Inconsistent NFL Stars with Biggest Boom-or-Bust Potential

They drive coaches bonkers, leave fantasy owners exasperated and make teammates shake their heads in wonder one week and disbelief the next.

I'm talking, of course, about those inconsistent players with a ton of talent that always seem to leave something to be desired. And I happened to find eight such players who find themselves in major boom-or-bust seasons this year.

Will young quarterbacks finally take that next step? Can burgeoning stars rediscover the form that once excited the masses? Can these players finally put it all together?

There's only one way to find out. To the slides!

Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay Packers

The Case

Jermichael Finley is supposed to be the next big thing at tight end. He has prototypical size for the position, but boasts the speed, leaping ability and big-play capabilities of a wide receiver. So why hasn't be become one of the elite tight ends in the NFL?

In 2010, a knee injury in Week 5 cost him his season. In 2011, Finley dropped 12 passes, most among tight ends. He still finished with his finest season, catching 55 passes for 767 yards and eight touchdowns, though three of those scores came in a Week 3 win over the Chicago Bears.

He has the talent of a Rob Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham. One of these years, I'm convinced Finley is going to put everything together and become a star. The question remains, however, whether this will be that year.

Verdict: Bust

It's not looking good. Finley can't seem to stay healthy this summer, and Rodgers has so many weapons in the passing game its hard to imagine he'll simply lock into Finley.

I'm not willing to say he's going to be a total bust—he's got too much talent to not contribute—but if you're expecting him to ascend to the game's elite this season, I think you'll be disappointed.

Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys

The Case

Dez Bryant has talent in spades. It's maturity, mental toughness and consistency that he lacks.

We saw glimpses of what Bryant was capable of in 2011 when he caught 63 passes for 928 yards and nine touchdowns. There are times when you watch him play and you're convinced he's going to be a top-five receiver one day.

And then there are times when you wonder if he'll ever quite put it together. He dealt with nagging injuries his rookie year, and off-the-field concerns make you wonder how potential distractions in his personal life might affect his play.

So will the real Dez Bryant please stand up?

Verdict: Boom!

Tony Romo has said he believes Bryant is in line for a great year, and should he continue to mature and stay healthy, I tend to agree. He simply has too much talent to not improve.

There are concerns about his effort and execution, no doubt about it, but we all tend to forgive those issues when the touchdown receptions start piling up. He's already an excellent red-zone threat, and I think you'll see Mr. Bryant become much more of a big-play producer in this third season. 

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

The Case

Joe Flacco is a difficult player to judge.

Look at his stats, and you're hardly impressed. Last season, he passed for 3610 yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 57.6 completion percentage.

In all four of Baltimore's losses, he attempted 32 or more passes. In the team's 12 wins, he threw 32 or more passes just four times. The Ravens did not play well when they relied too heavily on Flacco and the passing game, in other words.

But Flacco did lead the team to 12 wins, and he was a dropped touchdown pass away from leading the Ravens to the Super Bowl as well. 

So what is Flacco? A franchise quarterback or merely a pretty good one? And what kind of 2012 season will he provide?

The Verdict: Boom!

Joe Flacco is never going to be Tom Brady, but against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game last season, he proved to me he could at least beat Brady. The Ravens are a major Super Bowl contender, and I think this is the year Flacco finally leads them there.

Don't go snatching him up to be a fantasy-football savior for his team, but don't bet against him leading the Ravens to an excellent season, either. He's better than people give him credit for.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks

The Case

Down the stretch of the 2011 season, there wasn't a more effective running back in football. In the final nine games of the season, Lynch went over 100 yards six times, went under 82 yards just once and scored 10 touchdowns.

He truly earned the moniker "Beast Mode."

So where was that player in 2009 and 2010?

That's the question with Lynch: Will he repeat his 2011 performance, or was it merely a blip on the radar for a player looking to get paid?

Verdict: Boom!

He'll be back.

Remember, Lynch rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored at least seven touchdowns in his first two years in the league. There is a precedent for his success in this league, and I'm more inclined to think 2009 and 2010 were the aberrations in his career.

Plus, it's not as though there are serious threats to steal carries from him in Seattle. The starting running back gig is his and his alone, and I wouldn't expect him to loses carries by the goal-line, either. Another season with 1,200 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns is totally possible.

Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams

The Case

It's hard to blame Sam Bradford for the mediocre start to his career. He's barely had any weapons in St. Louis, his offensive line has regularly gotten him killed and injuries finally caught up to him in 2011.

Still, after 26 career games, Bradford has thrown for just 6,576 yards, 24 touchdowns, 21 interceptions and has a dismal 57.6 completion percentage of. In year three, Bradford needs to show serious strides and remind everyone why he was the top pick in the 2010 NFL draft.

So will he do it?

Verdict: Boring

Bradford isn't going to ascend to stardom this year. He doesn't have the weapons in the passing game to put up huge numbers, and with a third offensive coordinator in as many years, you can forgive him if he takes a bit of time to adjust to a new system.

But he shouldn't be a bust, either. With Jeff Fisher in town, a new emphasis on the run should take some pressure off of Bradford and the offensive line, meaning the young quarterback should spend a lot less fending off rushers or starting up at the sky after a sack.

For Bradford, the job this year is simple: Manage the game, make big plays when they're presented to you and don't hurt your team with turnovers. It's neither boom nor bust; it's just boring. And exactly what the Rams need from him this season as the rebuilding effort continues.

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

The Case

DeSean Jackson is the definition of a boom-or-bust player. He makes his living by the big play, and he's just as likely to give you a 60-yard touchdown as he is to barely make a dent in a game.

Consider that Jackson has never caught more than 62 passes in a season, but for his career averages 17.84 yards per catch and seven touchdowns per season.

Last year, Jackson was distracted—OK, OK, he was miserable, moody and immature—by a contract dispute, and his production suffered, catching 58 passes for 951 yards and just four total touchdowns. But he's certainly capable of much more—in 2009, he caught 62 passes for 1,156 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns.

So which Jackson will we see in 2012?

Verdict: Boom!

He may not accumulate the numbers he put up in 2009, but he'll produce. He got paid and he's happy, and assuming Michael Vick stays healthy, he has a quarterback that can fling the ball 60 yards down the field and hit a streaking Jackson in stride.

The big plays will come, the touchdowns will follow and Jackson will once again prove he is one of the league's most dangerous weapons.

Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets

The Case

OK, OK, so Shonn Greene isn't a star. But for the main man in the New York Tebows—er, Jets—backfield, he is in the midst of a boom-or-bust season. If he doesn't put up solid numbers for New York, you best believe the Jets will look for another runner after this season.

Greene wasn't bad in 2011, his third season and first as the team's primary runner. His 1,054 yards and six touchdowns were solid numbers, but hardly anything to get excited about, and his 4.2 yards per carry and lack of burst were hardly inspirational.

Greene has solid power and decent speed, but not much else going for him. If he doesn't start trucking through tacklers this season, the Tebows will look for help elsewhere.

Verdict: Bust

Watch a highlight film of Greene and tell me if you think he's a franchise running back. He has a great opportunity, but nothing in his past performances suggests to me he'll be a breakthrough star this year.

As ho-hum running backs go, Greene tops the list.

Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Case

If you were writing a book about Josh Freeman's young career—and you ignored his rookie season—I think you could aptly title it A Tale of Two Seasons.

Freeman was a revelation in 2010, finishing with 3,451 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions en route to a surprising playoff berth for a young Bucs team. He was a sexy pick for a lot of fantasy owners looking to wait on selecting a quarterback last year.

That turned out to be a big mistake. Freeman and the Bucs regressed in a big way in 2011, and the quarterback finished with 3,592 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and a wretched 22 interceptions. Thus, calling the 2012 season a fork in the career path of Freeman seems a rather large understatement.

But which path will he take?

Verdict: Boom!

In one sense, there's nowhere to go but up after a dreadful 2011 season for Freeman. But I also think he and the Bucs are going to be a much different team this year.

With Greg Schiano in town and the additions of talented players on offense like guard Carl Nicks, wide receiver Vincent Jackson and rookie running back Doug Martin, the Bucs have put a nice supporting cast around Freeman.

I'm not telling you to draft him as a fantasy starter for your team just yet, but I do believe Freeman will take a big step forward this season and lead a revitalized Bucs team to a nice year. Freeman dropped a lot of weight after last season and was a mainstay in the team's offseason programs—he's focused.

He'll take the right path.

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