QB Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys lost to the Giants but it wasn’t Tony Romo’s fault this time. He was 41-for-55 for 392 yards and three touchdowns. Romo just didn’t get enough help.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
With DeAngelo Williams out with an injury, Jonathan Stewart showed off his potential. On 26 carries he had 120 rushing yards and a touchdown. It’s safe to say he’s healthy and a strong play down the stretch.

WR Louis Murphy, Oakland Raiders
Who? Louis Murphy had four catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns to help the Raiders beat the Steelers. Don’t expect this — well, ever again — but the Raiders are definitely in better hands now with Bruce Gradkowski at QB.

TE Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Jason Witten had been quiet this season. He awoke from his slumber in Week 13. He had 14 catches for 156 yards. Considering he had 15 catches in his previous three games, his production was a welcome surprise for his fantasy football owners.

Tony Romo didn't choke in December (Image: Zuma Press)

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QB Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams
After suffering a concussion in Week 12, Marc Bulger can’t be counted on to play in Week 12. Even if he could, he’s a bad start right now.

RB Correll Buckhalter, Philadelphia Eagles
Correll Buckhalter has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL. He’ll have an MRI to see if it is anything worse.

RB Ahman Green, Houston Texans
The always fragile Ahman Green hurt his knee in Week 12 and is expected to miss at least two weeks of action.

RB Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
Rookie running back Jonathan Stewart is banged up and now reportedly has a foot injury. DeAngelo Williams remains the much better start as of right now.

WR Greg Camarillo, Miami Dolphins
After being a surprising fantasy football contributor for much of the season, Greg Camarillo’s season is over after he suffered a serious injury in Week 12.

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Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions
All indications point to Kevin Smith starting for the Lions at running back. Smith doesn’t have much competition — considering that Tatum Bell is his backup. He could be a big factor if he can stay healthy.

Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
Like Smith, Forte is also expected to be the starter. While Forte is arguably the more talented player, his situation doesn’t look as promising. He’s on a team with a bad offense and has more talent behind him at running back, including Kevin Jones and the other Adrian Peterson.

Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are starting Willis McGahee at running back. However, many team insiders claim Ray Rice has looked better so far this season. If McGahee struggled, expect Rice to get plenty of time.

Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
Although he has to share time with DeAngelo Williams, expect Jonathan Stewart to have a solid year. Williams is a finesse back, which should allow Stewart to get goal line carries.

Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers
Although he was picked in the first round, Mendenhall has his work cut out for him in terms of getting carries this season. Willie Parker is the starter and has a successful history with the Steelers. Mendenhall also had trouble with fumbles in the preseason.

Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals
With Edgerrin James likely slowing down in Arizona, Tim Hightower is a player who could be asked to add juice to an otherwise tepid ground game. Expect the Cardinals to give James more rest this season and give Hightower a chance to prove himself.

Here is a highlight reel video of Tim Hightower in action:

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Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers – DeAngelo Williams is too small to carry the load. Enter Jonathan Stewart. He’s built strongly enough to carry the load and should also get the goal-line carries in what could be a very good offense.

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants – When healthy, Jacobs should produce very well in 2008. He had trouble staying healthy in 2007, so he’ll definitely be a risk. Jacobs has the potential to be a top ten running back in fantasy football — but be sure to also draft his backup.

Brandon Jacobs highlight video:

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The good news is that Delhomme is already practicing and the team expects him to be able to go once training camp starts. Delhomme will get a few extra days of rest along the way but the Panthers are confident he’ll make a full recovery.

If Delhomme can return to 100%, he could be a sleeper fantasy football quarterback. He got off to a very good start last year before hurting his elbow. His wide receiving corps is strong and his running back duo is explosive.

At wide receiver, the Panthers bring back Steve Smith to go along with the additions of DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad. Smith is a superstar and Hackett and Muhammad both have the skillset to succeed near the endzone. At running back, DeAngelo Williams will be joined by rookie running back Jonathan Stewart.

Matt Moore is currently the backup quarterback and would start if Delhomme re-injures his elbow. Moore is a much, much less desirable fantasy quarterback.

Photo: Newscom

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However, there are a few drawbacks with Stewart. First of all, Stewart has a history of being a bit injury prone. Can he handle the physical play in the NFL? Second of all, the Panthers have been hesitant to give extended playing time to young running backs.

Even though Stewart isn’t the best fantasy football prospect, he could be a surprise in the 2008 NFL season. If he gets the starting nod, Stewart has the body type to be a very good goal line back. If your fantasy league counts touchdowns heavily, Stewart could have a lot of value coming right out of the gates.

Photo: Newscom

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3) Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Matt Ryan was obviously the best quarterback in the 2008 draft. However, don’t expect much out of him in the 2008 fantasy football season. Rookie quarterbacks are usually slow to figure things out and on top of that, the Falcons don’t have many offensive weapons.

4) Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
Expect Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas to split carries early in the 2008 season. As the season progresses, McFadden could show the coaching staff that he should get the bigger load. Overall, this was a good place for McFadden to land in terms of his fantasy football projections. He should be drafted within the first three rounds in fantasy football.

13) Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
With DeShaun Foster out of the picture, the Panthers drafted Jonathan Stewart to fill that role. In 2008, expect Stewart and DeAngelo Williams to split carries. While that’s good news for the Panthers, it will hurt the fantasy football projections of both players. This appears to be a running back by committee that should be avoided.

18) Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Like Ryan, Joe Flacco is a very good prospect. However, also like Ryan, don’t expect Flacco to do much of anything in his rookie season. The Ravens don’t have many offensive weapons and they will likely let Kyle Boller play quarterback for much of the season. Flacco is a long-term pick.

22) Felix Jones, Dallas Cowboys
Exit Julius Jones. Enter Felix Jones. Felix Jones will team with Marion Barber to form a dynamic one-two punch. Jones is a speedster who will look to make big plays for the Cowboys. Since Barber will be the goal line back, Jones’ fantasy football projections won’t be too fantastic.

23) Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers
With Willie Parker on the mend, the Steelers decided to bring in Rashard Mendenhall for insurance. It’ll be interesting to see how Parker and Mendenhall split carries in 2008. Parker should get more carries but Mendenhall could become the goal line back. If that’s the case, neither will be especially valuable in the 2008 fantasy football season.

24) Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson will likely team with LenDale White to form a thunder and lightning type backfield. White is the thunder who can gain the tough yards, while Johnson’s world class speed make him a big play candidate each time he touches the ball. Johnson, at least for his rookie season, should be viewed as White’s handcuff.

30) Dustin Keller, New York Jets
The Jets like to look at their tight ends near the endzone, so if Dustin Keller can win a starting job he could have a big season. He’s a bit of a raw prospect but he could be a good tight end for a long time. He’s definitely a receiving tight end who will look to use his speed to get open.

Get more information about the 2008 NFL Draft from Squib Kick and Every Morning Quarterback.

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Rashard Mendenhall – 2008 NFL Draft
After a successful college career, Rashard Mendenhall will likely be drafted in the middle of the first round.

Jonathan Stewart – 2008 NFL Draft
Jonathan Stewart is currently the third running back on most NFL teams’ boards and should go in the first round.

Felix Jones – 2008 NFL Draft
Darren McFadden’s backup at Arkansas, Felix Jones will be a late first rounder or an early second rounder.

Chris Johnson – 2008 NFL Draft
After a nice career at East Carolina, Chris Johnson is the highest rated senior running back in this class.

Ray Rice – 2008 NFL Draft
Although he’s small, Ray Rice has shown enough heart for an NFL team to take a chance on him.

Jamaal Charles – 2008 NFL Draft
Jamaal Charles is still a raw prospect but this Texas product has all the tools to be successful in the NFL.

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5. Matt Ryan, Quarterback
Rookie quarterbacks aren’t usually highly valued in fantasy football but there is a chance that Ryan plays right away at the NFL level. It depends on which team takes him. If he plays right away, Ryan is smart enough to be a decent fantasy option right away.

4. Jonathan Stewart, Running Back
Currently ranked as the third best running back on the board, Stewart has pretty good size and pretty good speed. He has a chance to be a solid back right away in the NFL. He’ll probably begin as a backup but he could find himself in the starting lineup sooner than later.

3. Malcolm Kelly, Wide Receiver
While 2008 isn’t a great year for wide receivers, Malcolm Kelly has a chance to be fantasy football gold. He has good size and very good hands, which is the combination you look for in a receiver who can grab a lot of touchdown passes. He lacks top end speed but Kelly should be a red zone target right away.

2. Rashard Mendenhall, Running Back
Depending on where he ends up, Mendenhall could be a starting running back in 2008. He has the total package it’d take to be a solid rookie running back in the NFL. He’ll likely be drafted at some point between the 10th and 20th pick.

1. Darren McFadden, Running Back
McFadden isn’t going to drop out of the top seven picks. He’s just too explosive of an athlete for teams to pass on him. McFadden has a chance to be a superstar on the NFL level and it’s highly likely that he’ll start as a rookie.

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Jonathan Stewart Analysis
An electric runner, Jonathan Stewart is amazing in the open field. In the NFL, he’s one of the few running backs who could also have a lot of success returning punts and kicks. The downside for Stewart is his injury history. Stewart seems to always have nagging injuries and that doesn’t bode well for longevity in the NFL.

Jonathan Stewart Fantasy Projections
As a rookie, Jonathan Stewart will likely be a part of a running back by committee. While he has great talent, the team that drafts him will want to pair him with a veteran running back just in case that his injury bug strikes again. However overall, Stewart is an exciting prospect who could become a star in the NFL.

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