Sink or Swim: Kool-Aid, The Rookie and DeAngelo

We're a quarter of the way through the fantasy football season. By now, it's getting easier and easier to pinpoint who is on the "hot seat" in fantasy terms. It's mid-week, so you already know who should be plucking off the waiver wire. And if you haven't ventured that route yet, it's probably too late.

No worries, I can at least tell you who you can dump from your valuable roster and who you should just sit tight with. Yup, let's not waste any time and roll into another installment of 'Sink or Swim'. It's where you have the difficult propositions to face and I shed some sobering light on fleeting mediocre stars. On the table today are a few key running backs in Kevin Smith, Laurence Maroney, and DeAngelo Williams. Let's dive into this thing... shall we?

Kevin Smith: The emergence of Rudi Johnson, coupled with the impending collapse of the Lions' original game plan to run more spells doom for this rookie. Of course, the rumors that the Lions were flirting with Cedric Benson and Shaun Alexander recently is another sign that there might be a lack of faith in Smith. Well, that's a bitter pill to swallow for those, like myself, who wasted a pick on Smith hoping he could be a RB3 or even a RB2. All the signs from training camp pointed to Smith being the man. Then again, shame on us all for having faith in a Lions running back.

It's not as if Smith's plummet is all his own doing. Let's be fair when assessing the situation. The Lions as a team are always gasping for air or down 0-21. This in essence has eliminated any need for a sustained run game. Thus, as Smith's stats have suffered we can easily blame that on diminished opportunity. Nobody was expecting the next Adrian Peterson, but at least a RB we could rely on. Perhaps, as the season goes along and the Lions wave the surrender flag and play the kids more Smith will get another shot. However, conventional wisdom with the Lions suggests they are just too stubborn.

It would appear in this situation that the job will be handed over to Rudi and for Smith owners you can't really afford to wait around. Sink this rookie and let him swim around the waiver wire. Of course, monitor the situation and be ready to pounce if or when Rudi goes down with an injury. Then again, keep in mind the Lions have a brutal second-half schedule, so even then it might not be worth your time.

(Update: Mlive.com is reporting that Rudi has indeed supplanted Kevin Smith.)

Laurence Maroney: Is he or isn't he the feature back in New England? Is he healthy or is he hurt? Seriously, what in the world is going on with Kool-Aid? Many have wasted high draft picks on this guy for the past few years only to be disappointed. He closed last season and the playoffs in convincing fashion, to the point where there was almost a renewed sense of faith in him. However, it was still unknown if he would be the "man" in the Patriots' run game this season or not.

The Patriots love to add depth to the running game with veterans. Look no further than the stable they've got in place right now: LaMont Jordan, Kevin Faulk and Sammy Morris. You have to think that at some point Maroney should be able to push those guys aside for the bulk of the carries... right? Well, Maroney's defense is also his biggest demise -- injury. It's been a hard go of it keeping Maroney healthy on a week-to-week basis. Unfortunately, that makes him liable and untrustworthy as a fantasy option... for the moment. Yes, it's not quite time to abandon ship.

The verdict here is that at some point this season, when healthy, the Patriots are going to realize they need Maroney. There is no lack of talent with Maroney. With the Patriots trying to move on without Tom Brady, the running game will have to be relied upon more often than not. The guess here is Maroney's role will increase.

DeAngelo Williams: Is it me or is John Fox stubborn? Sure, DeAngelo Williams brings a unique wrinkle to the Panthers offense and he can at times be a big asset. He's got all the big play-making abilities. However, the problem is so does Jonathan Stewart. And Stewart is simply better. This is year three of the DeAngelo experience and most of us have fallen victim to his potential. Well, for the better - let's all just stop lusting over that supposed potential. This is Stewart's gig.

A solid preseason led to many bumping Williams up the charts. However, Stewart was equally as impressive despite battling an injury. And that's carried over into the regular season. For Williams, ah... not so much. Stewart gets the goal line touches and yes, he scores the TDs. You simply have to wonder when Fox will turn the gig over full-time to Stewart. My guess is it might not ever happen, but as evident from the first four weeks, Stewart is the guy you want. The verdict is... sink DeAngelo Williams. He ain't gonna help you out.