The St. Louis Rams are better than they've been in—well, at least a year—and Steven Jackson is dealing with a lingering groin injury and struggling mightily. The Rams are even playing Thursday night, meaning Jackson has less time than usual to recover from his heavy usage. And I'm sorry, sleeper mavens, but Daryl Richardson still isn't going to pick up consistent fantasy football points.
Richardson is an interesting prospect, in both the fantasy and real worlds. He's not as fast as he looks like he should be, but he has the kind of snap-decision-making quickness that allows a rookie running back to deal with a disintegrating offensive line, and he had to be impressive in camp for the Rams to push him so far ahead of Isaiah Pead, a guy they loved going into the draft.
But his season-to-date numbers are skewed by one big run, and for the Rams, waiting for a return to form from Steven Jackson is simply a higher-upside move than hoping Richardson or Pead can learn on the job. They'll keep doing that until Steven Jackson is so bad, or so unhealthy, that it becomes impossible. And until then, you're going to be carrying Daryl Richardson on your roster for nothing.