FANTASY FOOTBALL PRE-SEASON FEATURES

Larry Johnson spent the later half of 2005 becoming the definition of the word "whoa". Assuming a starting role for the final eight games of the season, Johnson racked up 261 carries for 1351 yards and 17 touchdowns. Those marks would shatter every record in the NFL if that pace lasted for 16 games. Sadly - there is no way that it can. Even if Johnson could gain the apparent 2700 rushing yards (burying Dickerson's record by about 600 yards), it is unrealistic that he could maintain the pace of 29 carries per game. That would equate to over 520 carries in a season, a mere 110 more than Jamal Anderson's 410 carry record.

But the Chiefs are returning almost all their star linemen this season if only for the last time. And the goal among those bruising blockers is to get Johnson over the 2000 yard mark. Judging by last year, that is actually not that lofty a goal and this season has a slightly easier schedule than 2005. What Johnson did last year was not just a function of an easy schedule either with games that included six road games and defenses like Denver (140 yards), Dallas (143 yards) and NYG (167 yards).

The only reason not to draft Larry Johnson first in every draft this year is that Shaun Alexander has a long track record of excellence and LaDainian Tomlinson has the same level of consistency. But Johnson has a shot at greatness this season and a team that could make it so.

At the age of 27, LaDainian Tomlinson is at his absolute prime and comes off his fifth consecutive season with over 1200 yards and more than ten touchdowns. Despite bruising his ribs in week 13, Tomlinson never missed a game though his yards per carry dipped dramatically for the next month. He still ended with 1464 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns with 370 more yards gained on 51 receptions. That ranked Tomlinson 6th in the NFL for rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns (18). He also tied for 4th with 51 receptions and 5th in total yardage (1834).

Tomlinson is a warrior who has missed only one game in his career and along with Shaun Alexander has been the most risk free, high-return running back you could draft. A perennial top 3 back, the only question is which spot he assumes each year.

With an average rushing schedule, Tomlinson should be no less valuable this season other than one potential problem - or blessing. Drew Brees has left and Phillip Rivers takes his first starting role after two years waiting around the bench. The Chargers will have every reason to want to run the ball more this year to protect Rivers as he develops but by the same token, that will allow opposing defenses to stack against the run more (as if that is possible). If Rivers proves a step down from Brees, it could impact Tomlinson though he excels as a pass catcher as well. Slight risk here but nothing so alarming that he isn't a no-brainer in the top 3 picks made in every fantasy draft this year.

Shaun Alexander comes off a career best year which is really saying something with one of the best fantasy backs for the last five seasons. He led the NFL with 1880 rushing yards and set the all-time scoring record with 28 touchdowns last year. Alexander has not scored less than 16 touchdowns since his rookie year when he watched Ricky Watters play. When it comes to running backs, it's hard to argue there are any better ones out there. When it comes to scoring touchdowns - there hasn't been in the history of the NFL.

Alexander was due to become a free agent in the offseason but the Seahawks prevented that from happening by signing him to an eight-year contract worth a mere $62 million dollars - the richest contract by any NFL running back ever. He's also never missed a game due to injury. Where Alexander falls short (and let's be serious - who cares?) is that he is not involved much in the passing game. He's actually had that role decline the last four seasons until bottoming out last year with just 78 yards. Then again - 28 touchdowns.

While Alexander has lost G Steve Hutchinson, the team has picked up Tom Ashworth to replace him and the left side still has Floyd Womack and Walter Jones. Alexander is a lock to be in the top three backs taken this and likely every year in the foreseeable future. He obviously is unlikely to turn in another 28 scores but then again - no one would be completely shocked that much if he did.

Tiki Barber failed to get the memo about how he was turning 30 last year and would hit some mythical wall. Then again, he never got the one about how he was too small to play full-time either. Barber comes off a career best season where he tallied 357 carries for 1860 yards - second only to Shaun Alexander by a mere 20 yards. His 54 receptions ranked 3rd and receiving yards fell in 3rd as well. Add those all together and you get a super fantasy back that led the entire league with 2390 yards (almost 200 more than anyone else). The only area he fell from the pinnacle of the position was in touchdowns with 11. Thank Brandon Jacobs for that.

