DeAngelo, Grant Rising; Roy Boy, Henry Falling…
January 31, 2008 at 5:50 am | Article by Paul Hickey |
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Rising – DeAngelo Williams, Panthers RB – Panthers second year former first round draft pick DeAngelo Williams definitely finished 2007 with a bang. Even though the Panthers just missed the playoffs due to the lack of a solid quarterback, Williams emerged as a bright spot for the present and future, rushing for 60 or more yards in four of his last five games, including an 82 yard performance and a 121 yard, two TD outing in Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Williams has similar skill sets to Philly featured back Brian Westbrook, and if given the opportunity to start in 2008, he’ll be a fantasy stud - no questions asked. Now, that may seem like a big “if,” but he did average 5.0 yards per carry to starter DeShaun Foster’s 3.5, and scored one more TD than Foster in 103 less touches. More importantly his pass blocking and blitz pick up skills improved, which we were told were the only two things holding him back from being an every down player.
Rising – Ryan Grant, Packers RB – Grant, a 25 year old undrafted free agent from Notre Dame was easily one of the biggest surprises in 2007. Like Tampa Bay’s Earnest Graham, who has recently experienced a similar rise to the top for the Buccaneers, Grant became an every week fantasy starter during the second half of 2007. Unlike Graham though, Grant has a much better shot at becoming a long term fantasy stud. First of all, his down hill running style and large frame, combined with breakaway speed and immense power and durability, make him someone the Packers absolutely covet. Secondly and perhaps most importantly for fantasy owners, Grant doesn’t really have much competition in the backfield in Green Bay, while Graham will have to deal with the return of former top five overall pick Cadillac Williams from ACL surgery. Lastly, 956 yards and eight TDs in 10 weeks absolutely can’t be ignored. Over a full 16 game season, Grant could be looking at Larry Johnson circa 2005 type numbers in 2008.
Falling – Roy Williams, Lions WR – Talented 26 year old Roy Williams, former sixth overall pick in the draft, is an extremely talented player when healthy and focused. The problem is, he’s only been healthy for one season in his four year career, and he’s rarely ever focused. There have been many rumors surrounding his future - or lack of a future - in Detroit, and despite the fact that he claims he wants to be a “Lion for life,” the franchise may no longer feel the same way about him. While a move could actually be good for his fantasy value, if he does stay in Detroit without Mike Martz, his numbers will definitely go down. The bottom line is, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding Roy Boy right now. Until the picture is clear for him, we’d steer clear of him.
Falling – Travis Henry, Broncos RB – Travis Henry’s name will likely only be mentioned this off-season in negative connotation. Perhaps the biggest fantasy disappointment of 2007, Henry only rushed for 691 yards and four TDs despite breaking the 120 yard mark in three of his first four games. Henry, who will be 30 next October, may not even be back with the team in 2008, meaning he unless his agent finds a taker, he could be this year’s version of Kevan Barlow.
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