Changing of the Guards

Week Nine was one of those changing-of-the-guard weeks that occur every so often, with a bunch of relatively anonymous players having breakthrough performances and several established veterans finding themselves unofficially marginalized. Here’s a look at five established vets who reached the end of the road this past weekend.

1. Edgerrin James — It seemed inevitable that Tim Hightower would take over as the Cardinals’ lead back at some point this season. The rookie had been making the most of the half-dozen or so touches he’d been getting each game, and James was getting fewer and fewer carries as the season progressed. But the passing of the torch came abruptly in Week Nine, when James stood idling on the sideline while Hightower carried 22 times for 109 yards and a TD. James never quite met expectations with the Cardinals after his amazing seven-year run with the Colts. The Edge is gaining 3.5 yards per carry this season and has never gained 4.0 yards per carry during any of his seasons in Arizona after averaging at least 4.0 in six of his seven years with Indianapolis. Hightower had a 30-yard TD run against the Rams on Sunday; in 2?seasons with the Cardinals, James has a long run of 27 yards. Now it appears that his long run as a valuable fantasy contributor is over.

2. Willis McGahee — A bad ankle sidelined McGahee during the Ravens’ Week Nine win over the Browns, but the play of rookie Ray Rice could keep McGahee sidelined in the weeks to come. McGahee has been hindered by injuries all year, which might be part of the reason why he’s gaining only 3.5 yards per carry. He ran for 105 yards in Week Seven and finished the month of October by running for TDs in consecutive games, but there have been warning signs lately, including an eight-carry, 18-yard performance against a bad Indianapolis run defense in Week Six and a per-carry average of 2.5 yards against the hapless Raiders in Week Eight. Rice and Le’Ron McClain both have run well for the Ravens this season, and Rice’s 154-yard performance against the Browns was an eye-opener. McGahee simply hasn’t been that effective this season, and with the 5-3 Ravens in the thick of the playoff chase, it’s a good bet that head coach John Harbaugh will use his best runner(s) rather than stubbornly sticking with the high-salary guy.

(profootballweekly.com)