NFL Power Rankings: Shonn Greene and 9 Other NFL Starters Who Are Fading

Year after year, everyone speculates about who is going to have a breakout year in the NFL.  Over the past several seasons, we have seen many of the same names appear on those lists.

At some point, we have to say no more. 

I remember standing by David Carr throughout his days in Houston, always firm in my belief that his breakout would eventually come.  Nine years after being drafted, David Carr is one of the faceless players in the NFL, bound to never see the field.

Right now, these players are in danger of going the way Carr did years ago.  If they don't pick up the pace, they're bound to be left behind in the dust.

10. Braylon Edwards

Braylon Edwards has shown signs of being one of the best receivers in the league. What happened to the talent he brought to the table in 2007?

That season in Cleveland, he caught 80 passes for over 1,200 yards and an astounding 16 touchdowns. 

In all of his seasons since 2007, he's caught a combined 14 touchdowns. 

2010 wasn't a bad season for Edwards, but he's never been able to come anywhere near the 2007 magic that saw him being one of the biggest breakout players in the league.

Over the last few seasons, he's developed a tendency to drop passes and has proven to be injury-prone.  As a 49er in 2011, he's only played in two of four games, and caught four passes.

He's in an offense where he's a third receiver behind Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis.  The former Pro-Bowl receiver is hanging on for dear life as an NFL impact player.

9. Mike Williams

It can definitely be argued that Williams has never really had any "superstardom" to lose, but he did have a bit of a breakout year in 2010, so I'll include him.

Williams has been good for controversy throughout his entire career.  He missed the 2008 and 2009 seasons mostly because no one wanted to deal with him. 

In 2010, he was back in the league as a Seahawk and came out to make the most of the opportunity.  Though he only scored twice, he caught 65 balls for 751 yards for a pretty lackluster Seattle offense. 

Given his history, it appeared Williams was back on track.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks' offense may have actually taken a step back after the loss of Matt Hasselbeck.  Sure, Sidney Rice was a good signing, but with Tarvaris Jackson throwing the ball, everyone has suffered.  This season, Williams only has eight catches through four games.

It may not be entirely his fault—having a poor offense can throw anyone into obscurity (see Randy Moss' days in Oakland). 

Williams has already been in the land of obscurity, and he could be going back soon.

8. Joey Porter

There was a time when Joey Porter was one of the top linebackers in the NFL.  At this point in his career, his age is beginning to show.

His ability to defend the pass has almost completely diminished, and his pass rush is not as strong as it once was.  He recorded 17.5 sacks in 2008 with the Miami Dolphins, but hasn't come anywhere near matching that number since.

I'm not saying Porter's fading because he can't record 20 sacks yearly.  He's fading because he's playing on a pretty poor defense that he's not giving much to anymore.  He's recorded 13 tackles and a sack, and has been unable to play effectively in a zone defense.

Joey Porter deserves all the respect in the world, but it appears his time in the spotlight is up.

7. Mario Manningham

Manningham was able to break into the spotlight throughout the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  He caught 57 passes and then 60, and even caught an impressive nine touchdowns in 2010.

With the departure of Steve Smith to the Eagles, it appeared that Manningham would be the top guy, right?

Not so much. 

Hakeem Nicks had a breakout year as well in 2010, but that's not entirely why Manningham is falling out of the spotlight.  He's got only eight catches through four games in 2011 and has yet to see the end zone. 

Overall, he hasn't played as well as he did in 2010. 

He was nipping at the heels of 1,000 yards last season, but it appears that 2011 is not going to be as kind to him.  He should be seizing the opportunity with Smith and Kevin Boss gone.

Unfortunately, such has not been the case for Mario Manningham.

6. Ryan Grant

Ryan Grant was one of the NFL's top performers in 2009, racking up 1,253 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Grant, he was injured in Week 1 of the 2010 season, and missed the entire magical season in Green Bay. 

Upon his return in 2011, Grant found himself succumbing to more injuries and giving up more time to James Starks.  It appears that the Packers are finding Starks to be the better of the two. 

Grant's numbers haven't been bad in 2011, as he's averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 32 carries.  But, he missed Week 4 and is still having issues. 

