Tip sheet

A healthy Jamal Lewis poised for best season yet

A rare blend of power and speed, look for a healthy Jamal Lewis to better his Super Bowl season of 2001. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

By Richard Harris, Special to SI.com

Stock Rising

Jamal Lewis, RB, Ravens: At 240 pounds and with speed in the 4.4 range, Lewis has a rare combination of power and speed, and he appears poised to have his best season as a pro. Despite missing his sophomore season (1998) with an injured right knee at the University of Tennessee, the Ravens made Lewis the fifth overall pick of the 2000 draft. As a rookie, he helped the team win the Super Bowl, starting 14 regular-season games and rushing for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns. He missed all of the following season due to a torn ACL in his left knee, but he bounced back nicely last season despite not being 100 percent, rushing for 1,327 yards on 308 carries, catching 42 balls for 442 yards, and scoring seven touchdowns. This offseason, Lewis was able to train at full speed, and at training camp, his teammates and coaches have noted that he appears to be a step quicker, which is not what opposing defenses want to hear.

Kevin Faulk, RB, Patriots: If you watched last Thursday’s game between the Patriots and Giants, you may have noticed that Faulk, not Antowain Smith, started at running back for New England. Faulk has actually been working with the first-team offense for most of training camp, and he figures to share the workload with Smith during the regular season. At 5-8 and 202 pounds, Faulk has always been considered a third-down back, but the Patriots have been impressed with his work ethic and the improvement that he has shown on the field, which is something that they cannot say about the incumbent. Faulk’s lack of size will probably lead to Smith still getting the majority of the carries this season, but he should produce close to 1,000 total yards (rushing and receiving) and five touchdowns, as he did in 2000 before Smith arrived in New England.

Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles: With Duce Staley still not in training camp, Westbrook’s and fellow RB Correll Buckhalter’s stock is rising with each passing day. The Eagles seem perfectly content to go into the season without Staley, and you cannot really blame them since the offense would have more explosiveness with either youngster in the backfield. If the team goes into the season without Staley, Buckhalter figures to get the majority of the carries, but Westbrook, a second-year pro, will likely get a lot of work, especially on passing downs. The speedy Westbrook will also be returning punts and kicks, which could enhance his fantasy value in some leagues. At Villanova, Westbrook became the NCAA record-holder for career all-purpose yards. His finished his college career with 4,499 rushing yards, 2,639 receiving yards, 2,433 kickoff return yards, and 314 punt return yards.

LaBrandon Toefield, RB, Jaguars: The Jaguars are saying that it is nothing serious, but Fred Taylor has not practiced since suffering a bone bruise on July 30. Injuries are nothing new for Taylor; the sixth-year veteran managed to stay healthy all of last year, but over his first five seasons, he missed 24 of 80 regular-season games. While Taylor has been out at training camp, Toefield, a fourth-round pick out of LSU, has solidified the top backup spot. In the past, James Stewart and Stacey Mack entered seasons as Taylor’s backup and produced solid numbers after he went down, and Toefield, a 233-pound back with 4.5 speed, is worth a shot in the later rounds of your draft, especially if you select Taylor.

Keep an Eye on

Tim Rattay, QB, 49ers: Starting QB Jeff Garcia continues to have problems with a bulging disc, and he will miss at least one more preseason game. Rattay started the 49ers’ exhibition opener in Kansas City last weekend, and he looked sharp, completing eight of nine passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers continue to say that Garcia will be ready for the regular season. Back injuries can be troublesome, however, and Rattay, a fourth-year pro, could see significant action this season. Like Garcia, Rattay (6-0, 200) is known more for being a scrappy playmaker rather than a strong-armed pocket passer. He finished his college career at Louisiana Tech as the second leading passer in NCAA history with 12,746 passing yards (386.2 per game), and he became only the third player in NCAA history to throw more than 100 touchdowns in a career. Last season, he appeared in four games with the 49ers, completing 26-of-43 for 232 yards and two TDs, and compiling a QB rating of 90.5.

