Every year in Fantasy Football we all get outsmarted and we miss the waiver wire wonder that would've saved our fleeting Championship dreams. Unfortunately, by the time we've caught the stat line of some random dude we've never heard of who ran for 100 yards and a TD, he's already been snagged by our peers. And so is the way of Fantasy Football.
Anyhow, today I'm taking a gander at the prospects of who just might be the NEXT Ryan Grant of the 2008 Fantasy Football season. For practical purposes I had to leave the obvious candidates like Matt Forte, Kevin Smith, Jonathan Stewart and Rashard Mendenhall out of the discussion. In reality, all those guys are competing for starting jobs or are locked into timeshares and will see their fair share of carries.
So, let's dig a little deeper if that's possible and stay as far away from the obvious department as possible (easier said than done). Follow me...
2. Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans: His breakaway speed was on full display last weekend on his huge TD scamper. He's probably on your sleeper radar and he should be. He's still lurking as a timeshare running back, but he's well worth the late-round gamble. How much confidence do you really have in Chris Henry ahead of him? Oh yeah, and how soon until LenDale White eats his way out of a job?
3. Jamaal Charles - Kansas City Chiefs: LJ looked mighty healthy in his brief appearance against the Bears and he's probably locked and loaded for another strong campaign. However, let's just slap Jamaal on the list to watch...for now.
4. Ray Rice - Baltimore Ravens: Yes, Willis McGahee is on the mend, which opens the door for the little guy.
5. Ryan Torian - Denver Broncos: TBD due to injury.
Ultra-Darkhorses...
Steve Slaton - Texas Titans: OK, maybe it's not a huge stretch, because somebody is going wrestle away the starting job from Ahman Green and my guess is it won't be Chris Brown. Is Wali Lundy still around? No, so the best guess is that Slaton eventually gets a shot. Isn't it about time that a RB finally breaks out in Gary Kubiak's offense?
Mike Hart - Indianapolis Colts: Sure, he's undersized so they say and he's buried on the depth chart. However, shame on the cliche, but the kid has heart. And it doesn't hurt that Joseph Addai has a knack for missing games and we never know when Dominic Rhodes is going to fall off the wagon...again. Really, it's simply a guessing game of luck and very few if any of these guys warrant wasting a draft pick upon. However, keep tabs on their progress and play the waiver wire as best you can. You never know when the next Ryan Grant will surface, but if history tells us anything...it's gonna happen. Hopefully, you'll be ready this year. I'm all eyes and ears, because I don't want to miss out again.
