Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers said that rookie running back Jonathan Taylor reminds him of former Chargers running back Michael Turner. Rivers has also praised both Taylor and Marlon Mack for their elite vision as runners. "Its going to be a tough combo to stop," Rivers said. Even though Mack had his first 1,000-yard rushing campaign in 2019, Taylor is extremely impressive and is the best bet to lead Indy's backfield in touches in his rookie season. The fact that Taylor has one...

One of the joys of writing this column is that I get the opportunity to explore all facets of fantasy football. On the one hand, I get to spend some quality time with Mighty Max, Sports Grumblings supercomputer, to come up with various statistical insights that help my readers get that critical edge in the their leagues. On the other hand, I get a chance to flesh out draft theories that allow my readers to outstrategize their opponents on Draft Day. Then there's the times when I get to put the boots to somebody else's theory ... a rare chance for me to scrutinize the competition. Three guesses as to which type of column this will be... Several industry veterans sound the alarm about taking runners who had logged 370-plus carries the previous season, too high: "Beware the curse of 370" they warn. "Anytime a runner crosses that magical threshold of carries, he collapses the following season." Many years ago, I decided to put this emerging fantasy football maxim to the test. I decided to pull data from the past five paired seasons (to account for recent league trends) and measure the fantasy performance of any running back that posted 370-plus carries, both in the year of his 370-plus carries and the following season. Mighty Max quickly returned the results of Atlanta's Michael Turner in 2008. Not too many examples to choose from, but let's go ahead and see how Turner fared the following season: So, the "Curse of 370" seems to have some legs to it: runners who carry the ball 370-plus times in a season can expect a decrease in production the following season. But the sample size is simply too small over the relevant period of time that we are examining to establish the "Curse of 370" as a truism. In an effort to increase the sample size, I decided to look at runners who had more than 370 combined carries and receptions ("wear and tear"); my thinking here is that touches are touches, and the receptions that a running back is likely to make (short, near the line of scrimmage) also result in the runner taking hard hits. When the definition of the "Curse of 370" is expanded, the results come back as: Last season, I practically begged my readers to take Arian Foster off their draft lists, suggesting that he might not even make it through the full season, and suggested that Adrian Peterson be taken only at RB2 levels ... and once again, Mighty Max has been proven correct. With the exception of Ray Rice in 2010, my theory of "The Curse ...

In an ideal world, every lineup decision would be a stone cold lock. Easy enough my mother-in-law could pick our players. Peyton Manning, check. Adrian Peterson, of course. Dez Bryant, yep. Antonio Games, why not. In reality, injuries are mounting, position battles wage on, defenses are being defined as weather is constant thorn in our ass. Friday's Injury Report As we know many of our lineup decisions revolve around the Friday Injury Report. Each week we scour this memo searching for any last minute info to help sway our decision. As always we have three categories we are examining. The first is "Probable / full participation in practice." These are the players dealing with the everyday aches and pains of being a professional football player, but almost certain to take the field. Examining Friday's Injury Report we find; Zac Stacy, Greg Olsen, Willis McGahee, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson (we'll come back to this), Bilal Powell, Stevie Johnson, C.J. Spiller, Vernon Davis, Wes Welker and Eric Decker. Each should be downgraded slightly, and started as needed. The second category is Out, and Doubtful. These are players standing on the sidelines in street clothes collecting zero fantasy points. Players we must bench week seven includes; James Starks, Santonio Holmes, DeMarco Murray, David Wilson and Roddy White. Man was I wrong about Steven Jackson. I saw the second coming of Michael Turner plus receiving skills. But S-Jax is just a repeat of the 30-year-old version. He sits yet again with the never ending hamstring injury. The third and final category is "Questionable," and or "limited in practice" (dun, dun, daaaahhhh). Questionable is the silent killer synonymous with the dreaded Game Time Decision (GTD). Reading the tea leaves, here is my interpretation of what to expect with the Week 7's GTD. Mike Williams found himself listed as questionable, but oddly was full participation in practice. All systems appear go as a mid/lower WR3 in matchup facing the leaky Falcons secondary........... Calvin Johnson is a GTD after being limited in Friday's practice, but repping the Probable tag. Having practiced every day this week, he's a lineup lock. Although, he could be on a "limited snap count," Calvin does more with less than any other WR in the league............ The Packers are just playing games calling James Jones Questionable. He's not playing......... Jags WR Justin Blackmon has been dealing with a hamstring injury. He is a bit scary after not ...

