted with the intention of being a starter in week one if ever. McGahee (BUF) and Johnson (KC) went to already established situations. Travis Henry, surprised as we all were, already had over 1700 yards and 14 touchdowns but evidently was not enough to keep the drooling Bills from pulling off a coups of sorts. McGahee is rehabilitating his knee but there is zero doubt he will get a chance when he is able to play. Johnson sits behind the best fantasy back in the NFL last year, but Holmes is 30 years old and has just a bit less negotiating room than, say, back in March.

Rookie rushers will be taken in fantasy drafts this season and most likely at least one or two will be significant in fantasy terms. But rest assured, this will be more likely from an injury situation and the teams that actually drafted a runner in the first three rounds where the best backs have been coming are all sitting behind an established - if not great - runningback. No one wants to see an injury, but it may bother you less if you have that rookie backup this season.