Brian Westbrook’s June ankle surgery was a big concern for Eagles fans and fantasy owners alike.
After all, he’s turning 30 this year and he also had knee surgery for a problem that slowed him down greatly at the end of the 2008 season.
If Wednesday’s workout is any indication, Westbrook should be ready for the season, as original reports estimated.
Westbrook reportedly participated in football activities for the first time, not letting one intended pass drop to the ground.
Sheil Kapadia reports that Westbrook made sharp cuts and looked good.
Westbrook’s fast recovery should help him start rising back up fantasy ranks, so this seems like as good a time as any to drop in our periodic mention of the Rotoworld fantasy football draft guide.
Rotoworld ranks Westbrook 12th at running back and 17th overall. His value soars if you get a point for receptions; he’s a top-ten pick on our Top 200 list in that format.
Deciding how to value backs with lots of mileage like Westbrook, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Clinton Portis will be one of the big trends to watch this fantasy season.
Overall, we think the players above will be overrated on name value. A few may continue the trend set by Shaun Alexander, Rudi Johnson, Priest Holmes, and other aging backs that fantasy owners loved for one year too long.
Younger options like Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson, and even Frank Gore are better values.
You can check out where we rank all of the above, with our award-winning tier analysis to help you create a flexible draft strategy at the Rotoworld draft guide.
OK, this should keep the corporate overlords at bay for another week.