Ricky Williams troublesome year seems to be all in the past, as everyone around him is willing to give him a second opportunity. The Miami Dolphins and new head coach Nick Saban, didn’t have a slight problem at all welcoming him back. As long as he is sporting a Dolphins uniform and fulfilling team needs, it all boils down to the simple fact that the NFL is a business. Even the NFL has helped out Ricky by accepting him back as long as he commits to not violating the league’s substance abuse policy again.

So from the outside it looks as if Ricky couldn’t have scripted it any better. He was able to leave the NFL for an entire year, when in all actuality we all know the truth for his quick escape. It’s like a criminal committing a crime, and running out of state until all traces are back to a minimal. The criminal then can return safe and sound and go on with his life. It may be a harsh analogy but it is what it is, if Ricky didn’t want the media to perceive it that way he should have spoken out to the public.

Now that all the fun and games are over for Ricky, it comes back to real pressure. His job security is low, and he has to earn the respect back from the entire NFL. That’ll take some tough hard nosed play, and a no nonsense type of style. With Ronnie Brown in the fold, everyone knows Ricky’s return of debut is just a quick detour for his next determined destination. Neither Williams or Brown will want to be backups, and both accordingly are main viable running backs.

Miami can do one of two things with Ricky’s near future. If the offense is as improved as rumors are acknowledging, than Miami may want to plan a high school type of offensive philosophy. They could look for the pass only when needed, and run the football constantly down team’s throats. It hasn’t been tested in the NFL, because of the intense schemes and switch ups defensive coordinator’s see to stop the run. If the pass can be used every down when a team is losing, then why can’t a team continue to run the football when it is working? You see it at least once a month in the NFL, where a team gives up on the running game way too early.

With Miami’s quarterback situation looking amusing and pathetic, this philosophy could be used as a confidence builder. So often when a quarterback is struggling the main reason is because of lack of confidence. You have to be quick on your reads and not second guessing yourself, or mistakes will happen even more. AJ Feeley had that confidence for a quick moment in Philadelphia because of what he saw Donovan McNabb do, and Gus Frerotte is just a safe bet as a veteran quarterback.

If the quarterback play could pick up from below average to the average category, than all of the sudden Miami is a very dangerous team. Let’s not forget they have a wide receiver in Chris Chambers that has been kept down because of his offense not his skills. If he was on a vaunted offense like the Vikings or Colts there’d be serious consideration for him being one of the best receivers in the league. The same could be said for plenty of players though, and Chambers just needs to want and demand more.

Back to Ricky Williams, and Miami’s other route. There is another team in the state of Florida by the name of Jacksonville that could be knocking on the door in the near future. Fred Taylor’s injury problems and rehab from his off-season surgery has been kept on hush. That’s a sign that things may not be coming along well, and the fact that they were highly involved in the Travis Henry sweepstakes suggests that as well. If the Jaguars are in dire need and Ronnie Brown looks like the main guy, then there is going to be signed papers for a trade. Jacksonville’s door to make sneak up on the Colts or Patriots is now. They have a great young defense and a premier quarterback who seems destined for a breakout season. Add Ricky Williams to the picture and you have an instant recipe for success.

Of course all of the speculation on the ifs surrounding Ricky Williams, remain in his control. Has he matured and moved past his problematic stage in his life? Hopefully he has because for a few years he was on the brink of being a perennial super star. Who can forget the monster month and a half he had to finish the 2002 season? The ability is there, but is the heart and determination?

Blowouts on Sundays are bad for ratings, but a major boost for fantasy football teams. First of all while the points pile up for the leading team, it’s usually the most involvement of an entire team. The quarterback, running back, and two or three wide receivers will have game day stats sometimes by halftime. As that happens it comforts the winning team enough to substitute for the second and third string athletes.

As the relaxation begins the opposing team still has their first string in. They’re sweating out some of their frustrated angered fury. The pile on garbage stats that drive gamblers crazy, can also set a nerve-racking experience for fantasy owners. Not only are their stars sitting on the sideline, the other team’s getting open lanes for the quarterback and running back, and cornerbacks playing a mile off of wide receivers. It just makes you want to pull your hair out sometimes.

