Week 8- I’m a believer in the Patriots Run Defense, and I anticipate them shutting Jackson down in this one. Try to keep him on your bench or as nothing other than a Flex option.
Week 6- Jackson has Daryl Richardson breathing down his throat, and gets the tough Miami Defense in this one. He’s no more than a Flex option for now.
Week 4- Jackson is just a low-end RB2 in week 4. Daryl Richardson has earned himself an increased workload, and Jackson gets the extremely tough Seahawks Defense this week. Keep him on your bench where he belongs in week 4.
Week 3- In week 3, Jackson is best left avoided in fantasy as a RB2. First of all, he may not even play with a groin injury. We do expect him to be active, but you have to expect his production and workload to go down.
Week 1- Jeff Fisher likes to run the ball. Steven Jackson runs the ball. That’s as simple as it gets, and he could return Jackson to the elite running back that he once was. Jackson does get a very tough matchup against an extremely strong Detroit defensive line, but he still should get plenty of carries. That makes him a low-end RB1 for his first game with Jeff Fisher as his head coach.
Steven Jackson has slowly lost a step the last couple seasons in the NFL, but it would appear that most fantasy owners have not yet taken notice. Here are his numbers from his last three seasons
2009 – 1416 rush yards (324 carries)
2010 – 1241 rush yards (330 carries)
2011 – 1145 rush yards (260 carries)
Jackson will be 29 years old as he plays in 2012, and this will be his 9th year in the league. He will no doubt announce his health and strength entering the season, but those years take a toll on a player, and we are projecting his numbers to deteriorate even further this season. While he will still be the #1 back in St. Louis, we doubt he can stay healthy all year, and are projecting him to barely break 1,000 yards rushing. He is a solid #2 back with upside if he can remain healthy, but our advice is to wait until the late second or early third round to take a pick on the veteran running back.
English: St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson in action in the game against the San Francisco 49ers on November 18, 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
