Deuce McAllister

McAllister successfully returned from knee surgery in 2006, totaling 1,255 yards and 10 touchdowns. For a guy sharing the backfield with Reggie Bush, his 30 receptions were a nice bonus as well. The Saints clearly view Bush as a 12-15 carry back, so McAllister should be featured prominently again. He was given 21 goal-line carries last season, which tied for third most in the NFL. That he only punched in six of those attempts wasn’t great, but it does illustrate just how many scoring opportunities McAllister is given while playing in the potent Saints offense. Another year removed from knee surgery, McAllister could actually have more explosiveness this season. However, McAllister underwent an additional arthroscopic knee surgery in early February. It's not uncommon for players to have a follow-up minor procedure the season after returning from an ACL tear, but it is something to keep an eye on.

A torn ACL ruined McAllister’s season, but that’s only part of what makes him such a risky pick for 2006. With the Saints drafting Reggie Bush No.2 overall, McAllister now faces the prospect of having a kid push him aside the way he pushed aside Ricky Williams. When healthy, McAllister is the complete package as a feature back, possessing great speed, burst and power. He’s solid in both the red zone (his nine 2004 TDs came on 55 touches inside the 20) and the passing game (with a career-high 60 catches in 2003). Until he shows he’s all the way back, though, a time-share with Bush – possibly even lasting through the whole 2006 season – seems likely. If he does get traded to a team that needs him before Week 1, he’s worth consideration as a top-10 back. McAllister wasn’t able to participate in the Saints’ April mini-camp, and though he predicts he’ll be ready for the start of training camp, his status is uncertain.

Don’t be fooled by McAllister’s modest season-ending stats – he missed nearly three full games with a high ankle sprain and played at less than 100 percent when he returned. If you prorate his 13-game numbers over a 16-game season, you get 1,322 yards, 11 touchdowns, 42 catches and 281 receiving yards. And that doesn’t account for his coming back in three weeks from what’s typically a six-week injury. A rare combination of size (6-foot-1, 232), speed, power and receiving ability, McAllister is capable of much more. In 2002, he had 16 touchdowns, and in 2003, 2,157 yards from scrimmage. With new offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard’s emphasis on a power running game, and the Saints drafting Oklahoma tackle Jammal Brown in the first round and signing right guard Jermaine Mayberry from the Eagles, McAllister could very well put it all together in 2005. As for concerns over lingering effects of the ankle injury, McAllister took care of those in the final two games of last season when he rushed for 268 yards on 57 carries (4.7 YPC).

McAllister will be unfairly punished in most leagues for his relatively paltry TD total, but you should expect a 50 to 100 percent increase in scoring if he approaches last year’s 2,200 yards from scrimmage. McAllister had only 15 attempts inside the opponents’ 10-yard-line last year (converting four for scores). Those attempts are about half of what a McAllister owner should have expected, and a more representative conversion rate for McAllister would be about 40 percent, as New Orleans was the eighth-best team in converting all short-yardage runs last year. In 2002, McAllister was 9-for-25 near the goal line (still short of the 30 or so attempts his owners should expect). The Saints asked McAllister to lose some weight in the offseason, figuring this would increase his already impressive explosiveness (the Saints were in the top five in big runs, with about 25 percent of McAllister’s rushing yards gained 10 yards past the line of scrimmage). McAllister is young, has relatively low mileage in terms of carries, can hit the home run and is an accomplished receiver.

McAllister was easily the best fantasy back in the NFC (1,740 total yards, 16 touchdowns). We don't see any reason to doubt his durability going forward, even as he plays on turf and figures to handle the ball 350 to 400 times. McAllister is one of four or five players worth legitimate consideration as the No. 1 pick.