Rashard Mendenhall Is A Beast

August 15, 2008 at 7:14 am | Article by Paul Hickey |

Rashard Mendenhall Is A Beast Our sources tell us that they saw what they hoped they’d see out of Steelers first round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall in his preseason NFL debut against the Philadelphia Eagles – the makings of the NFL’s next great featured back. It may seem hard to tell in only seven carries, but our sources are convinced that the 5’11”, 225 pound versatile power back will replace Willie Parker sooner rather than later in the Steelers’ offense.

Seasonal fantasy owners beware, Parker is still the starter, so don’t expect consistent production from Mendenhall during his rookie season. However, dynasty and keeper owners should target him extremely early as the 21 year old is sure to be a key element in Pittsburgh’s up and coming dynamic offense for years to come, and we’re hearing he could be the featured back as early as 2009.

Thomas Davis To Break Out In 2008 – Carolina drafted versatile defender Thomas Davis with the 15th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, after he played safety at the University of Georgia. Davis quickly was converted into a linebacker at the pro level, due to his lack of coverage ability. While he has played extremely well during his first three seasons, he’s been unable to truly make a solid fantasy impact due to the fact that he was stashed away in the “no man’s land” that is better known as the strong side linebacker position. However, our sources tell us that now that he has switched positions to the weak side, that he could definitely be a breakout IDP stud in 2008. Davis will start next to MLB Jon Beason, and free agent acquisition Landon Johnson mans the strong side. You heard it here first, Davis is a solid IDP sleeper in 2008.

Chris Taylor Could Start For Houston – Despite not even being listed in the top four running backs on Houston’s depth chart as of this writing, our sources tell us that there’s a strong, strong possibility that Texans RB Chris Taylor could actually end up being the team’s starting back in Week 1. Not only that, but our sources believe Taylor could actually hang onto that job for at least a few more games during the season, making him definitely worthy of a look in deeper leagues. The 24 year old third year pro from Indiana has always been well liked by Gary Kubiak, and at 5’11”, 220 pounds, he has the size to endure 20 or more carries a ballgame. Taylor, who rushed 10 times for 19 yards in the team’s preseason opener against Denver, still has to fend off oft-injured veterans Ahman Green and Chris Brown, as well as rookie Steve Slaton, who has the most dynasty value out of all of Houston’s backs.

Don’t Believe The Josh Morgan-J.T. O’Sullivan Hype – Word out of San Francisco recently has suggested that two unlikely players – sixth year QB J.T. O’Sullivan – and sixth round rookie WR Josh Morgan – could start for the 49ers. Our sources have advised us to tell our readers to simply not believe this hype. The media is reporting what they cover in practice, but in this case, O’Sullivan’s familiarity with Mike Martz’s offense from playing in Detroit last season is the only thing getting him reps with the first team. Expect former number one overall pick Alex Smith to win the signal caller job by opening day, and for free agent acquisitions Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce to start at flanker and split end, respectively, with Arnaz Battle manning the slot.

Pay Attention To Eddie Royal – Not much has been made of the fact that Broncos rookie second round WR Eddie Royal started the team’s preseason opener against Houston. Our sources tell us that the undersized Virginia Tech product really has beaten out veterans Darrell Jackson, Keary Colbert and Brandon Stokley for the number two WR job opposite Brandon Marshall. Look for Royal to continue to work hard solidify himself as a solid weapon for Denver. He currently should be seen as a solid dynasty prospect worthy of a late second or early third round pick in rookie-only drafts and a seasonal sleeper WR5.

Best Kept IDP Secrets – If you’re a loyal No-Offseason.com reader, than you’ve surely seen me make mention of the fact that productive defensive ends are so much harder to find in IDP leagues than productive linebackers. That said, anytime a player who plays linebacker is scored as a defensive end, it’s a freaking huge bonus. Well, recently, No-Offseason.com discovered that Jets LB Vernon Gholston is actually scored as a DE on one league hosting site, while Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley is scored as a DE in another. If you draft either one of these guys to play DE in your fantasy league, we promise it’ll pay off huge – just like we did when we told you about Marques Colston being scored as a TE in Yahoo leagues in 2006. To read more on this subject, join the USP.

Could Larry Johnson Actually Bounce Back? – Our sources tell us that Larry Johnson feels the best he has in his entire career. The soon-to-be 29 year old running back has a pep in his step, and has earned the trust of new OC Chan Gailey, who is planning the entire Chiefs offense around Johnson. Look for LJ to have a monster 2008 campaign, despite the fact that the Chiefs offensive line hasn’t exactly gelled yet.

Scheffler Fully Healthy – We’re being told that Broncos TE Tony Scheffler, who battled foot injuries for the past year, is now fully healthy. He recorded three catches for 47 yards in the team’s preseason opener against Houston, and fantasy owners can expect much more where that came from. We think Scheffler will be the team’s true number two option in the passing game, and will likely start the year blazing as an apparent top five fantasy TE candidate.

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