Here's the second part of my review of this year's rookie running backs. Part 1 can be found here.

Two Stars
 
Darren McFadden, Oak - He was considered the best rookie running back prospect coming into the season, but so far he hasn't come close to that title. He had a huge 21 carry, 164 yard performance in Week 2, but has totaled less than 140 yards total in the four games since then.  He also has had fewer than nine carries in each of the past three games.  There's no way for him to succeed if the Raiders just don't use him.  That may change under new coach Tom Cable, but the early signs are that the Raiders are going back to Justin Fargas so it's just more fantasy chaos from the Raiders.  Things don't look like they're going to get better for McFadden owners this season.
 
Kevin Smith, Det - Considering the Lions have been terrible so far, and considering the Lions don't give him enough carries (only one game with more than ten carries), Jones is doing relatively well.  His 4.9 yds/carry average and touchdowns in two of the past three games are positives. However, you don't want to hear about positives if your fantasy team is losing because you had been counting on him.  Has a lot of potential upside for the second half, but right now he's unreliable for your fantasy team.   The best you (and the city of Detroit) can hope for is for a coaching change.  Very soon.  Please hurry.
 
One Star
 
Tim Hightower, Arz - He's a touchdown machine (five TDs in six games) but not much else.  In larger leagues, that's enough.  He's a gamble every week, but if Edge goes down Hightower will be a fantasy star in every league. 
 
Felix Jones, Dal - He was shaping up as a nice flex option before his injury, especially in leagues that score for kick/punt returns.   As long as the Cowboys don't panic and rush him back too soon, he should be  productive for the rest of the year. 
 
 
Zero Stars
 
Jamaal Charles, KC - He hasn't done anything yet, but with Larry Johnson benched/suspended/overpaid for the rest of the season, there's a very good chance Charles may have the starting job some time soon.  He's a guy to grab now if he's still available in your league.
 
Ray Rice, Bal - There were reports in the offseason that Rice was looking so impressive the Ravens were considering cutting Willis McGahee and handing the starting job to Rice. Eh, not seeing it.  A 3.0 yd/carry average isn't going to impress anybody.  Barring a McGahee injury (which, now that I think about it, is almost inevitable) he won't have any fantasy value.
 
Rashard Mendenhall, Pit - He was damn unlucky picking up a season-ending injury right before Willie Parker did, but to be honest he didn't look that great before the injury.

Q: How does the three-headed RBBC distribute its carries amongst Willis McGahee, Le'Ron McClain and Ray Rice?

A: This is not a three-headed RBBC despite the coach's public statement to that effect a couple weeks ago.  It is two-headed with Le'Ron McClain again demonstrating his value.  He gained 63 yards on 16 carries with a TD and also caught three passes for another 26.  Looks like the hype about rookie RB Ray Rice will need a serious injury to either McClain or McGahee to be revived.

Q: With a sieve of an o-line, an injured Ben Roethlisberger and a d-line missing Casey Hampton be able to protect its home turf on Monday Night football?  How does 1st round pick Rashard Mendanhall do in front of a national audience?

A: Yes.  Despite not being able to run effectively, and who really thought starting a rookie RB against the Ravens defense would result otherwise, the Steelers won.  Unfortunately, the Steelers' lost starting RB Rashard Mendenhall for the season with a fractured left shoulder. While his 3.3 YPC isn't great, it was nearly double what next week's RB tandem, Mewelde Morre and Casey Davis, were able to do.

Pittsburgh Steelers' 1st round pick, RB Rashard Mendenhall, fractured his left shoulder and will miss the rmeainder of the 2008 season.  He was filling-in for starting RB Willie Parker who had been immediately ruled out for Monday's game one week earlier.

Once the waiver period begins, fantasy teams will immediately claim the RB they believe will start next week in Jacksonville.  While my first reaction is to believe that no RB will be a major player and the passing game will be the main beneficiary, that doesn't stop anyone, including me, from picking up starting RBs.

Right now, the Steelers have on roster just two healthy RBs who have had any carries this season, veteran Mewelde Moore and 3rd year back Casey Davis.  Go with Mewelde.  He has a lot more experience, specifically his 662-yard season with Minnesota in 2005, and he has shown the ability to catch passes.

With the second week of exhibtion games in the books, some conclusions will be drawn heading into the most important game of the pre-season.  Who starts means something next week.

The first week of the exhibition season saw WR Dave Clowney of the New York Jets raise eyebrows the highest with a 169 yard/ 2 Td effort.  His follow-up effort was 4 receptions for 59 yards.  Both lead the team, but I'd feel even better if Brett Favre had completed one of those four passes.

In other notes from the 2nd week of regular-season-priced exhibition games: 

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Week One of the NFL Pre-Season is almost complete.  With the first teamers barely playing, definitive conclusions are not possible, but here are some notable stats that offer something to watch in Week Two.

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So the Pittsburgh Steelers become yet another team that’s decided to go with the "Thunder and Lightning" approach to the running game by drafting muscle-bound RB Rashard Mendenhall (23^rd overall).  Say goodbye to Willie Parker being one of the best running backs in fantasy, and say hello to a very unsettled running back by committee situation.

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If you’ve read my reviews for Jonathan Stewart and Felix Jones, this post is going to be déjà vu all over again.  Despite Willie Parker rushing for over 1300 yards last season, he proved unable to pound the ball into the end zone.  Enter the 5’ 10", 210 lb Mendenhall, described as having "a low center of gravity and thick legs" .  Well, there you go.

 For fantasy purposes it’s hard to know just how much work Mendenhall is going to get.  I feel confident stating that Stewart will get the majority of carries as the new "power" back in Carolina, because DeAngelo Williams just hasn't shown that he's going to take charge.   That isn’t the case in Pittsburgh, where the speedy Willie Parker is very, very much in charge.  It’s possible that Mendenhall will mostly play a fullback role in his rookie season, watching as Parker races down the field and then coming in to pound it in from the three yard line.  I think that’s unlikely though.  Mendenhall does have some pass-catching skills, so he should see the field between the 10 yard lines as well.

 If I had to decide now, I’d say that Mendenhall will see about 150 carries and finish with 600 yards and between six and nine touchdowns.  That’s not good enough to be a regular starter on your fantasy team, but he will be good enough to fill-in your flex slot during bye weeks or if you get hit with injuries.   Mendenhall will also finish with good receiving totals for a running back, so keep that in mind if you league scores running back receptions and/or yardage.