QB Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
Yes, Kurt Warner was very good last season. But though he was able to play all 16 games, his injury plagued history can’t be ignored. It was his first full season since 2001. If you pick Warner, get a quality fantasy backup quarterback to go along with him.

RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
In the last few seasons, Steven Jackson has been decent. But considering the fact that he’s been banged up in recent years and the fact that the Rams offense doesn’t look too promising, Jackson’s upside is limited and he could possible be a bust.

WR Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs
Though Dwayne Bowe is definitely a talented young wide receiver, he has struggled to mesh with the new coaching staff. There are signs he might not be a featured receiver this season. Overall, Bowe is a boom or bust player in 2009 fantasy football.

TE Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Jason Witten is no doubt a top three tight end heading into the 2009 campaign, however there are some things to worry about. The top issue is that without Terrell Owens, teams will be able to key in on him. That alone should nudge him under Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.

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RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson’s situation is much clearer. Jackson will not being to play in Week 11. His thigh injury isn’t healing and the injury may be more severe than first diagnosed. In his place, the Rams will use Travis Minor and Antonio Pittman at running back. Since they will be splitting carries, neither one of them appears to be a good fantasy football start.

QB Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins
If you were planning to start Chad Pennington this weekend, you probably got a bit worried when you saw his name show up on the injury report recently. Since he’s listed as probably, expect him to play. But if he doesn’t, Chad Henne will be the quarterback for the Dolphins.

QB Kyle Orton, Chicago Bears
When he first got injured, Kyle Orton was said to be out for at least a month with a high ankle sprain. But a further examination showed that Orton didn’t have a high ankle sprain. After missing one week, Orton appears ready to play this weekend in Week 11. Although you might want to wait a week before starting him to make sure that ankle is alright, he should be decent enough in an emergency role for your fantasy football team.

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RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
In fantasy football drafts, Steven Jackson was almost always a top five pick. Although he hadn’t lived up to that billing so far in 2008, his explosion in Week 7 was very impressive. He had three touchdowns to go with 160 rushing yards and 16 receiving yards. The bad news is that Jackson left the game late with an apparent injury.

WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
With Roy Williams now with the Dallas Cowboys, Calvin Johnson showed what he can do as a lead receiver. The former first round draft pick had 154 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 7. With most of the targets in Detroit heading his way now, Johnson is a player that could explode in any given week.

TE Owen Daniels, Houston Texans
Coming into Week 7, Owen Daniels didn’t have a touchdown. But the Texans tight end busted out in a big way with two touchdowns and 66 receiving yards this week. Daniels is quietly one of the better fantasy football tight ends in the NFL and he should continue to play better and better as the Texans offense improves.

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QB Derek Anderson, Cleveland Browns
After a great fantasy season in 2007, big things were expected of Derek Anderson this year. So far, he has been a huge disappointment. He has only two touchdown passes compared to five interceptions. He also hasn’t passed for more than 166 yards in a game this season so far. If he doesn’t improve quickly, expect Brady Quinn to make an appearance before too long.

RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
Two years ago, Steven Jackson was a fantasy football monster. This year, he was again drafted near the top of most fantasy drafts. However, the early results are disappointing. After three games he has no touchdowns and hasn’t rushed for more than 66 yards in a game yet. The only thing that is saving him is he is doing a great job catching passes.

WR Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers
After a season in which he caught a lot of touchdowns and looked like a developing star, Santonio Holmes is back to playing second fiddle in Pittsburgh. The lead wide receiver once again appears to be Hines Ward. With no touchdowns and no 100 yard games to speak of, Holmes has the appearance of a fantasy football bust.

TE Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers
While it’s not quite time to bury him for good, Vernon Davis doesn’t look like a tight end that is worth rostering on a fantasy football team. He has only four catches for 68 yards after three games and it seems the 49ers are happy using him as a blocker instead of a receiver. While that may help San Francisco, it makes him near worthless in the fantasy sense.

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Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams ended his holdout on Wednesday after agreeing to a long-term deal. Jackson will report to camp and will be the team’s opening day starter at running back.

