Upside by Jason Wood
While we need to be careful about taking part of the previous season and projecting that forward, in some cases it can be a worthwhile exercise. In 2003, Edgerrin James got off to a horrendous start with three sub par efforts followed by a month off to rest his sore back. However, upon his return from the back ailment, James was nothing short of spectacular.

2003 Season (Weeks 8-17)

• 238 carries (23.8 per game)



• 996 rushing yards (99.6 per game)



• 4.2 yards per carry



• 10 touchdowns (1 per game)



• Five 100+ yard rushing games



• Nine games with 100+ yards from scrimmage



• 41 receptions (4.1 per game)



• 226 receiving yards (22.6 per game)



• #5 ranked RB

James was back to his dominating self in the second half last year; the first time since his knee injury two years ago that he was able to consistently dominate on the football field. James is one of the most talented RBs in the league; remember that he's capable of catching 70-80 passes, and is an absolute terror running inside at the goal line.

Add to that the knowledge that Indianapolis is consistently one of the most productive and balanced offenses in the league; and you can be sure that James will have plenty of opportunities to score; while Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison will ensure that he rarely if ever sees 8 men in the box.

Enter 2004 and James is healthy, playing for a new contract, and poised to show the world that he has a lot left in his 26 year old legs. Don't be afraid to roster James early in the first round as the cornerstone of your team.

Downside by David Yudkin
Someone Tell Him that They Expanded the Schedule to 16 Games

The biggest problem with Edgerrin James is that he can't stay healthy. We at FBG project him as the #7 RB for 2004. He might be able to rank that high if he played in all 16 games, but that seems very unlikely. Between knee, back, and ankle injuries the past few years, the Colts needed an injury hotline to keep fans posted on the latest injury status.

Consider this. In 2001 Edge played in 6 games and in 2002 he played in 12½ (he "played" in more, but that counts games where he missed half the game as "a half game" played). Last year, he again played in 12½ games, giving him 31 games played out of 48 the past 3 seasons (64%). If you draft James, you should expect him to miss a few games.

The other issue is that rather than give Edge a blow every now and again, the Colts work him more than any RB in the league. In the last 5 years, Edge has had more games with 20+ carries (by percentage) than any other back in the league. He gets 20+ carries in 72% of the games he plays in. With Ricky Williams retiring, the next highest is Stephen Davis at 60%. Fragile + overworked = often injured.

Edge's receiving totals have taken a dive since his return from his ACL injury.

• 1999 - 2000: 32 games, 125 receptions, 1180 yards, 9.4 ypr, 9 receiving TD



• 2001 - 2003: 33 games, 136 receptions, 839 yards, 6.1 ypr, 1 receiving TD

On a per game basis for fantasy purposes, that amounts to a 2.7 PPG difference (5.4 PPG vs. 2.7 PPG), which is a sizable amount when trying to rank in the game's Top 7 RB.

Overall, Edge needs to play each week and get better production as a receiver to climb back into the true RB studs.