Steven Jackson is the fantasy football pick if you're in St. Louis. He's never quite been a No. 1-overall guy, but as the only viable member of the St. Louis Rams in most casual drafts he creates a kind of uneasy detente in the running back section where a bunch of beaten-down Rams fans try very hard to convince themselves they won't be the one to overdraft Steven Jackson until one just barely overdrafts him. In 2012 Jackson's stock is down further than it's ever been; people seem to have realized all at once that he's almost 30 years old, which is a hundred million in running back years. But it certainly isn't—or shouldn't—be out.
↵In 2011, with almost nothing around him in one of the most dysfunctional offenses in decades, Jackson rushed for 1145 yards on 260 carries, boosting his yards per carry to 4.4 after a disappointing year in 2010. He's not a sure-thing Pro Bowler any more, but as the offense improves around him Jackson should be able to put up some better superficial numbers.
↵And anyway, the Rams still don't have anybody else around. So that Steven Jackson tension might build a little later than it used to in your draft this week, but it will still build.
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