Steven Jackson- Buy, Sell, or Pass?

There’s no denying the St. Louis Rams have one of the elite running backs in the league in Steven Jackson. He’s a rare blend of big, powerful, fast, and is an excellent receiver. Despite being virtually the entire Rams offense in 2009, Jackson showed incredible heart and toughness by continuing to carry the ball for a hopelessly overmatched team, and never complaining or showing frustration. Unfortunately for fantasy football fans, effort and heart are not measurable stats.

Coming out of Oregon State, Jackson was a highly coveted runner in the 2004 NFL draft. Dallas Cowboy fans were clamoring for the team to select him. It came as a surprise to many when the St. Louis Rams selected him in the first round despite the fact that they already had Marshall Faulk. Jackson split time with Faulk as a rookie, rushing for a 5.0 yards per carry, and convinced the Rams to hand him the starting running back job in 2005. They have never looked back.

In 2005 Jackson had the first of what would become 5 straight 1000 yards seasons. His fantastic 2006 season saw 2334 total yards from scrimmage, 16 touchdowns, and an amazing 90 receptions  in 16 games. That would be the first and only time he has managed to stay healthy through an entire NFL campaign. He has missed  9 games in the last 3 seasons. A back injury caused him to miss his only game last year, but led to offseason surgery, and concerns about his status for 2010.

All signs indicate that S-JAX is healthy and not suffering any issues with the back. But in 2010, the Rams are likely to start a rookie quarterback. This is going to cause NFL teams to stack the line to stop Jackson, and dare the team to beat them in the passing game. This only will increase the pounding that he’ll take, as he is virtually the entire Rams offense. This kind of abuse catches up to all running backs.

Though Steven Jackson is still a great fantasy football option, owners should be aware of the risks of his injury history, and with the likelihood that he will not play for a playoff contending team again in his career in St Louis. Though only 27, he has 1829 career touches.  That’s a concern for Keeper league owners who must likely sacrifice a future first round pick. He will continue to put up impressive yardage totals, as long as he’s healthy, but isn’t likely to score very many touchdowns with the young Rams. This downgrades him in many fantasy football formats. Though still undoubtedly an elite  running back, Jackson’s playing for such a poor team, and health concerns should cause fantasy owners to question what’s higher- the risk, or reward?