Steven Jackson

                          RUSHING                            RECEIVING                            FANTASY

(+) Steven Jackson has been very reliable over the years so you can feel pretty safe about what you’ll get if you take him on draft night

(+) His touchdown rate has the potential to increase with the expected improvement across the rest of the offensive unit

(+) Pretty much the “go-to guy” of the Rams offense as they comfortably lean on him on a game-to-game basis

(+) Slightly above-average receiver out of the backfield who will usually give you 40+ catches and 300+ yards a year

(+) His 4.4 yard per carry average last season was one of the best of his career…and it was done with opposing defenses almost solely keying in on him

(+) This could be the most talented offense he’s ever had around him, especially with a healthy Sam Bradford

(+) Has a streak of seven-straight seasons of 1,000+ yards and in two of those seasons, he only played 12 games!

(–) Has averaged only 6.5 rushing TDs a year during his career (eight seasons) and has put up more than eight TDs just once

(–) Defenses will continue to play eight men in the box unless the Rams rookie receivers step up and Sam Bradford returns to rookie form

(–) Typically will miss a game or two every season because of his bruising running style

(–) Will be 29-years-old this season, which is typically when running backs tend to slow down (the S-Jax breakdown could be coming)

(–) Isaiah Pead is clearly the heir apparent and has looked the part so far in OTAs

Steven Jackson is an absolute beast.  He can do pretty much anything you ask him to do out on a football field, and he showed us this all again in 2009.  The fact of the matter is that his supreme talent is starting to corrode beyond repair the longer he suits up for the St. Louis Doormats.  As usual, the Rams ran SJax into the ground in 2009 despite the team’s woeful record and regardless of his annual injury problems.  They simply lack the talent around him to do anything else, and so Jackson continues to pay the price for the rest of the team’s ineptitude.  However, his desire for the game forced his battered body out onto the field where once again, he demonstrated that it doesn’t matter if opposing teams throw eight in the box against him; he simply can’t be stopped if he doesn’t want to be.

~ Made his second Pro-Bowl team

Unless one of the other Rams players does something to give SJax some help in 2010, don’t expect to see better stats than what he put up in 2009.  Not that those numbers aren’t back-end #1 fantasy RB material, but if he happens to get some help from rookie QB Sam Bradford and another WR to team up with Donnie Avery, he could end up among the top 3-5 fantasy RBs in the league.  That said, if the Rams don’t do something to take the pressure off of SJax now, you’re looking at one of the biggest injury-risk players in the league and should be wary of that fact when drafting him to your fantasy team.

~ Despite Bradford being in the mix, defenses will still load up in the box for the first couple of months until he shows he can beat them through the air consistently

~ Without another ‘skill position’ player added to the team, Jackson will be depended on too highly yet again

~ The Rams offensive line is actually shaping up to be pretty darn good unit

~ Jackson’s offseason back surgery to repair a herniated disc could have a lingering affect on his running style

~ SJax is still one of the top 3-5 talented RBs in the league

Stephen Jackson (@sj39) can be followed on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/sj39

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Steven Jackson Jersey: Rebook Replica #39 

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SJ39.com: In the Life With Steven Jackson: Official Trailer

Steven Jackson 2009-2010 Season Highlights

Steven Jackson Jacked Up by Sheldon Brown...

...fact is, we think he may have actually liked it

Jackson signed a six-year, $44.805 million contract in August of ‘08 that contained $20.5 million guaranteed and another $4.495 million available through incentives.  If he averages 1,200 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving over the first four years, he can void the final two seasons of this deal.  Here's the breakdown:

2010 - $6.105 million

2011 - $7.2 million

2012 - $7 million (voidable year)

2013 - $7 million (voidable year)

2014 - Free Agent

Kenneth Darby is the (weakest in the league) handcuff to SJax

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2010 NFL Draft

View Overall Strength of Schedule Chart

Here's a red alert for all Jackson owners.  Over the past three seasons (2007-2009), Jackson has played in 39 games.  He's scored a total of 18 touchdowns and ALL OF THEM have been indoors.  He's scored zero touchdowns in outdoor games the past three seasons.  ZERO.  That's a bigger contrast than Jessica Simpson before and after Tony Romo.  The good news for Jackson owners:  The Rams play 11 indoor games this season...  You might wanna find a handy backup for those other five.