Tip Sheet

If Fred Taylor can stay healthy, he'll help

A groin injury limited Fred Taylor to 116 yards on just 30 carries last season. Scott Halleran/Allsport

By Richard Harris, Special to CNNSI.com

Stock Rising

Fred Taylor, RB, Jaguars: While some big-name running backs, such as Edgerrin James and Jamal Lewis, will be held out of action this weekend as a precaution, it is full steam ahead for the oft-injured Taylor, who missed 14 starts last year due to a severe groin injury. Taylor took part in the Jaguars’ scrimmages vs. the Saints last week, and he is expected to start in the preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night.

This week, Taylor said that he’s not yet himself in terms of timing and explosiveness, but he reports no problems with the groin. If he regains his old form and stays healthy, he should finish among the top 10 fantasy backs this season. Over his four-year career, he’s played in an average of 10 games (nine starts) per season, and he has averaged 106 total yards and one touchdown per game.

Jeremy Shockey, TE, Giants: By now, you’ve likely heard about or seen Shockey’s incredible run on Monday night. For those who did not, the 6-foot-5, 252-pound rookie plowed his way through the Texans defense for a 48-yard gain. Along the way, he flattened safety Kevin Williams, and multiple defenders were needed to bring him down. Shockey finished the game with four receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown.

Shockey, the 14th overall player selected in the draft, has soft hands and good speed (4.64) to go along with the power that he displayed against Houston. The Giants have needed a tight end for quite some time, and even though rookies at his position often struggle, Shockey figures to be a major part of the team’s offense from the start, garnering many of the balls that went to WR Joe Jurevicius (51-706 yards and 3 TDs) last year.

Clinton Portis, RB, Broncos: Observers of the Broncos’ training camp have come away buzzing about the rookie running back out of Miami. Portis (5-11, 205) is not a north-south runner like Denver has usually drafted in the past. Instead, he has an element of speed (4.42) and an array of open-field moves that none of the other backs on the team possess.

As of now, the often-injured Terrell Davis is considered the starter, but the 30-year-old running back missed 32 starts over the last three seasons, and he had knee surgery as recently as May. Also, Davis has not been overly productive in the 17 games (16 starts) that he has played in the past three years. Over that period, which would roughly equate to one full season, he has rushed for 1,194 yards and just four touchdowns on 312 carries, averaging a so-so 3.8 yards per attempt. His receiving numbers (17 receptions for 99 yards and no scores) over that span are even less impressive.

The Broncos' management, which obviously has an eye for talented running backs, saw the writing on the wall and used a second-round pick on Portis, who finished his college career with 440 carries for 2,523 yards (5.7 avg.) and 20 touchdowns. Only Edgerrin James (2,960, 1996-98) and Ottis Anderson (3,331, 1975-78) gained more rushing yards in a career at Miami.

Donald Driver, WR, Packers: Heading into training camp, Driver was the least likely of three options to start at split end opposite flanker Terry Glenn. However, the fourth-year pro has closed the gap between himself and Robert Ferguson and rookie Javon Walker with consistent strong performances in training camp.

Ferguson, a second-round pick last year, has been projected to be the starter since the spring and currently sits atop the depth chart, but Driver, who is listed as the top backup at flanker, has recently received more of the work with the first-team offense. Walker, an impressive first-round pick, has been working exclusively behind Glenn, eliminating him from the split-end competition.

Driver (6-0, 190) has good speed and is an exceptional leaper. In fact, he qualified for the 1996 Olympic trials in the high jump. The main concern is that he lacks the ideal size and strength to start in the Packers' offense, which values receivers who have the ability to fight off physical bump-and-run coverage and to take a pounding while going over the middle. Ferguson (6-1, 209), on the other hand, has the size and strength needed to get off the line and absorb the punishment.

Ultimately, what might work in Driver's favor is his experience with QB Brett Favre and the Packers' West Coast offense. His four years in the system are the most of any receiver on the team.

Trevor Pryce, DE, Broncos: If you are in a league that uses individual defensive players, Pryce should be very high on your linemen list. The addition of free agent DT Lional Dalton, a big run stuffer from Baltimore, has allowed Pryce, a former tackle, to move to end. Pryce, who has totaled 44 sacks over the last four seasons, should benefit statistically from the move because he can better utilize his speed and avoid being regularly double-teamed as he was inside. According to RT Matt Lepsis, who blocks Pryce everyday in practice, the transition to end has been a smooth one. “He's tearing me up in practice,” Lepsis said recently. “I've gone against Michael Strahan, and he's very similar to him.”

Keep an Eye on

Tim Dwight, WR, Chargers: During the offseason, it was a surprise to many that the Chargers signed Dwight to five-year, $15 million contract and penciled him into the starting lineup. The fifth-year pro has never entered a season as a starter, and his lack of size and reckless style of play have often led to injuries. He missed six games last year because of a collapsed lung, and during his three-year stay in Atlanta, he missed another 10 games with various ailments.