It’s a strange view but look for team’s that are completely outmatched. You may went to stay away from the quarterback, because they’ll throw plenty of interceptions and likely be benched in the second half. A running back will be limited because the team will be trying to claw their way back through the air. So the wide receiver position is the main area you’re going to want to fit in as a starter.

The advantage of more throws, less meaningful defense, and ease of playing from behind is where yards after catch will come in. How many times have you seen a defense playing so nonchalant with a big lead, that they’ll miss the easiest tackles? Literally, they look like video game athletes the way they’re diving, arm tackling, and walking back to the line of scrimmage with worry free looks.

So which receivers shoot up the charts as fourth quarter killers? Here’s a top ten list.

1. Santana Moss
Whatever Daniel Snyder has tried has failed, and the losing will continue until this team came play together. Moss is one of the fastest receivers in the league, and anytime a defense is playing lackadaisical, he should have an instant touchdown. The Redskins defense will keep them in games, but they can’t do it every week.

2. Brandon Lloyd
Lloyd is in his contract year, and has to deal with a rookie quarterback. It’s not going to be pretty, but the good thing for Lloyd is that rookies tend to look for the main guy often. That’ll be bad when the defense runs a few back, but once the fourth quarter comes he’ll get a few passes his way.

3. Chris Chambers
Already five years into the league Chambers still has a lot to prove. He is a smart deceptive receiver, but because of the Dolphins passing limitations he has been limited himself. Nick Saban seems to be correcting a lot of things, but it may be too late to keep the Dolphins defensive unit strong. A lot of the guys have aged, and even if Miami improves on offense, the defense will likely be the downfall. With them down constantly, Chambers should flourish amongst the top in the fourth quarter.

4. Ashley Lelie
Mike Shanahan has a lot of pressure on himself this year, and so does quarterback Jake Plummer. The AFC looks too strong, and Plummer’s days are numbered. Lelie will solidify himself this season as a top ten receiver.

5. Plaxico Burress
Eli Manning is going to love this tall target. Burress strides down the field with ease, and has never lost a jump ball. Expect the Giants to take a chance anytime Burress is one on one down the field.

6. Michael Clayton
The Buccaneers are a big time sleeper to go after one of the NFC wild card slots. The offense has underwent enough changes over the past year, and now is an above average squad. Brian Griese and Michael Clayton will be one of the hottest connections next season.

7. Larry Fitzgerald
Fitz is the epitome of a prime time player. He has been a star his entire football career, and wasn’t hyped up in college like he should have been. He just has that instinctive knack of catching footballs, and is on his way to being the next Cris Carter.

8. Andre Davis
You might as well throw Braylon Edwards in here, as the Browns are going to be losing all season long. Is 0-16 in the Browns future, probably not but more than three wins would be a great season for the Browns.

9. Roy Williams
Gobble, gobble, gobble. If John Madden was still on Fox handing out turkey legs, Williams would be a recipient more than once. The Lions will play Vick and company this year, and will probably be the Lions only spotlight game besides a Sunday night one against Green Bay.

10. Lavernues Coles
The Jets are always playing to win, and win the majority of their games by a touchdown or less. Their slow methodic run the ball down their throats style, always sets up the passing game in the third and fourth quarters. That’s when Lavernues Coles thrived with the Jets originally, and it’ll be like a flashback this season.

Holdout. That’s the one word you can hear an agent yelling. Specifically Drew Rosenhaus telling his clients to do after a successful season. Rosenhaus’s aggressive tactics have been favorable among athletes, and caused nightmares for general managers. The increased pace of athletes holding out is starting to get to a ridiculous level. An agent’s number one job from the start is to get his athlete the best contract. So once that contract is signed, the player should just abide to it. If the athlete suddenly doesn’t feel he is earning enough money, too bad. Someone didn’t do their job, and that’s why the athlete is stuck in that predicament. Your market value can only reach the level of your ability, that’s the whole purpose of a contract. Sustaining, raising, or dropping your value is what happens during the duration of that contract.

