Fantasy Football Recap: 2008 Running Backs (The Ugly)

At the end of every season we like to go back and recap how the players at each fantasy football position fared. And, as with every season, there’s always the good, the bad, and of the course the downright ugly ones.

In this installment of the third part of our yearly "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly" series, we’ll take a look at the UGLY running backs from a fantasy football point of view.

The feeling you'll experience reliving some of these nightmarish seasons is comparable to the morning after recollection you have after a bad drunken hook-up. Don't say we didn't warn you.

--------------------  

1. Joseph Addai (Indianapolis Colts)

Thanks to two straight seasons of 1,000+ rushing yards to start his career and 15 total TDs in 2007, Addai's stock was soaring heading into 2008. Even the return of Dominic Rhodes, who Addai split carries with back in 2006, didn't raise concerns for fantasy owners.

In avoiding that dreaded sophomore slump in 2007, it appeared Addai was firmly established as the back that would line up behind Peyton Manning, a rather luxurious place to be. Unfortunately, Addai couldn't take advantage of the situation.

While the fantasy hype surrounding Addai was ablaze at the start of the 2008 season, the back struggled during the first two weeks of play, going for just four and nine fantasy points. However, whatever concerns his owners had were quickly erased when the Colts' back went for 20 and 13 fantasy points in the team's next two games.

The high draft pick owners had used on Addai looked to be justified. Then, injury struck against the Ravens, as Addai left the Week Six affair in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. The hamstring was just the first of many injuries that the Colts' back would sustain, leading him to miss a total of four games on the year.

The bumps and bruises also led the back to be less effective while actually on the field as he finished the year with just 544 rushing yards and a 3.5 yard per carry average. Not only did Addai fall well short of his top 10 pre-season projection, he wasn't even the top fantasy back for Indy, a distinction that went to Rhodes.

--------------------  

2. Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs)

Fantasy owners were willing to forgive and forget Johnson's 2007 season, a year in which the back accumulated just 559 rushing yards and 4 total TDs. After all, it wasn't his fault a foot injury suffered in Week Nine landed him on injured reserve. However, don't be surprised if fantasy owners are not quite as understanding come their 2009 drafts as Johnson once again played the role of a bust in 2008.

Selected on average in the top 15 picks of 2008 drafts, Johnson barely hung on to a spot in the top 30 at season's end, finishing the year as the 29th best fantasy running back.

As with 2007, injuries once again befell Johnson, causing the back to miss four games. Couple that with the fact that Johnson saw his role in the passing game diminish greatly as he hauled in just 12 passes on the year, and there's no question as to why the back is no longer the hot fantasy commodity he was following his superb 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Still, it is worth noting that LJ did finish the season with four double-digit outings in his last six games, making him a possible high reward type guy if drafted in the right round in 2009.

--------------------  

3. Willis McGahee (Baltimore Ravens)

McGahee was as steady as they come back in 2007, posting 13 double digit performances in the 15 games he played. 2008, though, was a horse of different color. In 13 games played, McGahee notched just 5 double digit outings. That number is the same number of outings the Ravens' back had in which he tallied less than five fantasy points.

So what turned Mr.Consistent into Mr.Erratic? Two things: injuries and a crowded backfield. 

It seemed that McGahee's name appeared on the injury report all season long. Whether it was a bad knee, a banged up ankle, or a shoulder stinger, McGahee never quite seemed at 100 percent. That proved costly for the back as it gave opportunities to both Le'Ron McClain and Ray Rice, both of whom took advantage of their chances, turning the Ravens' backfield into a three-man platoon.

Thanks to the injuries and time share, McGahee posted his worst yardage total of his career with 671 yards on the season. Luckily, seven trips to the end-zone stopped McGahee from being a complete bust, but 2008 still wasn't pretty.

--------------------

4. Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns)

Jamal Lewis' resurgence in 2007, a year in which he averaged over four yards per carry for the first time since 2004, was a big reason the Cleveland Browns went from a four-win team to a 10-win team.

But if you're going to acknowledge the good, you, also, have to acknowledge the bad. And, Lewis' subsequent drop off in 2008 was part of the reason the Browns staggered back to the four-win mark. 

Watching Lewis over the course of 2008, one couldn't help but notice the back's "happy feet." On carry after carry, Lewis would get the ball only to hesitate a split second tapping his feet back and forth as he apparently looked for his hole.

Unfortunately, for Lewis and his fantasy owners, the hesitation led to Lewis' holes closing before the back had a chance to get through for solid gains.

As such, the back's yard per carry average dropped significantly from 4.4 to 3.6, so too did the TDs as Lewis followed his 11 score campaign in 2007 with just four in 2008. Apparently, happy feet don't lead to happy results for fantasy owners.

--------------------

5. Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots)

The New England Patriots' pass happy ways in 2007 led to slightly lower numbers than fantasy owners had expected out of Laurence Maroney. Still, the 835 yards and 6 TDs he mustered weren't half bad, especially considering he only carried the rock 185 times.

Thus, heading into 2008, owners and experts once again jumped on the Maroney bandwagon prior to the season as Patriots' camp talked about returning to a more balanced style of offense. Tom Brady's knee injury in the first game of the season suggested that the team would have to lean even further on it's running game.

