Earlier this season, the big question was, has Eli surpassed his big brother? Big bro Peyton is beginning to prove why he’s still boss. Peyton and the Colts opened up the season at 1-2, and Manning had a QB rating of 73.05, having thrown more picks than TDs, and having a rare sub-60 completion percentage.

Since then Manning has been playing very well, with a rating of 87.35, having thrown 12 TDs to just 5 INTs. And over his last 3 games, Peyton has thrown 7 touches and just 2 picks, and has a rating of just a tad below 95. The Colts are 2-1 in that span, and are getting healthier.

With Indy’s remaining schedule going like this: Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Jacksonville, Tennessee; Peyton’s future stats are looking promising, as each of these teams have struggled tremendously against the pass all season, with the exception of the Titans of course; but that match-up is in Week 17, a game in which you’ll probably be seeing Tennessee’s second unit for most of the game…unless of course they can go…never mind.
Check Out the Rest of This Article

Experienced fantasy players usually target certain players who they think will be there in the later rounds of your draft. But there are always a few players who you just wonder how they fell so far, and why. While you should not build your team around great mid to late round values, they do offer some insurance if your strategy did not go to plan, and you’re lacking at a certain position. Here are the top ten draft values, or steals, of 2008.

10. Thomas Jones

Jones was picked as high as the 2nd and 3rd rounds very often by fantasy owners last season. Even though Jones did rack up a decent 1100 yards on the ground, he only contributed 1 TD. The Jets revamped their line this year, including the addition of future Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca. Even with the acquisition of Brett Favre, the Jets will still be a run heavy team this season, especially early until Favre can get on key with his receivers. The Jets do have a good back up runningback in Leon Washington, however Jones is still the guy who carries the load for the J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS! Jones is a steal in the 6th or 7th round, in which he has been going almost every time, no matter what league.

9. Jay Cutler

Cutler may have been the best QB to come out of that 2006 draft, but don’t tell anybody yet. While many fantasy owners realize that this could be a break out year for Cutler, he is still going as late as the 10th round. Cutler has a good core of targets with Brandon Marshall emerging as one of the league’s elite, Brandon Stokley, Darrell Jackson, and rookie Eddie Royal making a pretty decent 2, 3, and 4, and TEs Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler providing Cutler with big strong targets in the flat. Cutler is a great late round QB option if you plan on stacking up on RBs and WRs early on.
Also see: The Comeback Kids

8. LenDale White

In his second season, the former back up to Reggie Bush at USC had 1110 yards on thr ground and 7 TDs. While white is still in a bit of a position battle with Chris Johnson for the starting spot, White should end up winning it, and with the addition of Jake Scott, the Titans line now becomes one of the better run blocking units in the NFL. White should be in for a big year, and considering that you can get him as late as the 9th or 10th round, he sits at number 8 on my list.

7. Ricky Williams

Ricky used to be one of the best, if not the best, backs in the league. However, problems with drugs have gotten him suspended multiple times, and has scared fantasy owners from getting him early, or at all. Ricky has stayed clean for over a year now and is hopefully back to the Ricky of old. Williams has had a tremendous off season, and with Ronnie likely getting limited playing time due to the ACL tear he suffered in Week 7 of last season, to go along with a new and improved offensive line, Ricky should be in for a great year. Williams goes as low as the 11th or 12th round depending on what league you are in. Ricky is a great back up option, and should offer great trade value mid season, where his numbers should start to lower with the return of Brown. Ricky is also predicting a 1,000 yard season, if you like to listen to that kind of stuff.
Also see: Ricky Williams Looking Good

6. Selvin Young

Many would disagree with Young at 6, in that he should be higher up on the list. Young is the number one back on a team who has been known for making your everyday rusher into a great fantasy option. The second year man out of Texas really played well while Henry was MIA in his rookie season, and should have a similar, if not a better season, this year. Young averaged over 5 ypc last and had one touch. Young goes as late as the 9th round, and is a great 3rd back option.

Check Out the Rest of This Article

Whoever picked up Ladell Betts 2 seasons ago looked like a genius. After Clinton Portis went down, Betts became Washington’s number one back and finished the season one shy of 1600 total yards and also put 5 TDs on the board. After the injury in Week 11, Betts had 5 straight 100 yard performances, and ended the season with 92 yards on the ground against New York. 4 of his 5 TDs also came in the last 6 weeks of the season.

Last year, we all expected the Skins’ to run a two back system, with both Betts and Portis sharing the load. Portis’ big year limited Betts to just 93 carries though, and Betts was not what fantasy owners had hoped for.

This year dawns a new coaching era in Washington, where Jim Zorn brings his West Coast Offense to the nation’s capital. Betts has always been good out of the backfield catching the football, and his versatility should get him a lot more playing time in this new offense. Betts has been great all off season, and though he did not see the field in Washington’s Hall Of Fame Game against Indy, he had a good performance last week against Buffalo, getting 41 yards on just 5 carries through the ground, and added 41 more yards receiving to go along with a TD.

