Willie
Parker is
about as underrated as a fantasy running back can get.
After the seasons first two weeks, Parker currently ranks in fifth
amongst running backs in terms of fantasy productivity ahead of bigger
names like Joseph Addai and Shaun Alexander. And if Mike Tomlin gets
his wish, he won’t slow down anytime soon.
"We're going to ride Willie until the wheels come off," said Tomlin on
Wednesday. "He's game for that, he's in great physical condition, he
wants the ball, he's a competitor and he's showing he's capable of
doing that."
This translates into
great news for fantasy
owners of Parker, though
three weeks ago it wasn’t the case at all. Concerns about the
installation of a new “pass first” offense diminished his value as a
legit #1 back and caused him to fall into the second round of many
drafts. Shrewd owners who selected him are no doubt reaping the
benefits of steady fantasy production.
His 126 yard performance vs. the Bills last week was his third 100 yard
rushing game in a row and fifth in six games dating back to last
season. Going back to 2005 he has rushed for at least 100 yards in 14
of 33 (42%) games he’s played in. Once he became a full time starter in
’06, he became even more productive, achieving the feat in nine of 18
(50%) total games. The only two running backs who have done it more
frequently over the last 18 games are LaDainian Tomlinson (10 of 18)
and Larry Johnson (11 of 18).
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Parker has also rushed for 3,117 yards in four years as a member of the
Steelers, only the 11th running back in the franchises’ history to
eclipse 3,000 yards and ranks 10th all time.  Parker only
needs 155 yards on the ground to move into eighth place on the teams
all time rushing list ahead of Rocky Bleier and Fran Rogel.
All of the yards he’s accumulated also mean that he’s getting the ball
a lot. In the first two games he has carried the ball 50 times which
leads the NFL, and puts him on pace for exactly 400 carries this
season. And while that may be an issue the Steelers front office will
have to worry about, it shouldn’t bother fantasy owners one bit.
Handcuffing Najeh Davenport is not a bad idea, but Parker is only 26
years old and looks to be entering the prime of his career. The
increased workload has also done nothing to limit his explosiveness
thus far with Parker’s four runs of 20+ yards currently the most in the
league.
"He's getting better with each carry as these games go on,” said
Tomlin. “And I'm starting to realize that about him. He's a rhythm
runner so we’ll keep feeding it to him."
Parker continued his fantasy success against the 49ers this. The Niners
have been successful defending the run in their first two games,
limiting Edgerrin James to 3.5 yards per carry on 26 carries and Steven
Jackson to 2.8 yards per carry on 21 carries. Mike Nolan’s
defense was improved significantly this offseason, but has not been
tested by an opposing offensive line like it will be vs. the Steelers.
However, Parker was able to explode with 133 yards on 24 carries and
proves that he is a fantasy stud that owners can hitch their wagons to
for the season 2007 and beyond.
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