Thursday Thoughts: LaMichael James’ decision and a fantasy football sleeper

I probably should be writing about fantasy football right now, but the news of Oregon Ducks junior running back LaMichael James' plan to declare for the 2012 NFL Draft is on my brain. His decision is not surprising, but what might be is where this ultra-productive talent comes off the board in next April's extravaganza. 

James will draw comparisons to other successful diminutive NFL backs, such as Ray Rice or Warrick Dunn. I question if he really is 5-foot-9, and at only 185 pounds, he seems destined to a career of being pigeonholed as a situational player. Fair or not, that is a stigma he will have to get past.

The 2010 Doak Walker Award winner has an impressive statistical resume in his three years as a starter at Oregon, but that, unfortunately, may not be enough for NFL GMs to look past his size.

Table: LaMichael James' NCAA career statistics

As you can see, he was one of the most productive backs in the nation over this span. He even missed two games in 2011 because of injury and one in 2010 due to suspension. Red flag? Perhaps. James was involved in an altercation with his girlfriend that led to his one-game hiatus. He professes to have matured and learned greatly from the incident.

James reminds me somewhat of a young Tiki Barber, which isn't a bad thing at all. Remember, Barber was a change-of-pace back early in his career but developed into a prolific full-time back once his body molded into a stature more conducive to being an NFL rusher. James is 22 years old and will still fill out a little more. The risk of losing some speed exists; he is a strider despite being short and has quick-twitch ability.

The junior star is a very capable blocker for his size and is an adequate receiver despite not having been tested a lot in his collegiate years (51 career catches). James will have to learn to play out of a pro-style offense at the next level; getting the timing down will be the biggest hurdle for him.

What I like most about him is his ability to come up big in crucial situations, in important games.

I rank James as the fourth back in the draft-eligible class but do not have him in my top 65 overall players. I see him as a late third- or early fourth-round pick in the draft, but there is a lot of time for him to maneuver the draft board.

Switching back to where my brain should be, I'll leave you with my fantasy football sleeper of the week: Denver Broncos wide receiver Eric Decker. He has been rather quite lately but should see ample work against the New England Patriots. I have a feeling Decker will haul in a long touchdown pass against this maligned secondary, but he should not be considered more than a risky flex play.