Those who took Maroney were salivating at the prospects for their fantasy back.

Expecting 100-yard game after 100-yard game, Maroney's owners had to deal with utter disappointment as Maroney didn't even muster 100 yards on the season, finishing 2008 with just 93 rushing yards in three games played. You can be sure no one is going to be jumping on Maroney's bandwagon for the 2009 season.

--------------------

6. Willie Parker (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Prior to the 2008 season, it appears someone should have reminded "Fast" Willie Parker that the football season is a grueling 16-week marathon not a 100-yard dash.

Coming out of the gate fast and hard, Parker notched 243 rush yards and three scores in his first two games, causing everyone who drafted him to envision a season much like the back had in 2006 when he went for 1,494 rush yards and 16 total TDs.

Parker, though, petered out.  Not only did injuries cause the back to miss 5 games on the season, they also hurt his effectiveness as Parker finished with just 791 rush yards on the season. The low yardage total off-set Parker's increase in red zone visits from two to five, a bit ironic considering his ability to find pay dirt was what had owners concerned heading into the season.

--------------------

7. Edgerrin James (Arizona Cardinals)

The fact that Edgerrin James is currently seeking his release from the Arizona Cardinals so that he might prove himself elsewhere tells you all you need to know about his 2008 season.

While James averaged more yards per carry than he did in 2006 (3.4) and 2007 (3.8), the 3.9 yards per carry he put up in 2008 weren't exactly impressive.

In fact, James' inability to get things going on the ground led to his being benched during the season as the Cardinals turned to rookie, Tim Hightower, to bring life back to their ground game.

Only after Hightower struggled for seven weeks did the Cardinals finally go back to James, demonstrating what little confidence they had in the veteran. Even in adding the 234 yards he mustered in the post-season to his regular season totals, James still falls short of the 1,000 yard mark for the year as he managed just 514 rush yards to go along with three scores during the 16-game schedule.

Another team may give James a shot, but trust us when we tell you that "Edge" has lost his edge and will be no more than a platoon player for both fantasy and NFL purposes from here on out.

--------------------

8. Selvin Young (Denver Broncos)

A rookie campaign in which he went for 729 yards on just 140 carries, good enough for a 5.2 yard per carry average, led many fantasy owners to believe that Selvin Young was the next back destined to ride the Broncos' blocking scheme to fantasy stardom. As such, Young became one of the most sought after sleepers in 2008 drafts.

The back lived up to part of his potential, averaging a very healthy 5.0 yards per carry, but that was the only part of Young's game that was healthy. Injuries shortened Young's season, causing the back to appear in just eight games on the year and leaving him with just 61 rushing attempts.

Fantasy football production relies on two things, getting opportunities and making the most of those opportunities. While Young's 5.0 yards per carry demonstrate that the back made the most of his chances, the low number of games played and number of attempts led him to be a big disappointment to all that drafted him for the 2008 season.

--------------------

9. Rudi Johnson (Detroit Lions)

While we here at the Bruno Boys have been weary of Johnson since 2006, when he sported a measly 3.8 yards per carry despite totaling 1,309 rush yards on the season, other fantasy owners still had faith in the back as the 2008 season drew near.

It was their belief that Johnson's 2007 season, in which he tallied just 497 yards and four total TDs was simply an aberration. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the Cincinnati Bengals this as they cut the back on Aug. 31. Sadly, by then, many fantasy owners had already taken a gamble on Johnson in their drafts.

However, rather than take the Bengals move as a sign that it might be best to drop the back, many fantasy owners held out hope that some other team would take a flier on the veteran, and sure enough, Matt Millen, in all his infinite wisdom, brought Johnson aboard the Detroit Lions. Johnson's stubborn owners still had hope that the back could salvage the season after all.

That though wouldn't be the case as Johnson managed just 237 rushing yards and two total TDs on the year for the 0-16 Lions; thereby, playing himself out of fantasy football consideration possibly forever. 

--------------------

10. Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Rookie running backs made their presence felt in 2008 with the likes of Matt Forte, Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson, and so forth becoming household names in the world of fantasy football.

With all the success these backs had, it's easy to forget Mendenhall, who actually entered the season as one of the most hyped rookies for fantasy purposes. Playing for the Steelers, many envisioned that Mendenhall would at the very least become a goal-line vulture, if not completely supplant "Fast" Willie Parker as the team's featured back.

And, in the end, we now know that if ever there was year to unseat Parker, 2008 was it. However, even with Parker's down year, Mendenhall couldn't surpass him on the depth chart. The reason? Mendenhall's season ended almost as quickly as it began.

With Parker out for the Steelers' Week Four matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, Mendenhall got his chance to shine. The lights went out rather quick for the back as he suffered a fractured shoulder, an injury that would land him on the IR.

In the end, the hyped rookie finished his rookie campaign with 58 rush yards and 0 TDs on 19 attempts. Those numbers were not quite strong enough to keep the back in rookie of the year talks.

--------------------

For more fantasy football insight and advice, click the link below...

Bruno Boys Fantasy Football