If he can't get back to the field and be effective, Grant could be cast off from Green Bay, as they had no problem letting Starks and John Kuhn carry the load throughout the 2010 postseason. 

Is it possible for Grant to ever get back to 2009 form?

5. Mike Sims-Walker

Sims-Walker has scored seven times in each of the last two seasons.

Through four games in 2011, he hasn't put up tremendous stats—and he hasn't scored once.  Like Mike Williams, it wouldn't be entirely Sims-Walker's fault for fading.  He's playing in an offense that seems to have stalled.

In terms of the number of receptions, it appears Sims-Walker may outdo his 2010 numbers.  However, the former Jaguar has yet to make any legitimate impact on the field that would keep his fantasy value up. 

He's caught 11 passes, but six of those came in one game.

I predicted that Sims-Walker would have his best season in 2011 behind an offense that appeared to be poised for a breakout season.  Instead, we've gotten injuries to Steven Jackson and a wild, inconsistent Sam Bradford.

Sims-Walker is lost in the shuffle, and he's suffering for it.

4. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams

Yes, I understand that these two could go in separate slots.  But, given how they've worked together over the last several years in Miami, I've decided to group them together.

As teammates for the Dolphins, these two were once a formidable duo.  Now, they are both backups for their new teams.

Ricky Williams is doing a little better in Baltimore than Brown is in Philly.  Williams has had 33 touches for a respectable 156 yards.  Meanwhile, Brown has had only 13 carries through four games.

The reason these two are included is because of how good they were together.  It doesn't appear either of them will be as effective playing apart. 

Williams is going to see considerably less time behind Ray Rice, and the same will go for Brown behind Lesean McCoy.

I sit down for football every Sunday, and I've never actually seen, with my own eyes, either of these guys carry the ball this season.  That is the beginning of the obscurity phase.

3. Chad Ochocinco

It's hard to believe that Ochocinco would even allow himself to become lost in the shuffle.  It appears he's Brady's fourth-favorite target in New England behind Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Ochocinco could be a Hall of Famer. 

If he's not, he'll definitely be in the running at some point.  He's accumulated seven 1,000-yard seasons and has collected 66 touchdowns since 2001.

At this point in his career, we can only wonder what the loud mouth out of Oregon State has left to give to the game.  He's only caught seven passes in 2011, a very low amount for a pass-heavy team.

I thought this year would be a rebirth for Ochocinco; instead, it appears it's turned into a season where he loses all of his credit as an impact player.

2. DeAngelo Williams

In 2008, DeAngelo Williams was one of the best backs the NFL had to offer.  He even earned himself some MVP-caliber coverage.

That season, Williams rushed for 1,515 yards and scored 18 times, all the while averaging over five yards per carry.

Since then, Williams has watched his numbers diminish, and this year, his struggles have been particularly bad. 

This past weekend against the Bears was decent, as he racked up 82 yards on 10 carries.  But, prior to that, Williams failed to accumulate more than 30 yards in any of the first three games.  Those yards came at around two yards per carry. 

Now, the Panthers' offense is geared more towards Cam Newton, and Johnathon Stewart has become the better of the two running backs.

A one-time stud, Williams is watching his time disappear before him, though he's in Carolina on a fat new deal. 

If he continues to average so few yards per carry, Williams could very quickly become a has-been to fantasy owners and NFL owners alike.

1. Shonn Greene

I'm intrigued to hear any justification at all as to why Shonn Greene is still starting for the New York Jets.  Since being drafted in 2009, he's done nothing to show that he's got what it takes to be an NFL running back.

Green made himself known against the Cincinnati Bengals during a 2009 playoff game, where he scored once and rushed for 128 yards.  He would have a similar performance the following weekend against the Chargers.

After that, fantasy owners and experts were buzzing about how good Greene would be in 2010 and for years to come. 

How has that panned out?

Dating back to Week 1 of the 2010 season and through Week 4 of 2011, Greene has rushed 236 times for 923 yards and three scores.  Not exactly the Pro Bowl quality everyone expected. 

The clock is ticking on Greene in a Jets uniform.  My only real rationale for him still starting is the fact that LaDainian Tomlinson is their only viable alternative, and they don't want to give him the full load as a starting running back. 

It's possible that the Jets draft someone in 2012 to replace the over-hyped Shonn Greene.