Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells faces a different dynamic this season. In his first two years, he played behind Tim Hightower, a favorite of coaches because of his intelligence and toughness. But Hightower is gone, traded to Washington a week ago, and Wells, for a change, faces competition from someone younger, not older.
The Cardinals drafted Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams in the second round, and though Wells is the starter, it's tenuous.
Like most other NFL coaches, Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt isn't keen on revealing detailed information about injuries during the season. So last year when Wells struggled with knee pain, no one outside the organization knew the seriousness of it.
But one day reporters noticed incision marks on Wells' knee. He had undergone arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus.
Wells feels far more explosive than he did a year ago.
Beanie hasn't given fantasy owners much reason to trust him. However, Arizona's offense has improved with the acquisitions of Kevin Kolb and Todd Heap and Wells could be a decent value on draft day if you get him somewhere between the sixth and eighth rounds.
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