Freddie Mitchell, WR, Eagles: Mitchell, the 25th overall pick of the 2000 draft, has yet to live up to expectations, catching just 33 passes in his first two seasons. However, after a dedicated offseason, which included remaining in the Philadelphia area, teammates and coaches are calling him one of the most improved players in camp. Mitchell opened the preseason impressively, snaring two balls for 43 yards and a touchdown, and he appears to have locked up the No. 3 receiver job, which was held by Antonio Freeman last season. Freeman posted respectable numbers from that spot, catching 46 passes for 600 yards and four scores.

Vikings Running Backs: Here’s the weekly Viking RB update. In last Saturday’s preseason opener against Jacksonville, rookie Onterrio Smith moved up the depth chart despite producing lackluster numbers. He rushed 12 times for 33 yards and a touchdown. Apparently the coaching staff saw enough promise to promote Smith, and the fourth-round pick will play with the first unit this week vs. Kansas City while alternating with Doug Chapman. Against the Jaguars, Chapman rushed four times for 16 yards, while Larry Ned lost ground in the competition, rushing for just 18 yards on six carries and losing a fumble near the goal line late in the second quarter. Veteran Moe Williams, who rushed for 11 scores last season, has already locked up the third-down back job, and if the team uses him as a short-yardage specialist again this season, he may end up having more value than any of the candidates for the starting tailback job.

Stock Falling

Tim Couch, QB, Browns: By most accounts, Kelly Holcomb is winning the competition to be the Browns’ starting quarterback. In addition to outperforming Couch last season, Holcomb looked better when the team scrimmaged with the Bills early in training camp and against the Titans in the preseason opener. Against Tennessee, Couch, the top pick in the 1999 draft, played the first three series. The Browns moved the ball only 9 yards in the first quarter, going three-and-out on the first two series. On his final series, Couch completed four passes, setting up a 26-yard field goal. He finished 4-for-8 for 17 yards. Holcomb, who was 7-of-11 for 71 yards while playing against the Titans’ reserves, will get the start this Friday against Green Bay, and a solid performance could lock up the starting job.

Anthony Thomas, RB, Chicago: It is not uncommon for star tailbacks to sit out a game or two in the preseason to prevent injury. However, when Thomas sat out of the Bears’ preseason opener, it raised more than a few eyebrows. Many close to the organization do not believe that the team is enamored with Thomas as the feature back. A star as a rookie in 2001, he had one of the worst sophomore slumps in recent memory. His yards per carry dropped by nearly a yard (from 4.3 to 3.4) and his rushing, receiving, and touchdown totals all dropped despite the fact that he started two more games (10 in 2001 and 12 in 2002). In the preseason opener, a healthy Thomas watched from the sidelines while second-year pro Adrian Peterson started against the Colts and had a solid outing, rushing for 36 yards on six carries. Head coach Dick Jauron explained the move by saying, “We needed to see Adrian with our first unit.” The coach also said that Thomas remained the No. 1 tailback, but one has to wonder, if Thomas is so entrenched as the starter, why was it so important to see Peterson run with the first unit?

Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis: Expecting to rebound from a series of hand injuries and a very disappointing season, Warner’s preseason debut was much anticipated. He played two series against the Oakland Raiders last Friday, and the results were not encouraging, as he completed three of four passes for just 18 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. Like last season, the Rams’ offensive line failed to give Warner adequate protection. The quarterback was sacked once and was hit hard on two other occasions, including the attempt that was intercepted. It was difficult to judge if Warner has regained the zip on his passes that he lost due to the hand injuries (his teammates say that the zip is back), but as long as All-Pro left tackle Orlando Pace remains a holdout, Warner will likely be forced to rush his throws.

Richard Harris is the Senior Writer and Managing Editor for FanatsyFootballExperts.com. His weekly columns have appeared on SI.com, ESPN.com, or USAToday.com over the past five years. FantasyFootballExperts.com provides the essentials for a fantasy football championship, including exclusive articles, customized player rankings, cheat sheets for multiple scoring systems, updated depth charts, injury updates, and weekly matchup analysis.

 

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