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Felix Jones is a rookie who will stay under the radar for a little while, but will get playing time and put up some decent numbers. Expect him to play a role similar to the role of Julius Jones, and share carries with Barber.
Jones will be a good late round pickup this season, with big upside if Marion Barber gets injured. He’s worth a flyer pick in all leagues, a must draft for the guy who used a first round pick on Barber.
LaMont Jordan is a bit of a late round sleeper pick this year. Going to New England added tremendous value to Jordan. He will get some carries every game, and if the injury bug hits the running backs of New England again, Jordan could step into an excellent starting position. Take a look at Jordan with a late round flyer.
Calvin Johnson is a big wide receiver, and has all the tools to be one of the top players in the game at his position. I don’t think 2008 will be his breakout year, but he should turn in a solid performance if he can stay away from the injury bug.
Johnson disappointed many fantasy owners last year. He didn’t play terrible, but he was hurt for most of the year, playing through it. Not only that, but he has a very physical style of play, and the injury surely hampered his play. He should be healthy in the 2008 season, and could put up some solid numbers.
This will be his second year in the league. Year 3 tends to be a breakout year for wide receivers, and he plays on the Lions. The Lions will be much more run committed this season. Between that and the departure of offensive mastermind Martz, I expect the Lions will not be as pass happy as they have been in years past. Add in the fact that the Lions have a stable of capable wide receivers, and it does not set up perfectly for a huge breakout season.
With that being said, Johnson has serious natural talent, huge hands, and a very imposing presence on the field. If you have seen him play in person, you can appreciate his sheer size. He will get his fair share of catches, and should put in a solid performance this season. I would not count out a 1,000 yard campaign, with a handful of touchdowns.
Draft Johnson as a number two wide receiver. He has the potential to play his way into number one status, but not this year in my opinion. Johnson may be a hot sleeper type pick by many, and I don’t know if he will last into the middle rounds where I would feel comfortable taking him. I’m sure there will be someone in many leagues drafting Calvin to be a number one. He’ll be solid, but will disappoint if you count on him to carry the load.
Thomas Jones should be an interesting pick in the 2008 fantasy football draft. He will have a better 2008 season than he did last year, and could be a decent number two option.
Jones rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, but with only one touchdown let many fantasy owners down. He was expected to be a number one running back last season, but wound up on the bench for those owners who had other options at RB. Expect that to change in the 2008 season.
In the off season, the Jets added pro-bowl guard Damien Woody. Additionally, their offensive line should be healthy and improved over last season, which will be a benefit to Jones. The Jets struggled terribly on the offensive side of the ball last season, expect them to improve on that performance.
I look for Jones to break the 1,000 yard mark again this season, and he should find the end zone more than he did last year. He certainly won’t find it any less! Draft Jones as a low end number two RB, with some upside. He should be a good value pick, and you can never have too many running backs. Take a look his way in the middle rounds of the draft.
Edgerrin James should be a decent option as a number two RB this fantasy season. I think he will give you very good value for where you can pick him up in the draft, and has some upside potential that may even allow him to play his way into a low end number one option.
James is a stud running back who will be 30 coming into the 2008 fantasy football season. He ran well last year, with over 1200 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. I don’t expect much deviation from those numbers this year, and if the Cardinals offense starts clicking like it has the potential to do, he could be in for a bigger season.
James always has the potential for the big season, and with his age, he will be more of an afterthought for many on draft day. Keep him on your radar, I expect him to slip in many drafts and become an excellent pick up. Worst case scenario is that he provides you a solid number two back, or high end back up if you have two RB’s by the time he goes off the board.
He should have a very good season, and he will be one of my target players in the 2008 fantasy football rankings before draft day. I don’t know if he qualifies as your typical sleeper, but he will surprise many when he turns in a very solid 2008 fantasy football season.
Julius Jones is an interesting player coming into the 2008 fantasy football season. He is coming from the Cowboys to the Seahawks, and will probably see his touches increase, although he will still be in some sort of rotation in the backfield.
The big question is how much of a rotation will there be. I think Jones is going to be the number one in Seattle, but may lose the goal line carries, and maybe the third down duties. I don’t expect the big numbers that many do from Jones, and I don’t see a big touchdown total either. Both of these factors mean that someone else is going to draft Jones before I will.