Every athlete is a grown man and needs to make a conscious decision before suddenly listening to their agent. Rosenhaus has had plenty of athletes holdout in the past, and this year alone has Javon Walker, Grady Jackson, and Terrell Owens threatening. It could all just be a clever trick by Rosenhaus to see if the franchises will take the bait. Once August 1st roles around, we’ll see if they all stick to their guns.

One athlete that has chosen to be smart about his current situation is Anquan Boldin. Boldin is in the last year of his rookie contract, and since he was drafted in the second round he isn’t making anywhere near the type of money he should be. It was the main reason why he fired his agent and jumped over to Rosenhaus. Automatically rumors were floating around that Boldin would holdout, and supposedly he was advised by Rosenhaus to do so. Boldin though, decided to do his job like a man and has been attending workouts. Even though his partner Larry Fitzgerald is signed to a mega million dollar contract, Boldin knows his time is just around the corner. If the Cardinals are dumb enough to let Boldin go, then that’s their own fault. The Cardinals loss would be someone else’s gain.

Receivers Terrell Owens and Javon Walker are making themselves look like fools. Walker had one great year, and has let it get to his head. The Packers organization isn’t going to budge on this situation, as they don’t have to. They still have Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson, and will likely please defensive tackle Grady Jackson instead. Walker is only endangering his chances of keeping his slight edge above Driver and Ferguson.

Owens needs to look himself in the mirror and think twice about this outrageous off-season demand. He went from having a miracle Super Bowl performance and talking about coming right back, to then saying he won’t step on the field until he has his contract reconfigured. What kind of picture does that paint from an outsiders perspective?

Just a little over a year ago, Owens knew exactly what his contract stated and was fine with it. It entailed a $10 million signing bonus, and a lengthy deal for seven years. It’s the type of contract that’s a retirement fund times ten.

Switcharoo, as Drew Rosenhaus stepped in and pointed out mistakes that Owens former agent apparently made. Rosenhaus and Owens main concern is the Eagles ultimate control to cut Owens if he gets hurt or production drops in the mid part of his deal. After Owens serious injury last season and being at the age of 33, all of those issues are a job security priority. Still, the risk of injury and being a salary cap casualty were all risks Owens knew of last season. Every person that signs up for military service knows that they have to fulfill their contract and deal with it. They can’t suddenly want out after two years of a four year enlistment.

No other sport has this bad of a problem, and it is going to cast a shadow over the sport soon. The general managers are going to have to come up with a better system to eliminate the alarming misguidance of agents. Look for a new clause of non restructuring to be included, or some sort of non changing agreement. This isn’t Burger King, every great athlete can’t have it their way.

Injuries are the most common setback in an athlete’s professional career. The recovery time period is often sped up to benefit the their team’s immediate future. In some cases it’s worth the risk, but more than often it causes a prolonged setback that can carry on for an entire season. Rather than let that athlete get the extended rest, it turns into a future problem. What should have took an extra two to three weeks for full recovery, ends up taking a year or two.

An athlete may not be on the injured list, but it’s 100 percent evident that something is wrong with their physical condition. For the past few years that can be said for Bills wide receiver Eric Moulds. He didn’t suffer any serious tear, but the severity of a groin, back, and eclipsing the age of 30 all at the same time caused Moulds stats to slump.

Heading into 2005 Moulds is looking 100 percent. With youngster Lee Evans alleviating some of the attention away from Moulds, it could be a nice year of resurrection for Moulds.

Moulds could enter the season in top-notch shape, but the significance of any Bills wide receiver will be solely dependant on first year starter JP Losman. With the confidence the Bills have showcased in him, obviously they’re convinced that he is ready. With the way some youngsters have stepped in over recent years, you’d have to pat the Bills on the back for taking the risk.

With that in mind, the commencement of an offensive power juggernaut is set. At least from the standpoint, that they’ll be able to establish the ground game on a regular basis. The Bills are going to continue to test McGahee’s endurance and limitation abilities, and that should open the doors even more for Moulds.

