What is the deal with last years elite becoming afterthoughts?

Question

I can't help but thinking that getting Larry Johnson in the second round is an amazing deal. I've noticed that well established players suddenly drop in the ranks after having one bad year. Are these players still worth picking or is it just me???

Answer 1

Larry johnson is more of an elite from 2 years ago. Last year he destroyed some peoples teams. Unfortunately the immense workload they threw on him 2 years ago appears to have hurt his abilities both on the field and in fantasy.

Answer 2

I had LJ last year,and he really sucked.He's old,worn down,and his o'line didn't block for him.Speaken' of LJ,how bout' S.Alexander,and

Rudy Johnson?

Answer 3

welcome to professional sports, some are some are not, Gore?!? no, LT yes, and there are plenty of examples of both and there are always new guys....like i think adrian peterson will get picked a little(just a little bit) higher

Answer 4

LJ still has the potential to be an elite back, but the two biggest things folks want from a back they draft in the first round is durability and consistency; last year LJ had significant injury problems and that raises concerns for fantasy owners.  He also had to run behind a subpar offensive line and that made his yards-per-carry average drop significantly when he was healthy.  Also, and this is something that still makes me worry, most teams dont fear Brodie Croyle and knew that one of the best ways to stop the Chiefs was to put 8 men in the box to shut down LJ.

As for this year, LJ is a back who has really only logged two-and-a-half full years of NFL service time - which means that he isn't necessarily "burned out" as some others would say - he did get an awful lot of mileage put on him then but he's still far from burned out and has the ability to play well.  However, his line and Croyle's abilities are still in question - I would pay very close attention to how both LJ and the rest of the offense does in the preseason.  Croyle looked good in the first preseason game and with the emergence of Dwayne Bowe hopefully LJ will start to get some more open space to work with.