So 2006 greets a 31-year old back who is too small to play full-time. Once again, he will likely be drafted well below his actual value as been the case for literally the last four years. Then again, the kiss of death may be believing in Barber after a career mark just in time to see him take a slide downward. While there is some risk, it is that risk that has made Barber consistently be a great value in drafts. Another consideration as well is that Barber was used far less in his first five seasons and his 1890 career carries trails Edgerrin James by 298 carries while only topping Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson by less than a full season's worth. Barber also takes very few direct hits which further help his durability. Brandon Jacobs is there to take those injury-causing tough short yardage runs.

Barber is a big feature in the passing game and had more than twice as many catches in the second half versus the first half of 2005. That only underscores how the developing Manning likes to throw to him. After the top three backs are off the board this summer, Barber arguably offers the most consistent, low-risk pick you can make. And this year - you'll likely not have the luxury of waiting for him to fall to you.

(+Upside) While ex-Auburn teammate Carnell Williams was grabbing all the headlines last year, Ronnie Brown was actually the first back drafted. He just went to a team that happened to have one of the iterations of Ricky Williams and ended up with just 207 carries against the 290 that Williams received. While Cadillac produced a 4.1 yards per carry average, Brown ended with 4.4 to rank 7th best in the NFL last year.

Ricky Williams has once again managed to be suspended and with that leaves Ronnie Brown delightfully alone in the Miami backfield. With Sammie Morris as his back-up, there is little chance that Brown has to worry that someone else will take up the slack of Ricky Williams' 168 carries last season. There will continue to be a chance that Miami acquires another veteran back but this show is Brown's now. At most they will be upgrading his back-up spot. Remember too that Brown and Williams combined for 1650 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last year.

Brown will not come cheap in most drafts and rightfully so. The Dolphins love to run the ball and in his first season, Brown already has shown he has the talent that is limited only by volume of carries. That goes up this year and so does the value of Brown on your team. He already had 907 yards last season in a sharing scenario but this year has all the marks of a big breakout. There has been a change in coaching staff but that will not affect the rushing game - it may make it even better.

(+Upside) Steven Jackson topped the 1000 yard mark in his second season when he ran for 1046 yards in 2005. He also scored eight times on the ground and added two more scores via receptions. His role in the offense increased with the sharp decline of Marshall Faulk last year and Jackson totaled 43 catches to rank 9th in the NFL for running backs.

Jackson's numbers were even better considering that he only had two games with more than 20 carries during the season. New HC Scott Linehan intends to change that by stating that he recognizes Jackson to be a primary weapon and that he should be getting the ball 20 or more times every week. More carries equates to more yardage, and possibly more than first meets the eye considering Jackson's strength in the passing game as well. Be aware though that Linehan wants to start using tight ends more which should depress some of those halfback receptions.

Jackson should see bigger numbers this year and his only apparent downside will be during the fantasy playoffs weeks when he faces CHI, OAK and WAS. Linehan helped to dramatically boost the Dolphins rushing game last year by using two running backs. In St. Louis, there really is little more than Jackson to work with. Expect a good year here with upside for a big jump.

(-Risk) And so starts the grand experiment. Edgerrin James signed a four-year contract with the Cardinals to provide what has never truly existed there before - an actual rushing game. It no doubt helped his negotiating when James came off two consecutive years with over 1500 rushing yards and agreed to come to the worst rushing team of 2005. James scored 14 touchdowns last season as opposed to the mere two scores by all Arizona running backs combined. Oh yes, this is an upgrade.