Do not forget that Moulds was as solid a receiver there was from the late nineties through 2002. His season last year was okay but Moulds made it publicly known he wasn’t happy with his role at the midpoint of the season. It didn’t change into him having any monster games, but he is one of the few receivers that will get you six to eight points in the yardage category every week.

At his size and age, Moulds has kind of transformed himself into a different type of receiver. In years past, he was able to use his speed to burn defenders Sam Madison and others. Now that’s Lee Evans job, and there isn’t any possibility that Moulds could challenge Evans in the forty yard dash. For Moulds though, his main duty is to use his strength and veteran abilities to outsmart the cornerback. All it takes is a fake out or a flinch here, and a young cornerback will bite like a shark.

Moulds should continue to catch plenty of footballs, as he gobbles them up. What fantasy owners are intrigued by is if he can get in the end zone. With the quarterback switch up, it could benefit Moulds more than Lee Evans. The only reason Drew Bledsoe is still in the league is because he throws an accurate missile deep ball. JP Losman’s arm still has to be tested. Even if he can throw the deep ball, usually offensive coordinators are scared to go that route with an inexperienced quarterback.

Either way fantasy owners are sleeping far too much on Moulds. He is settling in the category of “major steal” in plenty of leagues. This isn’t a mid thirties wideout, as he is only 32. He should be counted on as a non questionable number two fantasy wide receiver, and an all season long lock if you happened to land him as your third.

If anyone is going to invest in anything, they want to get top-notch capabilities in their new endeavor. In fantasy football the latest angle of notching owners is looking for multiple threats. Athletes, especially wide receivers that do more than just play their main position. There aren’t many out there, but a receiver that is in the top three rotation and a solid kick or punt returner is a huge plus. Considering that more and more leagues are adding points for return yardage, you can really bonus up by snagging a slash athlete. The compounding factors and rising use should reach a high point this year.

A receiver is probably the only position that would be worth looking at, if you are planning on going that route. The majority of running backs that see time on special teams are third string running backs. At wide receiver though, if they are in the top three or four on their roster, it’s one of the most attractive sleeper prospective decisions to make. All of these receivers are mid to late range draft choices, so the worries of a non-payoff is irrelevant. Expectations can’t be high if you don’t invest high. A gamble in the mid to late rounds is worth the risk.

Too many owners exaggerate over the value of every pick. It’s not the end of the world if a backup player isn’t producing. What do NFL franchises do when backup’s are ineffective? They cut the athlete in a heartbeat, and sign an athlete with the same type of potential. That’s exactly how a fantasy owner should look at their depth. Take big gambles that could payoff, and give them a short leeway to prove if they can be a boom or bust. If they bust, wow you can cut the athlete for another sub standard athlete or one that’s suddenly risen. If they boom, now you’re looked at as the elite owner in your league, and you can let your weekly bye week stresses die.

With Johnnie Morton being cut last month, the void left is going to be filled by Samie Parker. While the majority of fantasy owners are looking at Parker as a sleeper starter, the bigger sleeper is right underneath Parker on the depth chart. Dante Hall has dazzled audiences with his spectacular returning abilities, and has made his job look easy. People tend to forget though, that Hall was a running back at Texas A@M. He has had to adapt to changing to wide receiver, and has thrived on occasions when the Chiefs went into four and five wide receiver sets.

Hall’s speed and big play ability makes his percentage threat rise by a nice twenty to twenty five percent. With at least eight to ten more plays at wide receiver a game, his stock should be comparable to any major rookie. Don’t bank on Samie Parker or Eddie Kennison manning the starting spots all season long either. Kennison is an average receiver at best that just happens to mesh with Trent Green well. Parker is an inexperienced youngster that could struggle with a starting role.

Out in Pittsburgh, some Steeler fans were disappointed that the Steelers didn’t even attempt to resign Plaxico Burress. The demand Burress was seeking just wasn’t worth the Steelers expense. Burress’s motivation seemed to drop off when he wasn’t getting the looks that he should. A serious hungry athlete would have sought more looks by yelling at his quarterback or offensive coordinator. Burress instead seemed to be content as long as the check was coming.