The summer is starting to cool off, and we're more than half way through the preseason. There are the guys who are just going through the motions, getting their reps and will have little to worry about. There are the rookies and younger guys, trying to make an impact, trying to make that leap to the next level. And there are the guys in the middle that are typically fighting for a job, for their livelihood. (Note: Typically, the guys in this last group don't make very interesting fantasy targets.) One of the major storylines of this past offseason and preseason has been change. There weren't many newsworthy retirements, at least not on the offensive side of the ball. But we did have a number of high-profile players changing teams, and we've had a number of guys already suffer significant injuries. So let's discuss some of those players, their role on their new teams, and who can possibly fill their shoes with their old teams. Alex Smith Kansas City: While I don't know how well he'll do throwing the ball as often as he'll be asked to, Smith does figure to benefit from the West Coast offense that coach Andy Reid brings with him, a system that emphasizes short, precise routes and accuracy, which Smith has. While I wouldn't be comfortable with him as my starter, he's an interesting backup option. San Francisco: I don't think Jim Harbaugh will lose any sleep over this one. He needs to find a capable backup since Colin Kaepernick runs so much, but there's no fantasy relevance. Carson Palmer Arizona: Palmer represents a massive upgrade over the Kevin Kolb/John Skelton/Brian Hoyer/Ryan Lindley committee. Even if those four guys could somehow morph into some kind of quarterback Voltron, that thing would still suck. Expect a big season from Larry Fitzgerald, who may be a top 5 fantasy receiver again, and solid production from Andre Roberts. He's an interesting QB2. Oakland: Let's just move on ... Steven Jackson Atlanta: Jackson will be a massive upgrade over Michael Turner from last year's Atlanta Falcons backfield. Not only can he tie his shoes without getting out of breath, but he also still runs very hard, even at 30 years old. In standard leagues last year, Turner ran for 800 yards and 10 touchdowns, finishing as the 17th-ranked back. That was better than LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray and Darren McFadden. And Turner is terrible. I bring all this up because that Atlanta offense is so good, and this will be the first time Jackson will not face seven ...

One of the joys of writing this column is that I get the opportunity to explore all facets of fantasy football. On the one hand, I get to spend some quality time with Mighty Max, Sports Grumblings supercomputer, to come up with various statistical insights that help my readers get that critical edge in the their leagues. On the other hand, I get a chance to flesh out draft theories that allow my readers to out-strategize their opponents on draft day. Then there's the times when I get to put the boots to somebody else's theory, a rare chance for me to scrutinize the competition. Three guesses as to which type of column this will be ... Several industry veterans sound the alarm about selecting runners who had logged 370-plus carries the previous season too high. "Beware the curse of 370," they warn. "Anytime a runner crosses that magical threshold of carries, he collapses the following season." Many years ago, I decided to put this emerging fantasy football maxim to the test. I decided to pull data from the past five paired seasons (to account for recent league trends) and measure the fantasy performance of any running back that posted 370-plus carries, both in the year of his 370-plus carries and the following season. Mighty Max quickly returned the results: Player Team Year Games Games Started Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rush TD Receptions Receiving Yards Receiving TD WCOFF Michael Turner Atlanta 2008 16 16 376 1,699 17 6 41 0 282 Not too many examples to choose from, but let's go ahead and see how Turner fared the following season: Player Team Year Games Games Started Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rush TD Receptions Receiving Yards Receiving TD WCOFF Michael Turner Atlanta 2009 11 11 178 871 10 5 35 0 155.6 So, the "Curse of 370" seems to have some legs to it: Runners who carry the ball 370-plus times in a season can expect a decrease in production the following season. But the sample size is simply too small over the relevant period of time that we are examining to establish the "Curse of 370" as a truism. In an effort to increase the sample size, I decided to look at runners who had over 370 combined carries and receptions ("wear & tear"); my thinking here is that touches are touches, and the receptions that a running back is likely to make (short, near the line of scrimmage) also result in the runner taking hard hits. When the definition of the "Curse of 370" is...

