Will Reggie Bush Ever Become a Fantasy Star?

Three years ago, this man was supposed to be Superman.

In fact, the entire NFL world thought the Texans were crazy for bypassing the heavily touted back from USC and felt the decision to take Mario Williams for less money would be one that lived in infamy.

And fantasy owners alike figured that Bush would be the first or second player off the board every year, as his prolific career at SC, both in rushing and receiving, surely signaled a superstar in the making.

But only three years later we're all asking will he ever arrive.

Bush's career for the most part has been marred by injury and disappointment. And in the land of fantasy football, it's been middle of the pack at best. And even that could be reaching.

One thing which became apparent early on was that Bush wasn't faster than everybody on the football field, which was a bit surprising because of the ease of which he blew by defenders in college.

But this is the NFL, and only the best collegiate players can make it at this level. So his speed wasn't the difference maker we all thought it'd be.

Next, we found out that he's unable to run inside; the interior of defenses eat him alive so his only shot for success is to get to the outside.

But defensive coordinators are paid a lot of money to adjust and have countered this by bringing the corner or safety up for support.

The one area which he has done well in, is receiving—either out of the backfield or in the slot.

When he was drafted in '06, Mel Kiper said he would've been a first round receiver had he come out at only that position. And he's excelled thus far because no linebacker can keep pace with him; it's not possible.

Even last year, while he only rushed for a disappointing 402 yards and two TDs in 10 total games, he caught 52 balls for 440 yards and 4 TDs in that same time period.

The receiving totals helped fantasy owners justify to an extent that second round pick that they used on him.

Just a quick look back at his first two seasons and we see his numbers are very similar to 2008.

Overall, he's averaged 517 yards on the ground and four TDs per season. He's had much greater success in the receiving department, averaging 71 catches, for 533 yards and roughly three TDs per.

Being only 24 and with a lot of football still ahead of him, the question remains: can Bush reach fantasy stardom?

I don't think so.

One thing that needs to be measured, which can't be, is drive.

Bush was a star from the get go and seemed to have his head elsewhere after his solid rookie campaign. Instead of practicing in the Saints' off season workouts, he was busy playing in celebrity basketball tournaments at the All-Star game and vacationing with girlfriend Kim Kardashian.

Next, it's apparent that he'll never become a good inside runner in the NFL, and with the speed of outside linebackers and defensive backs, there won't be much wiggle room to break it to the outside.

And third, in what was supposed to be an easy transition from Deuce McAllister to him, he's now been surpassed by young, undrafted FA Pierre Thomas, who's already shown that he can be a much more effective runner between the tackles and has the durability to hold up over a season.

But value still remains.

With Colston, Meachem, Moore and Shockey putting pressure on the back seven, you can bet that Brees will be looking to exploit one on one matchups with Bush out of the backfield and in the slot this year. And this will give him the opportunity to put solid numbers on the board.

But much more than that doesn't seem realistic based on what we've seen thus far.

So, if you're in a league that gives points for catches, then a second round pick is warranted. However, if your scoring is only based on yards and TDs, an early third appears to be his ceiling.