Do you want the EDGE…Edgerrin that is?

James will be 30 when the season begins. If history tells us anything, it’s that running back tend to hit a wall once they reach their 30th birthday.

James has a lot of wear and tear on his body, as he has averaged 317 carries over the course of his NFL career. Those carries (and the subsequent pounding administered by defenders) are starting to show in his yards-per-carry average. Prior to last season, James, saw his YPC average drop three consecutive years. In his nine-year career, James has averaged less than 4.1 YPC only three times, and two of those were the past two seasons.

James’ contribution to the passing game has been reduced considerably during his time with the Cardinals, as he has averaged only 31 receptions per year, compared to his 51 receptions he averaged with the Colts. Even though he has received the lion’s share of carries last season (324 of 365 RB carries), between himself, Marcel Shipp, and J.J. Arrington, he’s been the recipient of fewer than half of the RB receptions (24 of 57 RB receptions). Then again, with only 57 receptions between the three of them, the Cardinals clearly don’t depend use their running backs much in the passing game. If this trend continues, Edge’s upside will once again be limited. The lack of upgrades on the offensive line doesn’t bode well, either.

James’ fantasy success this season depends primarily on two things: the offensive line and the maturation of Leinart. Clearly the offensive line in Arizona is not on par with the line James had the benefit of running behind in Indianapolis. Will we ever see YPC averages like James saw in Indy? In his two seasons preceding his arrival to the desert, he averaged 4.4 YPC. If the O-line were to provide him the kind of protection that would allow him to even sniff anywhere near 4.4 YPC, James could be looking at 1,300-1,400 rushing yards based on his 33-carry average in Arizona. That, of course, is unlikely to happen. To be fair to the offensive line, James is not the same back he once was when he was with the Colts. For the 2008 season, consider Edge a medium-risk/medium-reward investment