Shaun A; The Next Corey Dillon?
by Paul Eide
Fantasy Football Director
4/25/08


There is just something strange about seeing a past fantasy god cast aside as casually as a used cigarette butt and I never get used to it. Whether it was Kurt Warner in 2002 who followed up his MVP season with a 3 TD, 11 INT stinker or Priest Holmes in 2005 after playing only half of the 2004 season but being ultra productive, it can be hard to accept that a once dominant fantasy player has regressed to mere “mortal” status.

Shaun Alexander’s release by the Seahawks on Tuesday signaled the end of an area of statistical productivity that few fantasy players have ever achieved. From 2001 to 2005 he averaged 1,500+ rushing yards and 17 TD per season and was the first player to have at least 15 touchdowns in five consecutive seasons. Alexander also scored another 11 TD via the pass during that time frame, which means he averaged 19+ total TD a year for five years, a truly amazing feat that any fantasy owner can truly appreciate.

But in the two years that followed, Alexander was constantly injured and looked far less motivated than he had earlier in his career. Alexander’s problems started when he signed an 8 year $62 million dollar contract after setting a league record by scoring 28 TD during the 2005 season. In the next two seasons it looked as if by turning 30 the proverbial clock struck midnight. Alexander scored only 12 total touchdowns, accumulated 1,612 rushing yards and played in only 20 of 32 games.  Unfortunately for Alexander instead of breaking the status quo and performing well into his mid thirties he turned into the latest personification of the long held belief that once a running back reaches 30, his days of being productive are over.

But is that the case? Are his days of being a productive back long gone? And what can fantasy owners expect from here on out, considering he is still healthy (allegedly)? The latest news indicates that both the Patriots and Colts have expressed interest in the former MVP, along with the Lions and Bears amongst others. 

Hearing the Patriots being mentioned as a possible suitor has to excite Shaun A, if for no other reason then what they did for a supposedly washed up Corey Dillon in 2004.

Dillon had just turned 30 and was no longer in the Bengals’ future plans as his job had been taken by Rudi Johnson. In his final year with the Bengals, Dillon had a meager 541 yards and two TD in 13 games and looked to be every bit the part of a washed up 30 something back. But the Patriots saw something else. They gave Dillon another chance and he responded with career highs in rushing yards (1,635), TD (13 total) and carries (345). Dillon scored 39 total TD in his three years with the Patriots and added a Super Bowl ring to his credit before retiring prior to the 2007 season at the age of 33.

So maybe Seattle did Alexander a huge favor by releasing him now, essentially making him a “Gun for hire” a la Dillon in 2004. And if the Patriots are serious about perusing Alexander, it means fantasy owners should seriously consider investing a late round pick in the former Seahawk. If the mystery injury problems that Laurence Maroney battled throughout the first two months of the season carry over to next year, Alexander could definitely find himself in an ideal, “Dillon-like” situation. In Indianapolis, Joseph Addai is the unquestioned starter but why not back him up with a former league MVP, especially considering Kenton Keith’s recent arrest, though the charges aren’t considered to be serious, Alexander’s character has never been under fire because he has never put himself in that situation.

Though the release from Seattle trigged a mostly “R.I.P. Shaun A” response from fantasy owners, sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to regain previous form. And if that change of scenery happens to be New England, don’t bet against continued productivity.