The major reason why the Steelers let Burress go untouched, was because of Antwaan Randle El’s quick development as a receiver. He went from being a special team standout and fifth Steeler wide receiver, to jumping up the depth chart with rapid speed in less than two years.

Cedrick Wilson was brought in to challenge Randle El for the starting job, and the battle will be a very entertaining eye catcher. If Randle El can win, this may be the last year to expect major contributions from him in the special teams category. A lot of coaches will cutback a player once he has reached starting status. Don’t forget Cedrick Wilson also performed on special teams in San Francisco, so either way there could be a shakeup in the wide receiver or special teams area. Honestly though Randle El’s play was above Burress often last year, and he should get a shot at showcasing his full worth.

Those are the two best slash athletes to take a look at in your fantasy drafts. There may be a few others out there especially rookies, but those athletes are likely to go undrafted in fantasy football leagues. The main key is to keep an eye out in preseason to see who wins the returning jobs and if that’s worth corresponding with their depth chart position.

Though Byron Leftwich proved to have a lot of stunning fourth quarter performances, they weren’t enough to wow fantasy owners. His overall yardage and touchdown numbers still hovered around the same vicinity of his rookie campaign. This upcoming year could be different though, as the Jaguars will look to expand Leftwich’s abilities.

Last season was definitely an up and down year for Leftwich. The first month he was praised for heroic last second comebacks, but in the entirety of the previous three and a half quarters he struggled mightily. Then for a four week stretch suddenly Leftwich started to tease fantasy owners with his best stretch of the year. The stretch included four three hundred yard passing games, and also two rushing touchdowns. How did this occur out of no where?

The main explanation would have to be linked to one of the best receivers over the last ten years in Jimmy Smith. At the age of 35 last year, it took a little longer for Smith to get his routine and speed in full stride. Being the number one receiver shouldn’t be the burden placed on Jimmy Smith’s shoulders, but that was the case. He had the bulk of his success during those same weeks Leftwich’s progression was off the charts.

There were times that the connection between Leftwich and Jimmy Smith looked top notch, as Smith would snare unbelievable catches. Smith still couldn’t do it by himself. With Reggie Williams struggling his rookie season and Troy Edwards still living up to a first round bust, derails were a common scene on Jacksonville drives.

Reggie Williams should break in well this year, and the freakish rookie Matt Jones will also be in the fold. Troy Edwards makes a nice fourth receiver, and now Jimmy Smith should be able to roam a little easier. All Leftwich needs is decent receivers, as he may be right behind Peyton Manning in his ability to read defenses. For what Leftwich lacks in speed he more than makes up for it in the pocket.

A big concern is the durability question marks surrounding Fred Taylor. His MCL tear towards the end of last season is “expected” to be 100 percent by the start of the season. This is from an athlete that hasn’t been free of the injury list. It seems not too long ago that Taylor came into the league along with Robert Edwards in New England, but he is now entering his eighth NFL season. He has had a strong career, but consistent injuries heading into the thirties is a serious cause for doubt. LaBrandon Toefield has had a few chances to showcase his abilities, and really hasn’t wowed anyone.

If Taylor’s recovery from injury is pushed further back, expect the Jaguars to land Travis Henry. Henry is still a young and former Pro Bowl explosive back, that would fit in well with the Jaguars system. The Bills are also shopping only a third round pick for Henry’s rights. Even though Henry is in the last year of his contract, there probably wouldn’t be a problem in signing him to a two or three year deal.

Regardless of who’s in the backfield, Leftwich’s stats should improve dramatically. He has practically two years under his belt, and the third starting year is usually the turning point for quarterbacks with raw talent. Draft Leftwich as a fantasy backup with a strong chance at eclipsing into your starting rotation. Basically you can probably get away with drafting a mediocre quarterback in the fifth or sixth round, and then snatching Leftwich right behind that pick.