Not only should Betts be seeing more action because of the new system that Jim Zorn brings to the table, but the fact that Clinton Portis had so many carries last season (325), should give Betts more opportunities to prove he can have a repeat of 2006. History has shown us that it is very hard to have back to back 300+ carry seasons after all.

I have been picking up Ladell in the very last rounds, or even free agency, in every fantasy draft that I can. I suggest that you do that same; the potential is defintely there for a big season.

Today NFL.com reported that Miami Dolphins estranged RB Ricky Williams is looking and feeling better than ever and that he plans on playing for 4 more years before retiring from football and pursuing a career in herbal medicine.

NFL.com - http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80906e39&template=with-video&confirm=true

Williams figures he can put in four more seasons of pro ball. Time away from the game, from his temporary retirement to his 1 1/2-year suspension for smoking marijuana and violating the NFL drug policy, probably saved his body some wear and tear.

He said he feels good going into Dolphins training camp. He needed surgery to repair a pectoral muscle injured in his only game last season. He has played in only 13 games over the last four seasons.

After football, Williams wants to return to Texas to finish his degree in education. He has a long way to go and needs about 70 credit hours. After graduating, he wants to go to medical school to be an osteopathic physician so he can offer patients a holistic approach to healing.

From the quotes used in the article it really sounds like Williams has turned it around for good this time. He takes excellent care of his body, he is now a proud father and puts family first, and he now seems to have his priorities straight. This is great news for Dolphins fans and for fantasy players alike. If Williams can return to his true football form he could be splitting carries with injury prone Ronnie Brown permanently. This will drop Browns value, but sky rocket Williams’.

In his first 5 seasons of play Ricky Williams averaged 318 carries a year for 1,271 yards a year with 41 total touchdowns. However his last three seasons in the league have been horrendous with just 58 carries and 252 yards a year with 6 touchdowns. However that was the troubled Ricky, the irresponsible, indecisive Ricky Williams that everyone, especially Dolphins fans, grew to despise. Williams has had his fair share of chances to return, and he also managed to blow them, but now he has gotten one last chance and it looks like he might be for real again.

Williams is a great late round sleeper in any and every fantasy league. You can get him as a 4th or 5th RB in most leagues, so be sure to keep an eye on him and if you’re feeling lucky, pull the trigger. He could manage to put up over 700 yards and 6 touchdowns if he is truly ready to play. Not bad numbers for a really late draft pick or free agent pick up.

Update - 6/28/08
In a Heisman event hosted at the stadium of the Texas Longhorns, Williams predicted that both he and teammate Ronnie Brown would rush for 1,000 yards this year. If he holds true to this statement, he could be one of the best sleepers you could ever ask for.

Every year we see at least 1 or 2 guys who have seasons that nobody could have predicted. Last year we saw Derek Anderson bust out for over 3,700 yards and 29 TD’s through the air, along with 3 on the ground. While Adrian Peterson’s season did not generate the surprise Anderson’s did, he still won many Fantasy Players their League Championship, running for an unprecedented 1,341 yards, and 12 TD’s, also getting a TD through the air in his very first touch as an NFL player.

As I said earlier, these types of seasons nobody could have predicted. While I am not going to try and predict who this season’s Derek Anderson is, I will give you a list of names who could very well have break out years.

Reggie Bush - RB - New Orleans
Bush has disappointed fantasy owners in his first two seasons in the NFL. In his rookie year back in 2006, he had a mediocre 565 yards rushing, but did have over 700 yards through the air (742), and combined for 8 TDs overall. Last year Bush had 581 yards rushing, being the feature back with Deuce on IR, and had 417 yards receiving, with 6 TDs overall. His career average is 3.7 yards per carry.

This year though, I think that Reggie will be able to go back to what he did so well in his rookie season; do some damage as a wide-out. I think you’ll see similar numbers in terms of what he does catching the football, and also, with Deuce back, and 2 years now under his belt, I think that he’ll be a more confident runner, and have a 900-1,000 yard type rushing season.

We all know what kind of ability Reggie Bush has, and we definitely saw a lot of that said ability towards the end of his rookie year. With Deuce out all of last year, and Reggie being forced to become the feature back, he did not really have an opportunity to make that big fantasy impact that I think he will be able to make this season. This is on top of the fact that Bush missed 4 games due to injury…

I don’t think that you should be counting on getting Bush in the mid to late rounds as your number 2 RB. But, I do think that you take him once the 4th or 5th round rolls around, and he’s still there. If you are in a 10 or 12 team league, he could be there as late as the 6th round, in a lot of cases. While Bush might have higher expectations then Derek Anderson did last season, he might very well be a pleasant surprise for a lot of owners.

Check Out the Rest of This Article