Heading in last year, big things were expected of Jackson. However, injuries slowed him down and he didn’t produce quite at the expected level. In 2008, fantasy football owners who draft Jackson will hope that he can have a healthy season.

In our updated running bank rankings, he have Jackson as the fourth best running back. In 2008 fantasy football drafts, Jackson is definitely a top five pick and has a ton of upside. Health is the only real question mark for Jackson. If he plays 16 games, expect him to have a very, very good fantasy season.

This holdout should have no fantasy impact. In fact, it was probably good for Jackson to miss part of preseason so he can be even fresher going into the NFL season opener.

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1. LaDainian Tomlinson – Tomlinson should be a stud once again.
2. Adrian Peterson – AP has the high ceiling of anyone in fantasy football.
3. Brian Westbrook – Westbrook is an all-around producer on the field.
4. Steven Jackson – Somewhat of a risk but should be very solid.
5. Marion Barber III – Likely to be a touchdown machine this year.
6. Joseph Addai – If he gets enough carries, he could finish top five.
7. Marshawn Lynch – Second year pro with very good potential.
8. Frank Gore – Look for him to bounce back off of a sub par year.
9. Clinton Portis – Always seems to do better than projected.
10. Larry Johnson – Injury risk but was a fantasy stud not too long ago.

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After studying drafts I have been in and other fantasy football draft information available throughout the internet, I’ve calculated that this is how the average fantasy football draft first round looks so far in 2008:

1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
5. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
6. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts
7. Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys
8. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
9. Randy Moss, New England Patriots
10. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
11. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills
12. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

Will Randy Moss climb higher in 2008 fantasy football drafts?

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A total of ten running backs are being drafted within the top twelve overall picks in typical 2008 fantasy football drafts. Who are those ten running backs and in which order are they being drafted?

1. LaDanian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
4. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
5. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts
6. Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys
7. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
8. Clinton Portis, Washington Redskins
9. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills
10. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

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1. LaDainian Tomlison – He’s been too good for too long to pass up.
2. Adrian Peterson – He has as much upside as any player in 2008.
3. Steven Jackson – Struggled in 2007 but should bounce back.
4. Brian Westbrook – Only injury concerns keeps him from top three.
5. Joseph Addai – Role should get even bigger this year for Colts.
6. Marion Barber III – Touchdown should be plentiful in 2008.
7. Larry Johnson – Can he bounce back and become a force?
8. Clinton Portis – Portis is underrated and could shine again.
9. Frank Gore – Mike Martz makes Gore a riskier pick than usual.
10. Marshawn Lynch – If he stays out of trouble, he’ll produce.

Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills

Coming Soon … Running Back Rankings – 1 thru 25

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QB Matt Schaub, Houston Texans – Schaub left the game after taking a hard hit. Schaub, who has been hit hard a lot recently, entered the game at less than 100%. His latest injury is unknown but there is talk of a concussion.

QB Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills – Edwards, a rookie quarterback out of Stanford, suffered a sprained wrist in Week 8. JP Losman came in and responded with a long pass to Lee Evans. It’s unknown how long Edwards is to be sidelined.

QB Kelly Holcomb, Minnesota Vikings – Holcomb was in the game replacing the injured Tavaris Jackson. He suffered a neck injury that could sideline him for a while. Expect Brooks Bollinger to get the start next week for the Vikings.

QB Vinny Testaverde, Carolina Panthers – Testaverde left the game against the Colts with what is being reported as an Achilles injury. Since Testaverde has so much mileage on him, it’s going to be tough for him to recover from any type of injury. David Carr should become the starter now for the Panthers.

RB Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers – Gore aggravated his ankle injury in the game against the Saints. His status for Week 9 is unknown at this time. If he’s unable to go, look at Michael Robinson and Maurice Hicks as players who would replace him.

RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams – Jackson was back in the Rams lineup after missing time with a groin injury. After scoring an early touchdown, Jackson injured his back and missed the rest of the game. His status heading into Week 9 is unknown.

RB Reggie Bush, New Orleans Saints – Bush left late in the game with what is believed to be a minor rib injury. However, be sure to keep an eye on him because rib injuries are tough to deal with if you are an NFL running back.

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