What remains to be seen is how upgraded the Arizona offensive line will be this year. And how much of the poor running last year was actually more about the runner than the blocking. Recall in 2004, the ancient Emmitt Smith managed to score nine touchdowns and gain 937 rushing yards on a team less talented than the 2005 version. After using a great back in his twilight years and then a hot rookie, the Cardinals finally decided to just cough up the cash and buy one of the best tailbacks in the league who is in his prime.

In a long-term view, the Cardinals taking Leinart could end up duplicating what the Colts did when they built their monster offense. The wide receivers already rank among the best in the league, the offense loves to throw and score and a rushing game with James could follow what happened in Indianapolis - at least that is the plan. Expect that James can exceed what a washed-up Emmitt could do in Arizona and likely much more thanks to a kind schedule and an offense that is getting better in a hurry.

Not a shabby way to deck out his mantle. The rookie Carnell "Cadillac" Williams managed to be the first rookie running back to ever have three consecutive 100 yard games to start his career. He rushed for more yardage in those three games than any other running back ever had. He ran for 434 yards which then naturally was followed by only gaining 13 yards in the next three games (all together probably another record of sorts). He ended the season as the Offensive Rookie of the Year with 1178 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Williams injured his ankle and the arch in his foot in week 4 and that injury kept him out or limited him for five weeks or his numbers would have been even higher. Another positive too was that he started becoming more of a part of the passing game.

Not since LaDainian Tomlinson was drafted in 2001 has a first round rookie running back actually met and exceeded the hype. The Buccaneers will be featuring Williams even more this season and have even brought in blocking fullback Jerald Sowell to help plow open the running lanes this year. The Buccaneers have a very unusual statistical quirk this season since they face one of the toughest schedules for passing and yet have only an average challenge with rushing the ball this year. More reason to fire up the Cadillac.

After two seasons warming the bench, Rudi Johnson stepped in during 2003 for 13 games and shared carries with Corey Dillon. Johnson turned in nine touchdowns and just missed hitting the 1000 yard mark that year. In the two years since, he has been incredibly consistent - running for 1457 and 1458 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns both seasons. That is scary consistency. Even his total yardage has been 1541 yards in 2004 and 1548 yards in 2005.

That level of production makes Johnson a very solid fantasy back and he increased his yards per carry to 4.3 last year. While he had 11 games with over 80 rushing yards, he only managed to top 100 yards three times. He also falls a bit in the rankings for leagues that reward receptions since he has never had more than 23 catches in a season. But his consistency and production ranks him highly since there is as minimal risk as you can hope for with a running back.

Again - lack of catches push him down a bit in those leagues with reception points but regardless, Johnson is a player who is not particularly flashy and likely gets drafted a bit too low in most leagues. The potential absence of Carson Palmer for the first part of the season could depress the rushing game but by the same token, it could actually make it even more heavily relied on. The initial weeks have KC, CLE and then at PIT, so for at least two weeks not having Palmer would likely be less a factor.

While Portis has not returned to the lofty production from his days in Denver, he's getting very close and there is every reason to believe this is the year that he makes his first two NFL seasons as eventual trivia questions. Portis was dinged in Denver for being too injury prone but in two seasons with the Redskins, he has only missed one game and last year ended with 1516 yards and 13 total touchdowns. That tied him for 5th in the NFL for running back touchdowns and 4th best in rushing.

The Redskins have brought in new OC Al Saunders from the Chiefs to replicate his success and end the committee approach to running the offense. Portis already had 352 carries last year and in Washington, there is no Larry Johnson biding his time waiting for an opportunity.

The Redskins offensive line is in the second year of upgrading under HC Joe Gibbs and Portis already ranked around 4th best in most categories last season. Expect another increase this year as Portis continues to just hang outside the Top 3. If the offensive line reaches their potential and Saunders can import his high-powered offense even only partially, Portis won't just be standing outside the Top 3, he could be knocking on the door.