1 Star -- Look elsewhere 2 Stars -- Desperation/Handcuff pick 3 Stars -- Serviceable starter 4 Stars -- Solid Starter you can count on every week 5 Stars -- Stud, Top 10 running back Atlanta -- Steven Jackson/Jacquizz Rodgers We all know that running backs seem to taper off after 30, and this is the year Steven Jackson gets bit by the 30 bug. That's not to say he's not going to be good enough to start each week. I fully expect Jackson to post good numbers on this high-powered offense. If Michael Turner can do it, so can Jackson. He played every single game last year and through injury. In the last four seasons he has only missed two games. That's huge! Jackson is a tough physical back, and while father time gets to all running backs, I think Jackson makes him wait another year to fully start to wear him down. Being on a new team, especially one with the capability of making it to the Super Bowl, is going to give him a nice spark and net another season with more than 1,000 yards and 8-10 touchdowns (side note: that would give him nine consecutive years of more than 1,000 yards!) Now that I have talked him up a bit, let's not get too carried away. Jackson may not be a first-round draft pick but you may want to start considering him in round two. As far as Jacquizz Rodgers goes, I'm not so certain this is going to be his year, either. I kept hoping he would have a breakout game last year as we could all see him starting to supplant Michael Turner as the season went on, but Michael Turner kept on doing just enough to keep his job. Totaling only three games last year with 10 carries or more is nothing to write home about. While Rodgers can be a high-quality back there's no doubt that Jackson will be the featured man in Atlanta. Jackson -- 4 Stars; Rodgers -- 1.75 Stars Carolina -- DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart /Mike Tolbert Abandon all hope ye who draft here. Heed this warning and try to steer clear of these three by any means necessary; let someone else get the headache of this terrible backfield committee. The problem is all three backs are good, and trying to decide which one is going to have the better week is anyone's guess. On top of the committee issue, Williams hits the magic age of 30 this year and Jonathan Stewart is coming off ankle surgeries and hasn't practiced at all. I think he'll be fine for the start of the season but that surgery is not really the problem when it comes to drafting them. It's the committee. Not only ...

As the Aaron Hernandez situation continues to unfold with the news that he is being investigated for a double murder in 2012, I debated whether or not to shelve this particular article and chime in with my thoughts on the situation. Feeling that the Hernandez situation is being thoroughly broken down from every conceivable angle, I decided to press onwards with my examination of a player that has come up time and again when I've been talking fantasy with friends, leaguemates (surprisingly, they are not always one and the same) and on message boards. As an Individual Defensive Player (IDP) lover and ‘expert' by trade, I often find my mind wandering to the nether regions of the offensive side of the ball when formulating my draft strategy. One name that is firmly entrenched in that region for the 2013 season is Michael Turner. Michael Turner has made it known that he does not intend to retire and would like to continue his career. With the lack of any team visits or interest in general from the league, the NFL has let it be known that Turner is in a "don't call us, we'll call you" situation. The simple, easy route is to go ahead and give up on Turner for fantasy purposes as he enters what will be his 10th NFL season coming off of a career low 3.6 yards per carry last year for the Atlanta Falcons. There is also the issue of the ankle injury he suffered in the NFC championship game and where he is at health wise. Well, I've never done things the easy way and I'm not going to start now, so let's take a closer look at Turner and see whether or not he has been completely shutoff. During his five-year stint in Atlanta, Turner put up some very impressive numbers and was a fantasy darling for four of those seasons. Turner started 72 of a possible 75 regular season games for the Falcons and amassed more than 6,000 rushing yards and totaled an impressive 61 total touchdowns. He has registered double-digit rushing touchdowns in each of the past five seasons, including 10 in 2012. While he has never been a receiving threat out of the backfield, it should be noted that Turner did register a career-high 19 receptions last year along with his lone career receiving touchdown. Unfortunately for Turner during his time in Atlanta, he also carried the ball 1,411 times in the regular season (which is what we care about in fantasy after all) and caught another 59 passes. That's 1,470 total touches in five seasons for a man that makes his living running into contact ...