Jones will probably be a decent or low end number two fantasy football RB this season. If he’s around in the 5th or 6th round, I would consider taking him. He probably won’t be, let someone else spend an early round pick on this gamble. Could be a good gamble, but I don’t think so.
Rudi Johnson, his fantasy football value is at an all time low in my book. I don’t think I will draft him in any leagues, and I’m labeling him a bust, he is no longer a viable number one back, and I don’t really like him as a number two back.
Johnson was hurt much of last year, hamstring injuries are tough, nagging and will really cut your production. He should be healthy coming into this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bengals use a running back by committee type of approach, and I don’t think Rudi is the best back on the team at this point.
Kenny Watson stepped in last year when Johnson was down and did an excellent job. Expect him to get his share of carries this year, with the potential to take over the starting role. Also, Irons should be back from his injury this season, and will get some reps as well.
I expect Johnson to rush for around 800 yards, with a handful of touchdowns. Not terrible numbers, but I’m sure he will be off the board by the time I feel he brings enough value to pick him up. If he is around in the sixth round or later, take a look at him as a low end number two back with some upside, but don’t expect big things from Rudi this year. If you play in a point per reception league, he has even less value as he won’t catch many balls out of the backfield.
Jamal Lewis is a solid running back coming into the 2008 fantasy football season.
The Browns have a high powered offense, and will put up some big numbers this year. Anderson is back, along with the supporting cast he had in 2007. Lewis is running strong, and should continue to be the man in Cleveland after resigning this off season. The Browns throw enough that teams are not going to stack the box to stop Lewis, which will let him turn in another strong season.
Pickup Lewis as a number two back and expect to start him every week. He is a rock solid number two back, and should turn in a few big games throughout the season. I see his 2008 season being pretty similar to the 2007 campaign, with some upside to it.
Don’t draft Lewis too early, if he is your number one back, you have problems. Target him with a pick sometime after the third round. Lewis is a guy who will go early in some drafts and late in others, with a wide variance on his average draft position. If you happen to be in a draft where he slips, he could be a very valuable addition to your team.
I don’t know that I would spend a first or second round pick on him, and I would be hesitant to take him in the third, but anytime after that will net you a very solid value running back.
Marshawn Lynch should be a solid number two back, with some upside potential for the 2008 fantasy season. He should remain the featured back in Buffalo, and if he can stay healthy, has the potential to put up some decent numbers.
With that being said, I think Lynch gets drafted too early in most leagues. He missed 3 games last year, and had injury problems at Cal before coming out to the NFL. I don’t know that he is a guy you should hang your hat on.
Not only does he have injury problems, but he plays for Buffalo. I don’t know that they have found their offensive stride, and I would not be surprised to see them struggle big time in the 2008 season. Even with good year end numbers, Lynch is not going to win you a championship.
If he stays on the field, you can expect 1200+ yards, and potentially double digit touchdowns. If the injury bug hits him again, you can expect to be frustrated while he has to sit on your bench for a few weeks.
I don’t like Lynch unless he slips a bit farther than I expect him to. If he’s around in the fourth round, take a look at him, but there should be better players available whenever Lynch is still on the board.
Greg Jennings had a lot of potential coming into the 2008 season, until Favre retired. Jennings and Brett had developed quite a working relationship, I don’t know if he and Rogers have the same chemistry.
With Rogers taking over the reins, Jennings is a bit of a wild card. He may slip far enough in the draft to be a good pick up, but he could well be a bust too. He is not the number one in Green Bay, Driver is the man, Jennings just happened to be on the same page with Favre. Unless he has the same feel with Rogers, expect Jennings’ numbers to slip dramatically.
I will stay away from Jennings in the draft this year. I don’t like the big unknown, and this situation could very well put Jennings back on the fantasy bench for the 2008 season.
2008 is his third year in the league, and he could very well prove me wrong and put up some big numbers, but I would not count on Jennings as anything more than a number two receiver with a bit of upside.
He had a great year last year fantasy wise, but look closer at the numbers. 12 touchdowns, 920 yards, but only 53 catches. I see his catch total staying right around 50, but the touchdowns and yards will both go down. 50 catches, 600 yards, 5 or 6 touchdowns is what I expect.