Dwight appears to be taking his new role seriously. He has added 11 pounds to better withstand the punishment, reporting to training camp at 184. He's also made lifestyle changes that should be conducive to staying healthy, and he says that he plans to play the game smarter to avoid taking a beating.

A former track star, Dwight is known for his big-play ability. For his career, he’s averaging more than 18 yards per reception. His best season came in 1999 with the Falcons. That year, he played in 12 games, starting eight, and caught 32 balls for 669 yards and seven scores, while averaging a touchdown for every 4.6 receptions.

Rickey Dudley, TE, Browns: After suffering a career-threatening foot injury in the fourth game of last season, Dudley, the ninth overall pick of the 1996 draft, became a forgotten man. In last weekend’s scrimmage against the Buffalo Bills, however, he impressed onlookers with several nice grabs, and if he has no setbacks, he could emerge as the reliable second option that the Browns have been seeking to complement WR Kevin Johnson.

Between 1997 and 1999 with the Raiders, Dudley averaged 41 receptions for 630 yards and seven touchdowns. Coach Butch Davis recently said that he hopes to get 50 or 60 catches from the tight end position. Last year before his injury, Dudley was on a pace to catch 36 balls for 460 yards, and in an improved Cleveland offense, 40 receptions for 550 yards and 5-6 TDs are attainable numbers for this season.

Ron Johnson, WR, Ravens: During the offseason, the loss of three veterans, including Qadry Ismail, reduced the Baltimore wide receiving corps to Travis Taylor and Brandon Stokley. Johnson, a fourth-round pick from Minnesota, was the first of three rookie wideouts drafted this April by the Ravens, as they attempted to replenish their bench.

A strong, physical player, Johnson (6-2, 225) finished his college career as the Gophers’ all-time leading receiver, with 198 catches for 3,039 yards (15.3 avg.) and 31 touchdowns, and he had at least one reception in every game (46) that he played in at Minnesota. Despite these impressive stats, he slipped in the draft due to a lack of breakaway speed. The Ravens, however, are very pleased with Johnson, who has displayed soft hands, toughness, and a willingness to go over the middle. As of now, Johnson is the No. 3 receiver behind Taylor and Stokley, but continued strong showings in camp could vault him over the latter on the depth chart.

Stock Falling

James Jackson, RB, Browns: Jackson entered training camp as the No. 1 tailback on the Browns’ depth chart. We all knew that there was a very good chance that he would not remain at the top spot, but I doubt many would have predicted that Jamel White would be the guy to replace him. Jackson was demoted to second string after fumbling twice in the scrimmage against Buffalo last weekend, and with William Green, this year's No. 1 pick, nursing a sore shoulder, White has moved up to the No. 1 spot heading into the first exhibition game.

White, who is probably best suited to be a third-down back, may not be able to hold off Green for very long, but he should be able to stay ahead of Jackson, who averaged less than three yards per carry last season as the starter. Green, meanwhile, should see some action in the Browns’ preseason opener. On Wednesday, an MRI on his bruised right shoulder revealed no structural damage.

James Allen, RB, Texans: Heading into training camp, Allen was generally considered to be a decent option as a No. 3 fantasy running back, but following the Texans’ Monday night loss to the Giants, his stock is falling. On the first drive in Texans history, Allen was dropped three yards behind the line of scrimmage on consecutive plays, and he finished the game with just 10 yards on 8 carries.

You cannot put a lot of stock in one preseason game, especially the first in franchise history, but Allen could be destined to have a lot more games like this, running behind a battered offensive line and playing a schedule that features eight games against teams that ranked in the top 10 vs. the run last season.

Due to injury, neither of the team’s starting tackles, Pro Bowler Tony Boselli (shoulder) and Ryan Young (groin) is expected to be ready for the Sept. 8 opener against Dallas. Young will likely miss the season's first four games, while Boselli, who has yet to practice during the offseason or in training camp after needing three surgical procedures on his left shoulder since November, has no specific timetable for his return.

Derrick Alexander, WR, Vikings: A couple of weeks ago, I told you to keep an eye on the training camp battle between Alexander and D'Wayne Bates. Well, here’s an update -– Bates is clearly winning. Alexander has a strained left quadriceps that is preventing him from practicing and will likely keep him out of the Vikings' exhibition opener against Cleveland on Saturday night. Bates, meanwhile, continues to impress the coaching staff. The Vikings would probably prefer that Alexander, who was signed to a three-year, $5.1 million contract in June, wins the job, but he has an uphill battle ahead of him.

Richard Harris is the Senior Writer and Managing Editor for FanatsyFootballExperts.com. His weekly columns have appeared on either ESPN.com or USAToday.com over the past four years, and this season, he will be featured on SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. FantasyFootballExperts.com offers exclusive and in-depth articles, player rankings and cheat sheets for multiple scoring systems, injury updates, weekly matchup analysis, and other essentials for a fantasy football championship.

 

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