08-15-06 Update: Portis slips back one spot mainly because his slightly separated shoulder will likely have him out at least until the season starts. With Barber so consistent, no reason to take a risk on the 4th pick. Portis is still likely to turn in just as good a year as before, but with such a high pick, why not play it safe. He has no broken bones and an MRI did not show any additonal damage. His shoulder just needs to heal up and the prognosis is that he'll be okay right at the start of the season.

08-23-06 Update: Portis drops two spots in relation to the signing of T.J. Duckett. There is no change to Portis' health, but the risk exists more now that Duckett could be used for short yardage or goal line carries as he did in Atlanta. It's speculation at this point and he could be just battling LaDell Betts for the back-up spot but the Redskins spent a third round pick to acquire him. That's a bit pricey for someone not used.

Willis McGahee's second season as a starter went better than his first, but he did not take the leap up that his 2004 production suggested would happen. Of course much of that could be due to the passing problems that the team suffered through and losing six of their last seven games which prevented him from carrying as often. Through the first half of the season, McGahee had rolled up 907 total yards and four scores while averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

In the final eight games, he had only 457 yards and one score while averaging only 3.3 yards per carry. The question is which McGahee shows up this year? The Bills will enjoy a lighter schedule and Losman will be one more year matured to hopefully do better with the passing game. The Bills have also spent much of the offseason beefing up their anemic defense through free agency and the draft. The true McGahee was the one early in 2004 but he cannot come to life if the defense gives away most the games while forcing the offense to just throw in a desperate attempt to catch-up on the scoreboard.

McGahee is talented undoubtedly and he has remained durable since his return from the catastrophic knee injury in college. While the rebuilding Bills may not be an offensive powerhouse this season, they will likely rely on the rushing game to help out as much as possible. Look for an increase in numbers, limited mainly by field position and game situation.

After spending four seasons waiting for Curtis Martin to step aside, Lamont Jordan went to the Raiders last year and had a remarkable season, at least in fantasy terms. His rushing production was nothing special with only 1025 yards and a 3.8 yards per carry average but he led all running backs in the NFL with 70 catches even though he only played in 14 games. His 563 receiving yards was second only to Brian Westbrook. In leagues with reception points, he was a delightful surprise.

His inclusion in the passing game was unforeseen and was in part a product of the coverage that Randy Moss received. When Kerry Collins was uncomfortable throwing downfield, he dumped it off to Jordan. He did so almost five times per game. Now that HC Norv Turner has left, Art Shell takes over along with ex-Idaho mayor Tom Walsh. Whether or not they elect to use Jordan in that capacity remains to be seen, but also notable is that Collins has been replaced by Aaron Brooks who never threw a touchdown to a running back while at New Orleans. Throw in Randy Moss as a lock to catch more than 60 passes this year and Jordan's outlook in the passing game is not nearly as bright as last year suggests.

Jordan was not a wildly effective runner in 2005 with half of his games coming in under 60 yards rushing. He boosted his overall production greatly by his receiving but there is a risk of that happening again. No Art Shell team has ever had more than 391 receiving yards from any running back and almost all came in under 200 yards for the season. How Shell will adjust to the 2006 game remains to be seen, but most likely the mobile Brooks will be buying time to find Porter or Moss instead of just dumping a pass to Jordan. With no real competition on the team, Jordan is a safe play here, but numbers like last year are definitely risky to expect.

Brian Westbrook had spent the last three seasons as a very shrewd draft pick in leagues that reward reception points and though he missed four games last year, he still topped all running backs with 616 receiving yards and his 61 catches were second only to Lamont Jordan. Such is the case every season and he has scored more touchdowns via the pass than by rushing for the last two seasons.

The problem with Westbrook is one of reliability. He has not made it to he last two games of the season for the last two seasons and last year battled through a Lis Franc injury to his foot. In 2004 he missed three games with various minor injuries and in 2003 he had ankle and triceps problems. But Westbrook is clearly the best back on the roster and HC Andy Reid has already claimed he wants to run more this year to balance out the offense.