Around the League It's going to be very tough to start any player on the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, and that hurts those in championship games immensely. The Falcons are loaded with fantasy studs and have an awesome matchup in Week 17 against Tampa Bay, but I recommend benching all options here. They have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC so they have nothing to play for. This means that if you own Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones or Michael Turner, I would put them on the bench. Look for replacements on teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, as they are all fighting for their playoff lives. The Seattle Seahawks are peaking at the right time, and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the main reasons for this. He is playing at an extremely high level over the last five games, throwing 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions in that span. He has also rushed for three scores and is averaging more than 200 yards passing per game. He is a must-start this weekend against the St. Louis Rams, so give him a look since he's widely available in fantasy leagues. Two players are chasing 2,000-yard seasons in Week 17, and both have a very good shot at reaching them. Calvin Johnson is looking to become the first wide receiver ever to have a 2,000-yard receiving season. He already took down Jerry Rice's single season receiving yards record last week, but wants to get to 2,000. He is sitting at 1,892, but has a tough matchup against Chicago. Johnson is on a mission, though, so be prepared for another huge game if you're going up against him. Adrian Peterson is chasing 2,000 yards on the ground. He may not break Eric Dickerson's rushing record of 2,105, but he only needs 102 yards for the coveted 2,000-yard mark. Obviously, both are must-starts who will have huge games. Shark Sleepers Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee Britt hasn't had more than three receptions in five of his last six games, but has slowly seen his targets increase over the year. He does have three touchdowns in his last five games and has a great matchup against Jacksonville coming up. I wouldn't call Britt a must-start, but he certainly has a chance to do some serious damage this weekend and is a solid flex play and maybe even a WR2 option if you have some holes in your lineup due to teams resting their players to get ready for the playoffs. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Atlanta With the Falcons already having clinched the top seed ...

Week 16 Fantasy Headlines: Megatron Sets New Single-Season Receiving Yardage Record Dez Bryant Racks Up Career-Best Game M. Ryan Carves Up the Lions With a Season-Best 4TD Passes R. Wilson Racks Up 4TDs To Lead Rout of 49ers J. Charles Rushes for 226 Yards, But Chiefs Still Lose A. Luck Sets New Rookie Passing Yardage Record San Diego Defense Racks Up 11 Sacks In Victory Over the Jets A. Foster Sidelined By Irregular Heartbeat Brees & Romo Both Compile 400-Yard Games In High-Scoring Duel R. White Burns Lions & Some Fantasy Owners With a Big Outing Witten Sets New Record For Catches By a Tight End A. Rodgers & Packers Offense Drop 55 Points on the Titans Despite Dud Outing From A.P. Vikings Still Stun Texans Reggie Bush' Three TDs Power Fish Past the Bills V. Cruz Disappoints For the Second Straight Week Game Summaries & Fantasy Commentary: Saturday Night Game: ATLANTA FALCONS 31 (13-2) DETROIT LIONS 18 (4-11) Final Fantasy Focus -- Atlanta Falcons: Were you among the shrewd Roddy White owners who shook off his bad Week 15 outing and all the gloom-and-doom talk about his bum knee and started the eighth-year pro? Merry Christmas! Roddy White (8-153-2 on 10 targets) led all Atlanta receivers with his second-best outing of the season. Julio Jones (7-71-1 on 11 targets) scored in his seventh road game with an impressive end-zone grab. However, Tony Gonzalez (1-9-0 on two targets) burned his owners with his worst game of the season. Gonzalez obviously took a back seat to the White/Jones tandem in this contest. Despite facing tons of pressure in the second half from the Detroit Lions front seven, an efficient Matt Ryan (25/32 for 279-4-0; sacked just once) treated his owners to a season-best four touchdown passes. By the way, backup tight end Michael Turner hauled in Ryan's fourth scoring strike of the game. Michael Turner (13-41-0 rushing and 4-16-0 receiving) never got on track against an aggressive Lions defense that keyed on him regularly. His streak of five straight games with a touchdown ended. Even though Turner was struggling, Jacquizz Rodgers (6-14-0 rushing and 1-11-0 receiving) received his lowest number of touches since Week 10. Fantasy Tip: Since the Falcons have clinched the No. 1 NFC playoff seed, they have nothing at stake in their Week 17 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If your league unwisely holds its fantasy bowl next week, don't expect to see Atlanta's offensive stars -- particularly White -- play the entire ...