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RB Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams

HT: 6-2, WT: 233, Born: 7-22-1983, College: Oregon State, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 24

2009 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of June 29th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: M Turner (3), M Forte (4), Steven Jackson (5), L Fitzgerald (6), D Williams (7)
Position: M Turner (3-RB3), M Forte (4-RB4), Steven Jackson (5 - RB5), D Williams (7-RB6), L Tomlinson (8-RB7)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Best Case

Steven Jackson is the focal point of the Rams' offense. They will get him the ball often, both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield, and he has the individual talent to put up big numbers. For the Rams to be successful, they will have to rely heavily on their running game, and they play in a conference with a number of weak defenses. If the young talent around him develops some cohesion, Jackson has the potential to finish atop the fantasy RB standings.

Worst Case

Jackson has been a Top 10 fantasy RB only once in his five-year career. When he is healthy, he gets a huge workload - but that has limited his ability to stay healthy. The Rams' offense is in a state of transition, and while the running game should be the strongest part of that offense, the Rams may find themselves behind early in games which may limit their ability to feed Jackson the ball on the ground and also limit his scoring chances. Jackson is still practically a lock to finish in the Top 20 at his position unless he suffers a major injury that causes him to miss a substantial number of games.

Outlook

Jackson carries a lot of uncertainty for a first round fantasy pick. If the Rams' offense jells quickly, Jackson could be the best fantasy RB in the league. If the passing game and offensive line struggle, Jackson will be unable to propel himself into the Top 10 all by himself. Jackson needs help from his teammates to enjoy fantasy success, so your view of his fantasy prospects will depend somewhat on your view of how the Rams' offense will fare as a unit.

Relevant Articles

Why he is overvalued

Mike Brown - Every year, some owner drafts Jackson Top 5. And every year, Jackson fails to live up to expectations. He has finished at that level exactly once, and that was three years ago. His yards per carry average has now dropped in each of the last three seasons, and it's not as if the Rams made wholesale changes across the board that suggest a turnaround is imminent. Jackson's final season rankings in the last four years are 11, 3, 14, and 13. The trend is for him to finish outside the Top 10; don't pay for him as if it's common.

Jeff Haseley - Jackson always seems to be a Top 10 RB when it comes time to draft every year. Does he live up to those expectations? No. Jackson has only one Top 10 finish, when he finished third in 2006. He had 90 receptions that year and he hasn't exceeded 40 since. His YPC has dipped each of the last three years (4.4, 4.2, and 4.1) and let's not forget the Rams aren't exactly a thriving juggernaut of an offense. The most important stat, touchdowns is also a sore subject. Jackson has only one year of double-digit TDs and that was in his, you guessed it, 2006 season. Jackson needs to show me he can be a consistent Top 10 RB, before I place him there.

Mark Wimer - Steven Jackson has played a full slate of 16 games exactly once during his five-year career, and has only managed 12 games in each of the last two years. The Rams' offense has supplied him with six (2007) and eight (2008) scoring opportunities in the last two years (during which years he's been the 14th- and 13th-best fantasy RB), and the unit looks shakier than ever entering 2009. During the offseason, the team lost one of the best OT's of the modern game, Orlando Pace, and replaced him with a rookie, Jason Smith, the No. 2 pick in the draft. Smith may work out, or he may be another 'can't miss' prospect who fails at the OT position (like Robert Gallery). The supporting cast around Jackson is not impressive, and he'll be keyed on by opposing defensive coordinators. RB7 is wildly optimistic for a player who usually misses a quarter of the fantasy season and whom rarely scores TDs.

2009 Schedule

2008 Game Summaries

Week 1 - The Eagles did a great job of containing Jackson both in the running and passing game. Jackson had 17 total touches for the game but never really got untracked. The Rams offense suffered multiple sacks and penalties that prevented Jackson from ever really getting into a rhythm. The holdout situation did not appear to be a factor in this slow start to the year. The credit should go to a strong Eagles defense and blowout situation.

