Ricky Williams Starting In His First Game Back?

The last time Ricky Williams was the starting running back for an NFL game, he scored a touchdown and the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots in Foxboro. That was January 1, 2006, but Ricky's been reinstated and it looks like he's inline to be the starting back for the Dolphins' Monday Night game against the Steelers. That's right, a situation in which Williams would see action somewhat sparingly has morphed, due to injuries to the other starters(Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman), into Ricky probably starting tonight.

Some recent reports have stated that Chatman's ankle may have improved to the point to where he could start, but he was limited in practice all week and Williams handled most of the first-team work. So, for the sake of argument let's say that Ricky does start. What has happened between his last game and tonight?

In February 2006, the NFL announced that Williams had failed a fourth drug test. He was subsequently suspended for the entire 2006 NFL season.

Following his NFL suspension, Williams signed a contract with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He rushed for 526 yards and 2 touchdowns in 11 games, but missed time due to a broken arm and an achilles tendon injury.

Since his last NFL game, in which he helped Miami beat the Patriots, the Dolphins have amassed a 6-20 record and the Patriots have gone 23-4. If there ever was a time for Ricky to make a triumphant return, this is it. Miami is on the verge of going winless for the entire 2007 season, and they need all of the help they can get.

Even if Ricky starts tonight, I'm not expecting him to run wild over the Steelers' defense, but it might provide the spark needed to get the team turned around in the right direction.

Besides, it's not like he could make them any worse.

Welcome Back Ricky Ganja, Please Don't Screw My Fantasy Team

As you may have heard, Ricky Williams has been reinstated by the NFL. Up to this point, Dolphins Coach Cam Cameron has not made any statements regarding what the organization plans to do with Williams. They have a two week roster exemption from the time he begins practicing, and the earliest that he could play in a game would be the Monday nighter against Pittsburgh. As a Dolphins fan, and fantasy football participant, I'm torn as to whether I want to see him on the field at all this season.

Right now, the Dolphins are 0-9, and in line to get the #1 pick in the 2008 NFL draft. There are no chances of making the playoffs, and with how awful the team has been this year they need all the help they can get via the draft and free agency. Yes, their star running back, Ronnie Brown, had his season ended early by a torn ACL. And while it would be nice to see what Williams has "left in the tank", backup running back Jesse Chatman has shown that he's capable of running the ball quite well. In case you haven't noticed, this is where my fantasy football angle comes into play.

You see, I needed running back help bad on one of my fantasy teams. It's in a league that I won back-to-back a few years ago, but failed to make the playoffs last year. This season I'm poised to return to the playoffs, and was counting on Chatman to contribute in some form or fashion. With Williams returning to the Dolphins that's now in jeopardy, and since it's the Dolphins, and they've screwed most everything else up over the past few years(cough*Ted Ginn*cough), I'm pretty sure they'll do the same in this situation. I've pretty much prepared myself for Miami to play Williams, for him to steal some TD's from Chatman, for Miami to win some games and for them to lose the #1 pick. It's ok though, I'm a Dolphins fan so I'm used to being disappointed.