Brandon Jackson

When the Browns signed Jackson away from Green Bay last spring they were expecting him to make a nice one-two punch with Peyton Hillis. Unfortunately, a toe injury ended his first season in Cleveland before it got started. In his final season with the Packers in 2010, Jackson compiled 1,045 yards from scrimmage, reeled in 43 catches and scored four touchdowns while starting 13 games. This year he’ll merely be fighting with Montario Hardesty and Chris Ogbonnaya for backup touches with the arrival of Alabama standout Trent Richardson. Jackson may have a chance to get some third-down work if the Browns look to spell Richardson at times as he’s been a solid receiver out of the backfield (at least 21 receptions and 185 receiving yards in his last three healthy campaigns), but it would take an injury, or two perhaps, ahead of him for any significant fantasy value to materialize.

After Ryan Grant went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1, Jackson became waiver wire priority No. 1 in fantasy leagues, but those who burned their FAAB on him were left sorely disappointed. Jackson was never really given a full opportunity to be the team’s workhorse, and while he blocked well and was excellent as a receiver, he averaged just 11.9 carries per game and remained in a timeshare despite Grant’s absence. As a result, Jackson was not re-signed by the Packers and ended up agreeing to a two-year contract with the Browns to compete with Montario Hardesty to be Peyton Hillis's backup. With Hillis's bruising running style, it's not inconceivable that he could go down with an injury, opening the door for Jackson.

Jackson missed the start of the 2009 season due to injury and was never really a big part of the game plan. He'll compete with rookie James Starks for the back up running back role.

Jackson was given only 45 carries last season despite Ryan Grant’s struggles, but he averaged 5.5 YPC and caught at least one pass in every game he played. Jackson impressed when given the opportunity, but the team still views the former second-round pick as purely a situational runner, so he enters 2009 as Grant’s primary backup. Because Jackson improved so much during his second year while flashing nice explosiveness, there’s some upside here, but it would likely take a Grant injury for Jackson to realize it.

Jackson began the 2007 season as the starting RB, but poor performance and injury moved him to the bench and behind Ryan Grant on the depth charts. He's looked better during offseason workouts and will get a long look as Grant's primary backup. He'll be someone to keep in mind if you draft Grant.

Jackson started only 11 of the 33 games he played at Nebraska and was a junior entry into the draft. However, he appears to be a good fit for the Packers' zone-blocking scheme after playing in a similar system as a Cornhusker. An instinctive runner, Jackson has a chance to start for Green Bay immediately. Vernand Morency is his only real competition with Ahman Green in Houston, and Morency has never had more than 91 carries in a season. Jackson possessed all-round skills in college, showing strong receiving and blitz-pickup abilities. Coach Mike McCarthy said he’ll let one individual carry the load if he earns it, so a committee can be avoided if Jackson impresses early on. He already had the majority of the work during minicamp, and seemingly everyone within the organization wants Jackson to take the job and run with it.