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Ryan Grant’s impact on the fantasy football world during the second half of the 2007 season was nothing short of tremendous. He had received his first start for the Green Bay Packers during a Week 8 Monday night road game against the Denver Broncos, rushing 22 times for 104 yards. Following the contest, you could almost hear the footsteps of every interested fantasy owner in
Those of you who had selected Grant in your 2008 drafts – probably with a first – or second-round pick – obviously thought you knew what you were getting. Grant, however, has been one of the biggest busts to date. He has amassed just 269 rushing yards (53.8 yards per game) in five starts and has not scored. Trading or cutting a high-round pick is never an easy decision, but with close to a third of the fantasy football season behind us, you’re probably wondering whether it’s time to make a move with Grant.
What Is Your Grant IQ?
Surprisingly, not many fantasy owners know the skinny on Grant’s football background. He played his college football at Notre Dame between 2001 and 2004 but hardly qualified as an All-American or a Heisman Trophy candidate.
RYAN GRANT - COLLEGE CAREER
RUSHING
RECEIVING
YEAR
ATT
YARDS
AVG
TD
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
2001
29
110
3.8
1
2
7
3.5
0
2002
261
1,085
4.2
9
9
22
2.4
0
2003
143
510
3.6
3
9
64
7.1
0
2004
127
515
4.1
5
6
51
8.5
0
TOTALS
560
2,220
4.0
18
26
144
5.5
0
Grant did not play much during his freshman year, but he blossomed during his sophomore season. The
Grant was clocked at 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but the scouts did not consider him fast or much of a prospect. He was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft. The New York Giants signed Grant as an undrafted free agent and placed him on their practice squad. Did you know that Grant missed the entire 2006 season after suffering a freak injury that almost killed him? According to an article published at nytimes.com, Grant was dancing at a night club when somebody accidentally knocked him down. Grant cut his left arm on several champagne glasses, severing an artery, a tendon and the ulnar nerve, and almost bled to death. Doctors feared that Grant would lose the use of his left hand, but he did fully recover.
The Giants traded Grant to the Packers in September 2007, just before the start of the regular season, in exchange for a future sixth-round pick. Between Week 1 and Week 7, Grant was
^Did not play the entire game
Why Has Grant Struggled In 2008?
Here are Grant’s 2008 numbers to date:
Grant has been a disappointment because of a combination of the following four issues:
1. The Hamstring Injury
You’ve undoubtedly heard the story about Grant’s hamstring ailment. He had held out of training camp, seeking a much more lucrative contract. After he and the club agreed to a deal, Grant returned and suffered the injury. If you believe what Grant and
2. The Offensive Line
The offensive line has been hampered with some recent injuries and has frequently played at a less-than-stellar level. There is the belief among some that Brett Favre had used his veteran savvy and quick release to make this unit look much better than it actually was. Even with Favre in the fold, the
3.
Enemy Defenses Don’t Respect Aaron Rodgers’ Deep Ball – Yet
When opposing defenses faced the Packers with Favre under center, we all knew that they were scared silly of his ability to throw deep. They had game-planned with the goal of stopping Favre and were willing to concede yardage on the ground. Rodgers does not have Favre’s big arm, but Rodgers can stretch the field to a lesser degree. However, this year, enemy defenses are not afraid to set up a little closer to the line of scrimmage to stop Grant, as evidenced by how well the Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers contained him in Week 2 and Week 4, respectively.
On the subject of Rodgers, it may take a little more time for him and his teammates to jell as a unit. Don’t forget – he has started just five regular-season games. In addition, Rodgers does not seem interested in throwing to his running backs, which has hurt Grant’s value to a small extent.
4. The
An otherwise healthy Packers defense struggled mightily in Week 3 against the Cowboys. Injuries set in and really hampered this group in Week 4 against the Buccaneers and in Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons. It’s hard to run the ball consistently when you need to throw to catch up on the scoreboard.
Grant’s Fantasy Forecast
I’m sure you figured out on your own that Grant is no longer a weekly must-start. He looks like a risky start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6. Granted, the Giants offense torched the Seahawks defense with 254 rushing yards at the Meadowlands in Week 5, but
In the long-term, I think there are better days ahead for Grant, and he should become modestly more productive. At this point, however, I doubt he will match the weekly numbers that he posted last season. Grant is finally healthy, and I suspect McCarthy will make every effort to improve the O-line play. Rodgers – assuming he stays reasonably healthy – should improve and throw down the field more frequently as he becomes more comfortable as the starter.
I have two concerns: The injuries on defense and the Packers’ upcoming schedule. The injury to cornerback Al Harris (spleen) has received a lot of attention, but not many are talking about the season-ending injury suffered by defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (torn pectoral). If you take a defensive lineman away from a defense, it cripples that unit more than you would think and makes it more susceptible to the run. We saw that happen last week when the Falcons rolled up 176 rushing yards on the Packers at Lambeau Field. As I said, you can’t run the ball regularly when you have to throw frequently to stay in the game.
Here is
Should you release Grant? No. Do you really think you’ll find a better running back on the waiver wire? Should you trade Grant? It depends your team’s running back depth, and it depends on what you are offered. Grant will face the Colts terrible run defense at home, which is his best chance to post some strong numbers. This should raise his value in the eyes of some owners, which is why, in my opinion, you should strongly consider trading Grant at that point – if you want to make the move. His schedule after the bye week looks heavy on tough matchups.
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