In fantasy football, Willie Parker’s value seems to be on the decline. Last year, Parker only had a decent season. He rushed for 791 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. It was the first time in three seasons that he had less than 1,200 rushing yards. Perhaps most damning is the fact that he had a yards per rush average of 3.8 yards — and that number has declined each season in his career.

If Parker struggles at all, the Steelers will take a look at Rashard Mendenhall. Last year, Mendenhall was drafted in the first round and it’s thought that he’ll eventually become the team’s starting running back. However, his rookie season wasn’t too impressive — 58 rushing yards on 19 carries and a season-ending shoulder injury.

If you pick Parker in fantasy football, be sure to handcuff Mendenhall.

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RB Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
No running back in the Super Bowl had much of an impact. Willie Parker was the best but he didn’t help out too much. In 19 rushes, Parker picked up 53 yards. The Steelers had a rushing touchdown but it came courtesy of backup RB Gary Russell.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
Early on, it looked like the Steelers might be able to take Larry Fitzgerald out of the game. But late, Fitzgerald found room and ended up with very good stats. In the Super Bowl, Fitzgerald finished with nine catches, 127 yards and two touchdown grabs.

TE Ben Patrick, Arizona Cardinals
Although Heath Miller of the Steelers had a decent game, Ben Patrick was was able to score a touchdown from the tight end position. The Cardinals backup caught a one yard pass to give Warner his first touchdown pass and Arizona’s first points on the night.

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RB Mewelde Moore, Pittsburgh Steelers
Willie Parker is hurt and Rashard Mendenhall is now also hurt and out for the season. That leaves the running back job in Pittsburgh to Mewelde Moore. He may be startable until Parker returns.

WR Steve Breaston, Arizona Cardinals
With Anquan Boldin getting injured in Week 4, Steve Breaston will likely move into a starting gig for as long as Boldin is out. In the high-powered Cardinals offense, that is a very good thing.

WR Lance Moore, New Orleans Saints
Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey are injured and David Patten isn’t 100%. Lance Moore has now emerged as one of the players who Drew Brees will feature in New Orleans.

TE Dustin Keller, New York Jets
For the second consecutive week, Dustin Keller scored a touchdown. Even though he’s headed into a bye week, Keller is a tight end to keep an eye on.

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Running Back – Willie Parker, Pittsbugh Steelers
Willie Parker scored three touchdowns in Week 1. Last year, he scored two touchdowns total. Knowing that, you can’t expect Parker to remain a touchdown threat all season long. Trade him now if you can get a good value.

Wide Receiver – Wes Welker, New England Patriots
While Randy Moss is sure to be affected as well, Wes Welker might be most hurt by Tom Brady being out for the season. Brady loved dumping the ball off to Welker. Now Cassel won’t be able to use him as much.

Tight End – Dante Rosario, Carolina Panthers
With Steve Smith set to come back in Week 3, Dante Rosario is a good tight end to claim on the waiver wire and then trade. He likely will see a lot less passes coming his way once Smith returns to the lineup.

Steve Smith looms on the horizon for the Panthers.

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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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• First Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft
• Second Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft
• Third Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft

Fourth Round Fantasy Football Mock Draft
1. Wes Welker, New England Patriots
2. Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos
3. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Thomas Jones, New York Jets
6. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Roy Williams, Detroit Lions
8. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
9. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
11. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers
12. Edgerrin James, Arizona Cardinals

Photo: Newscom

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Frank Gore – With Mike Martz at the helm, Frank Gore’s numbers will likely take another hit in 2008. His numbers in 2006 may end up being an anomaly.

Larry Johnson – The Kansas City Chiefs are just a bad team and Larry Johnson won’t have much running room to do anything.

Ryan Grant – Inspiring breakout performance last season but expecting lightning to strike twice is wishful thinking.

Jamal Lewis – Last season, Jamal Lewis wanted revenge. This season Lewis’ age will likely catch up to him.

Ronnie Brown – Bill Parcells and the Miami Dolphins don’t have any reason to be indebted to Ronnie Brown. Tread carefully.

Willie Parker – Willie Parker didn’t get many touchdowns last season and this season the Steelers used a first rounder on a running back.

Selvin Young – The Broncos should gain a lot of yards on the ground this season. The problem is guessing which of their dozen running backs to pick.

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Willie Parker has been the Steelers’ main running back for a few years now and he’s carried a large load during that time frame. The Steelers are hoping that Mendenhall will be able to come in and provide a one-two punch at running back. Mendenhall, who is 20-years-old, is a strongly built runner who can gain the tough yards.

