One never knows what a rookie running back, or an inexperienced veteran, for that matter, will do when given his first chance. Fantasy owners deal with this issue a lot. Some first-year players, like Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, look like stars right away and produce, making your decision to play them simple. Others who have been around awhile, like Earnest Graham or Reuben Droughns (back in his Denver days) come from nowhere and force us to be convinced.
OK, so who would have thought before this weekend that two of the top running backs for Week 12 would be Kolby Smith of the Chiefs and Andre Hall of the Broncos? Aren't they third-stringers?
Most rookies or inexperienced veterans don't get it done for fantasy owners, not for more than a week. You just forget their names or drop them from your fantasy teams. Brandon Jackson, Brian Leonard and DeShawn Wynn were ownable first-year guys at one point, weren't they? Michael Bush, whom the Raiders stole in the fourth round of this year's draft, won't even play a down this season.
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Eric Karabell
