Steven Jackson Injury: Is Cadillac Williams a Fantasy Football Downgrade?

As of Sunday morning, there has been little solid news or updates in regards to Rams running back Steven Jackson's quad injury.

The obvious move for Jackson owners this weekend was to grab Carnell "Cadillac" Williams off the waiver wire so they have someone to plug in just in case.

There's concern though. Williams is an injury-prone back who couldn't hold onto his job in Tampa Bay. So fantasy owners and Rams fans alike are asking themselves: Is Williams a big downgrade from Jackson?

Jackson has been considered elite for so long that it's hard to imagine comparing him to Williams. However, Williams could very well have as much success as Jackson.

First, we can look at last week's performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he came in to take over for Jackson. Williams was able to total 140 all-purpose yards—91 rushing and 49 receiving.

Williams looked surprisingly good in both facets of the game, showing both a burst I wasn't expecting and a some good cuts. It's not that I thought he didn't have the talent—I just felt that all the injuries to his legs had cut into his speed and burst.

He's always been a rock solid receiver and so those yards didn't shock me, though his 9.8 yards per catch is eye-opening. He was able to gain yards after the catch and again, showed good elusiveness once he had the ball in his hands.

It should be pointed out that one of the biggest questions about the Eagles is that their linebacker corps is pretty shaky. Team will run on them and  and frankly they will have a hard time stopping them. Monday's matchup against the New York Giants has some of the same elements—strong defensive line, questions about the linebackers in this case due to injury.

The added element is the Giants' secondary is banged up and the Rams might attack them that way.

Still, if quarterback Sam Bradford is throwing, Williams will be involved.

Williams has had a rough NFL tenure, filled with injuries which derailed an otherwise promising career.

However, if he stays healthy, he appears to have recaptured a great deal of what made him special in  the first place. His speed, burst, excellent hands and vision all seem to remain pretty potent.

Neither Rams fans or fantasy owners should be worried about a big letdown from Steven Jackson to Caddy Williams.

In fact, they may not notice much of a change at all.

Andrew Garda is a staff writer at FootballGuys.com—check out all their subscriber content—money-back guarantee until Sept. 30^t