At the national, some fantasy football analysis suggesting that the St. Louis Rams didn't, in fact, destroy Steven Jackson fantasy-wise when they drafted complementary back (and future replacement) "The Human" Isaiah Pead in the second round of April's 2012 NFL Draft. I've been trying to make this point all summer, so I'm glad for the backup. Pead (not to mention seventh-round preseason breakout rookie Daryl Richardson) is an important part of the Rams' offense, but in 2012—barring a truly shocking breakout—he's not likely to impede Steven Jackson's fantasy performance any more than Cadillac Williams did in 2011.
↵There's more, though: Jackson's carries could even go up in 2012, for the simple reason that new head coach Jeff Fisher is the traditional, cloud-of-dust-y opposite number to the Rams' offensive coordinator last year, Josh McDaniels. Jackson won't (and probably shouldn't) carry the ball 300 times again, but he'll get every chance to shoulder a significant part of the Rams' more conservative new offense, especially while Sam Bradford tries to recover from last season's issues.
↵So thanks, SB Nation Worldwide. I'm especially glad you guys waited until after my own fantasy football draft to break the news.