Parker is recovering from a broken fibula but despite his injury, most people around the team expect that Parker will hold onto his starting gig. Mendenhall will be the backup, but should get plenty of action.

Mendenhall’s fantasy value likely won’t be very high in his rookie season. Parker should get a majority of the carries. However, Mendenhall could become the team’s goal line back and would be next in line if Parker is to get injured. If you draft Parker, Mendenhall is player that you must handcuff to Parker.

Photo: Newscom

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1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
As a rookie, Adrian Peterson ran for 95.8 yards per game to easily lead the NFL. A lot of fantasy football owners were hoping for a good year out of Peterson but few expected him to dominate as much as he did. Heading into 2008, there’s no reason to think he can’t get better. And truly, that’s a scary thought.

2. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
Once again, Ladainian Tomlinson was a fantasy football force. At 92.1 yards per game, Tomlinson once again showed he is one of the best running backs in the game. Although he was banged up in this year’s playoffs, there’s no reason to suspect that he won’t be 100% healthy going into 2008. As long as he’s healthy, expect greatness.

3. Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
Peterson and Tomlinson being ranked high isn’t much of a surprise. However, many football fans would be surprised to hear that Brandon Jacobs was third in the NFL in rushing yards per game with an average of 91.7. Now a Super Bowl champion, Jacobs should be a stud in 2008 if he can avoid injuries.

4. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
For many years now, Brian Westbrook hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves from fantasy football owners. Owners always look for reasons why to not pick Westbrook instead of why to pick him. Heading into 2008, Westbrook being a year older, fantasy football owners will likely again make the mistake of underrating Westbrook.

5. Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
If you watched the Steelers in 2007, you know that Willie Parker is that team’s workhorse. He’s the guy who the team relies on to produce big results. In 2007, Parker was having a good season until a late season injury ended his campaign. Going into 2008, Parker will be picked high as long as he’s healthy.

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By Guest Blogger, Ron Bishow

Almost all fantasy leagues have their championship games in Week 16 as to make the best chance for people to have the full complement of players. So for all of you reading this the sad fact is upon you, fantasy football is over.

For those of you lucky enough to be in the championship there was no shortage of wrenches thrown into the machinery. Willie Parker broke his leg on his only carry, a 1-yard loss, Willis McGahee put up ten yards before broken ribs forced him to the sidelines and Kevin Jones had just 15 yards on eight carries before suffering yet another knee injury. Marques Colston was actually coughing up blood on the sidelines after sustaining a chest injury in the second quarter, which is not something you see everyday.

That was not even all of it. Joey Galloway caught just one 29-yard pass before aggravating his sore shoulder, and Anthony Gonzalez, one of the most productive fantasy receivers the past few games, hurt his foot in the second quarter and did nothing. You could almost hear the collective groan of every Dallas Cowboy fan when Terrell Owens sprained his ankle Saturday night, but at least he scored a touchdown before he went down.

Unfortunately for me Colston and Galloway were both on one of my two teams in the championship round, which along with Brett Favre’s two points sealed my fate. Luckily I was able to win my other league, making it a very successful season of fantasy. Finishing 15-1 was something I had never accomplished, nor had I ever made it to the finals in two leagues in one season.

So now that 2007 is over it is never too early to look forward to 2008 and who the top players might be in the draft. There will no doubt be much debate about whether Adrian Peterson or LaDainian Tomlinson should be No. 1 overall. Tomlinson has only 17 TDs this season so far down from the 31 he had last year, but who wouldn’t take 17 TDs from a running back even with Peterson’s considerable upside?

Then there is the question of Tom Brady. Can he really repeat what he did this season next season? Will Randy Moss be back? Brady should be a lock for 4,000 passing yards and 30-plus TDs, but the year after setting the touchdown record Peyton Manning had only 28 TD passes and he hasn’t gone over 31 since.

And what do you do with players like Reggie Bush, Lawrence Maroney who had very odd and off seasons but are still supremely talented? And will Plaxico Burress ever reach his full potential with Eli Manning as his quarterback? Or will Earnest Graham and Ryan Grant repeat their fine performances from this season next year?

These are the types of questions you will be asking yourself in the coming months, and the questions that make fantasy football so great.

Ron Bishow has been reporting on the sports world for the past seven years for AOL, Tribune interactive and CO-ED Magazine among others. He is such a fantasy sports fanatic he plays fantasy NASCAR. He is currently a contributing writer and video producer at newyork.metromix.com.

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