Westbrook is a top ten back in leagues that reward reception points though his injury history makes him a bigger risk than most. Since he combines rushing and receiving yardage every week, he has consistent fantasy production and has been turning in ten or more touchdowns every year as a starter until 2005. Westbrook spent time with Tiki Barber this offseason to see how Barber cured his own injury problems and should Westbrook glean any useful information about staying healthy from Tiki, then he'll almost certainly be drafted well below his actual value this year. Yet again.

Kevin Jones came off a good rookie season when he gained 1133 rushing yards with a very healthy 4.7 yard average. The problem inside his 2004 campaign was that he boosted those numbers considerably with big games against the Vikings, Packers and Cardinals. Take away those super-soft match-ups and his numbers in 2004 pretty much matched those in 2005 - just moderate at best. His rushing average fell to only 3.6 yards last year and in fairness, he was hit hard by the general malaise that befell the entire Lion's team.

Jones also three missed games last year with thigh and elbow injuries and was limited in others. Remarkable too was the insistence last year to also play Artose Pinner despite his numbers being even worse. This led to Jones only having two games with more than 21 carries and seven times he only had a dozen carries or less. 2005 is not a realistic measuring stick for Jones since he was never heavily used.

With the new coaching staff and system, Jones has a second chance to start his NFL career. Unfortunately, the Ram-style of offense rarely uses any tailback more than 250 times in a season so Jones upper-limit is lower than many other backs in the league. While Artose Pinner and Shawn Bryson are no threats, the Lions grabbed Brian Calhoun in the draft and he could, at least potentially, get more involved as the first "Marinelli guy". Best chances here are that Jones retains the primary rushing role but will rarely be asked to carry more than 20 times per game while sharing the load with a better pass catcher such as Bryson or Calhoun. That means Jones carries a risk of being "under-used" in the new offense and his injury history is far from stellar. He'll likely be drafted too early by the guy who still remembers the three games back in 2004.

07-30-06 Update: Jones gets a push up slightly in the rankings because he has looked very good during his brief time in camp and more importantly, that has been noticed by the coaching staff installing the new offense.

(+Upside) Chester Taylor entered the league as a sixth round pick in 2002 right between Brian Allen and Luke Staley. He hung on with the Ravens as a back-up and change of pace running back for Jamal Lewis. After minimal playing time the first two seasons, Taylor was given four starts in 2004 when Jamal Lewis was out of the lineup and ran the ball a total of 78 times for 367 yards for a 4.7 yard average. He also caught 14 passes for 78 yards during those games. He ended 2004 with a career high 160 carries for 714 yards (4.5 YPC).

Last season Taylor played less but was consistently running better than Lewis. He turned in a career best 41 catches for 292 yards. On the very first day of free agency, he signed a $14 million contract with the Vikings that included $5.6 million in guaranteed bonuses. Pretty nice for a one-time sixth round pick. Consider too that the Vikings had the cash to pursue Edgerrin James instead.

Taylor is absolutely a "sleeper" pick this season but he could end up overvalued if the hype gets too hot. New HC Brad Childress brings the
Philly-style offensive scheme and has already stated how well the multiple skills of Taylor will fit into offense. He also mentioned that Taylor would get 20 to 30 touches a game. The Vikings have also upgraded their offensive line and added a blocking fullback. Once Taylor gets past opening games against WAS, CAR and CHI, his schedule becomes much lighter. Any running back with his first true starting job is a risk, but the situation and opportunity that Taylor should have this season will spark him higher on many draft boards and he won't come as cheap as many hope.

Willie Parker was given a shot at starting last season thanks to Duce Staley's torn meniscus and Jerome Bettis having calf problems. Initially it was assumed the Vernon Haynes would start but the speedy Parker looked good enough in training camp to get the nod. He never looked back. Parker gained 209 total yards against the Titans in week one. He followed that up with four more 100 rushing yard efforts to end with 1202 yards on 255 carries to rank sixth in yards per carry (4.7). In week nine, Parker pulled up lame with a sprained ankle that caused him to miss one full game and hampered him for the next two games on the road against top defenses. By week 13, he was back in form and ended the regular season with two 130 rushing yard efforts.