Week 2 - Jackson was the main beneficiary of a stout Giants defense as he managed to catch all seven of his targets for 37 yards. He was a favorite safety valve for Bulger and showed great hands out of the backfield. Jackson was sometimes lined up wide as a receiver where he was also targeted. On the ground, Jackson ran hard in his limited touches, averaging just over four yards per carry. He had several opportunities in space for big runs but he could not shake the lone defender standing in his way.

Week 3 - Even late in the fourth quarter when the Rams were way behind Jackson kept getting his touches. He only averaged 2.9 per carry, but took a short swing pass for 50 yards which set up their only TD. Jackson accounted for over half of the Rams total offense.

Week 4 - After having missed most of the preseason in a contract dispute Jackson finally has his timing back. Earlier in the week he was openly critical of the decision to bench Marc Bulger and took out his frustration on the Buffalo defense. He ran angry and broke too many tackles to count. He also scored his first TD of the season on a 29 yard effort, became the first back to rush for over 100 yards against the Bills, and led the Rams in receiving yet again. His ability to pick up chunks of yards in the first half enabled the passing game to become more of a factor.

Week 6 - The Redskins were given a steady dose of Steven Jackson for the majority of the game, with the Oregon State alum also being targeted five times in the passing game. Although he finished the game with a 3.6 average yards per rush, he ran for 79 yards on what's considered a very solid rushing defense in the Washington Redskins. Most importantly, he looked healthy and played a major part in driving the offense downfield in order for place kicker Josh Brown to convert all four of his field goal attempts.

Week 7 - This was the first time that Steven Jackson faced the Cowboys since Dallas passed him by in the draft. Jackson was a man possessed, he ran very hard with great determination on his way to a big game. The Rams ran almost exclusively up the gut and to the right with Orlando Pace being out of the game. Jackson showed a little something different on each of his three scores. On his first, it was excellent patience and following his blocks. On the second touchdown he simply wiggled in from a yard out. On the last score he blew through the Dallas line and displayed great speed for a big man as he went on to score from 56 yards. The extent of his injury will be of interest to many fantasy owners.

Week 8 - Jackson's status was a game time decision, and he was inactive due to a quad injury.

Week 9 - Jackson was feeling the effects of his thigh injury and did not start this game. He only had seven rushes for 17 yards with a long run of ten yards. He caught one ball for zero yards, and had one drop.

Week 13 - In his return to the playing field, Jackson averaged 4.5 yards per attempt, though the majority of his carries came in the first half. Coach Jim Haslett thought he looked "gassed" and didn't have the same speed in the second half, a point Jackson disputed. Jackson showed good burst in the first half, but missed the century mark when he spent much of the fourth quarter waiting to enter the game.

Week 14 - Jackson actually looks like he is over his nagging injuries that have plagued him for the last few weeks. He looked quick on his feet, and found some success with his longest run came on a cutback when he scampered 32 yards. Jackson scored the lone Rams touchdown on a three yard pattern over the middle. Jackson did lose two fumbles in this game, one of which was returned 11 yards for a Cardinals touchdown in the third quarter.

Week 15 - Jackson was clearly the focal point of the Rams offense, and for good reason. He was effective as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. They used him effectively as a decoy -- drawing defenders as well.

Week 16 - Though he had no big plays to speak of, Jackson played a good, steady game, consistently the yards needed for the next first down. He saw a whopping 32 carries. As a receiver he disappointed a bit, given the number of targets. He also lost out on about 30 yards on penalties to his teammates.

Week 17 - Jackson nearly won this game on his own as he broke tackles and stiff armed defenders all afternoon. He averaged 5.4 yards on his 30 carries, scored two rushing touchdowns and caught four passes for 54 yards. In the fourth quarter and the score tied, Jackson caught a screen pass with one hand, turned up field, jumped completely over S Eric Coleman, and ran out of bounds for the first down. That play is even better in slow motion.

Despite missing games and battling injuries much of this year, Jackson was still able to surpass the 1,000 yard mark for the fourth consecutive season.