Parker was only marginally effective in the three post-season games but his role is certain this season with the only question being if he will lose carries to the next "Jerome Bettis". While Parker ran well, he only scored four rushing touchdowns compared to Bettis who had nine.

The backfield has not changed other than the retirement of Bettis so Parker is insulated from any competition for the stating role. That doesn't mean he won't continue to lose precious scores to either Staley or Haynes, but the yardage will be almost entirely his. The injury to Roethlisberger could result in either Charlie Batch playing or Big Ben being limited and in either case that should be a benefit to the running game. The versatile Parker should continue to make a decent #2 running back for your fantasy team that can turn in the monster week that wins your games.

(-Risk) (+Upside) Julius Jones has stumbled through two seasons with the Cowboys with several peaks and valleys. On one hand, he broke his clavicle as a rookie and missed eight games. He had a high ankle sprain last year and missed three games. He has only averaged 4.0 yards per carry so far in his career with many sub-4.0 YPC games. Then again, he tore up the Panthers for 194 yards and two scores last year. He had games of 186, 130 and 167 yards in 2004. In a handful of games, he has been unstoppable. In most games he has been rather average. In too many games he has been sidelined with an injury.

Marion Barber proved a more than adequate back-up last season and there is reasonable conjecture that he may supplant Jones as the primary back. HC Bill Parcells has openly voiced a concern about Jones durability which is not a positive. Feeling some of the heat has led Jones to work out harder than ever this offseason but the bottom line to his role in the offense is less about his talent than his ability to remain uninjured.

The Cowboys have an excellent schedule for rushing this season and that should help whichever back is toting the rock. When Jones was healthy towards the end of last year, he was being used about twice as much as Barber but even that level of sharing cuts into what fantasy numbers could have happened. Drop Jones back in your rankings due to the risk that both injuries and the footsteps of Marion Barber represent but know that if you get Jones when he gets hot, you have a gem. And if he follows the course of his first two seasons, you most likely have a tantalizing and yet entirely frustrating player on your roster that will make you wonder if he will go off or just go away in any given game.

08-10-06 Update: HC Bill Parcells has not said anything against Jones, but he has made a point of discussing plans to rotate the backs this year and he did in in 2005 as well. Jones is the fastest and best back on the team and he can still turn in big games, but the risk of him sharing carries and losing out on potential production is too great to leave him ranked any higher.

(+Upside) The undrafted product out of Arizona has suddenly become all the talk here in the first week of preseason when he received a phone call from the coaches. He said he was concerned that they might be releasing him but instead it ended up that he has been made the starting running back over Ron Dayne and Tatum Bell. Welcome to the Denver experience. At 6'1" and 218 pounds, Bell has the desired size for the job and he was successful at Arizona. He just wasn't viewed in the top 17 running backs by all 32 NFL teams as that is how many were drafted this year. Bell has been impressive in camp. Now instead of arguing Tatum and Ron we can add in Mike as a third candidate. If Mike Bell can show up big in preseason games, then his lock on that top spot may harden but until then, figure this is just more of the same Denver we have come to know.

08-14-06 Update: Bell continues to rise in the rankings despite being nothing special in the first preseason game. Bell ran for just 20 yards on seven carries and he fumbled once. The Denver backfield is never a clear issue and Bell continues to hang on to the top spot... for now. Tatum Bell ran better on Saturday but apparently cannot convince the coaching staff to give him the fulltime gig. Chances look best that RBBC will happen again this year in Denver and for now at least, Mike Bell is a part of that.

08-21-06 Update: Bell has been very impressive in preseason games when he has held on to the ball. There's no reason to expect anything but Mike being the primary back and for Tatum Bell to provide change of pace. He may have been undrafted, but all signs point to him being the man this year. At least as much as anyone in Denver can be.

(+Upside) The 49ers under new HC Mike Nolan selected Frank Gore with their 3.01 pick last year. Gore had been a freshman sensation before tearing his ACL in his second year and then re-injured his knee just five games into the season during his junior year, so his fall in the draft was expected and the 49ers took an educated risk in the hopes that Gore could return to form and remain healthy.

Gore did miss two games with a hip flexor and underwent shoulder surgery early in the offseason to correct a nagging problem but he is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp. Gore ended the season impressively with a two touchdown game against the Rams and then gained 108 yards on 25 carries against the Texans. Both were wins but then again, it was against the Rams and Texans.

Gore has the early lead for starting running back this season and he should keep his hold on the job with Kevan Barlow so underwhelming last year. Gore's 4.8 yard average was top ten in the NFL last year and new OC Norv Turner wants to continue to build on the improving run game seen last year when Gore was the starter. This offense is not going to produce enough touchdown opportunities for Gore to become a fantasy force in 2006, but he can be a great #3 running back for your team under the direction of Turner who rarely uses a committee approach in the backfield. Gore has risk in this offense, but there is still upside to realize with a full-time role from the season opener on through the entire season. Starting the season @ARZ, STL, PHI, @KC and OAK should cement Gore's effectiveness.

08-21-06 Update: Gore bumps up a few spots with the departure of Kevan Barlow to the Jets. Gore was already expected to be the primary back in these rankings but the loss of Barlow can only mean even better things. The 49er schedule is about as kind as it can be, now it depends on what the rest of the offense can do to support Gore.

(-Risk) (+Upside) The Saints gladly accepted their gift when the Houston Texans passed on Reggie Bush and signed DE Mario Williams prior to the draft. While New Orleans had just signed Deuce McAllister to an eight-year, $50 million contract in July of 2005, they could not pass up on Bush.

Bush is one of the hottest prospects to come out of college for years and is electrifying in the open field with his 4.35/40 speed and ability to cut sharply at angles and then out run the defenders who cannot adjust. An accomplished pass receiver, Bush brings a very enticing set of skills to the Saints that can be exploited in many ways. His college career proved he is one of those rare "score on any play, from anywhere" types of running backs.

HC Sean Payton has already said he intends on using both Bush and McAllister in tandem much like Bush had at USA with LenDale White. That will reduce the amount of carries and catches for both players which will have an obvious impact on their fantasy outlook. Then again, such a scenario already led Bush to the pinnacle of his position in college against the toughest opponents possible.

Bush will go highly in keeper leagues but in redraft leagues his stock falls a bit knowing that he will share with McAllister and carries the obligatory risk of any rookie player regardless where drafted. In leagues with reception points, Bush ranks higher. He will be the #1 rookie to watch this season and likely many more to come. He requires a leap of faith to draft, but he has never failed to deliver.

Warrick Dunn continues to defy all logic. He is too small to be a full-time back at just 5'9" and 180 pounds. He is too old for heavy use at 31 years of age. And yet, he comes off a career best season with 1416 rushing yards on 280 carries and his 5.1 yards per carry average was fifth best in the NFL last year. He has played the full 16 games in both of the last years so his expected durability issue is yet another anomaly.

Dunn benefits from being on a team that absolutely loves to run the ball but he could be more productive if they would involve him in the passing game more. That just does not happen. For the four seasons in Atlanta, Dunn has declined in receiving yardage every year, ending with just 220 yards on 29 catches last season. What would seem to be one of his biggest strengths is rarely used and all his limitations are ignored to make him just another full-time running back. And a very good one at that.

Regardless of his remarkable characteristics, it is only natural to be concerned about injuries with a small player who will be 32 next January. Then again, Dunn has been similar to Tiki Barber in that both have consistently been a great bargain in drafts every season. Working against Dunn this year though will be a brutal schedule. In addition to the games against CAR and TB, Dunn has to also face BAL, PIT, WAS and DAL which should depress his numbers. Then again, he may never get that memo either.