News:James Sims struggled on Saturday in a blowout loss to West Virginia scoring Kansas' only touchdown, but his 57 yards on 18 carries was enough to put him over 1000 yards for the season.
Analysis: He finishes the season with 218 carries for 1013 yards and nine touchdowns after missing the first three games of the season. He may choose to skip his senior season and opt for the NFL draft after posting such strong numbers in a very weak offense.
News:James Sims had 20 carries for 81 yards and added a catch for 16 yards in a loss to Iowa State on Saturday.
Analysis:James Sims is having an excellent junior campaign after missing the first three games of the season due to suspension. He will likely eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in the Jayhawks' final game next Saturday against West Virginia.
News:James Sims had 30 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns and added two catches for eight yards and another touchdown in an overtime loss to Texas Tech on Saturday.
Analysis:James Sims is clearly the lead back in Kansas' run-heavy attack. He's a great option for owners in any league.
News:James Sims had 21 carries for 126 yards and a very nice 58-yard touchdown run in a loss to Baylor on Saturday.
Analysis:James Sims has been effective against all teams this season and there's no reason to think he won't keep putting up solid numbers the rest of the way.
News:James Sims finished Saturdays near upset of Texas with 28 carries for 176 yards.
Analysis: Kansas has a great run game and an abysmal passing game. They ran on over 80 percent of their offensive snaps and it nearly led to an upset of Texas. James Sims will continue to see a high number of carries and has emerged as a top option at running back in most leagues.
News:James Sims had two catches for 56 yards and racked up 102 yards on 28 carries and scored Kansas' lone touchdown in a loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.
Analysis: Considering how poorly the Jayhawks throw the ball it's impressive how solid their running game has been. As long as James Sims is the starter he should be a good option at running back in most leagues.
News:James Sims had 27 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown and added three catches for 42 yards in a near upset of Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Analysis:James Sims is clearly the top back for Kansas and considering the struggles they've had passing the ball he should be a top option going forward in most leagues.
News:James Sims had 28 carries for 115 yards and a touchdown in a 56-16 loss at Kansas State on Saturday.
Analysis:James Sims received even more carries due to the injury to Anthony Pierson (undisclosed). Sims should be a reliable option in all Big 12-only leagues and most deep leagues going forward.
News:James Sims will face a tough Kansas State defense on Saturday.
Analysis: Kansas State's defense has been strong this year and will make things tough for the Jayhawks. The running game for Kansas has been the only positive, James Sims should see plenty of carries as the feature back.
News:James Sims had 18 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns to go with two catches for 24 yards in a loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday.
Analysis:James Sims ran well in his return after a three game suspension to start the season. Teammates Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox had done well in his absence but Pierson has been slow the last two games and Cox left today with an injury, opening the door for Sims to grab the top spot in the backfield for the Jayhawks.
News:James Sims' suspension is over and he is available for Saturday's game against Northern Illinois, ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Tony Pierson and Taylor Cox both shined while James Sims was out, so this looks like a potential running-back-by-committee situation. It will be worth monitoring since there is plenty of opportunity for production.
News: Kansas has fired head coach Turner Gill after just two seasons. "After a thorough evaluation of our football program," Athletic Director Sheahon Zenger said in a statement, "I have concluded that new leadership is necessary to place us on the path toward competing for championships in the Big 12 Conference."
Analysis: Some potential candidates to fill the job include: Southern Miss HC Larry Fedora, Wyoming HC Dave Christensen, Cincinatti HC Butch Jones, Houston HC Kevin Sumlin, South Florida HC Skip Holtz, and of course Mike Leach
News: Kansas freshman running back Darrian Miller had 24 carries for 147 yards. James Sims also had 24 carries, but he only went for 64 yards to go along with a touchdown in an overtime loss to Baylor.
Analysis: What's strange is that Miller was the only Kansas back not to find the endzone, but he made up for it with the yardage he put up to help lead the Jayhawk ground attack.
News: Kansas running back James Sims had 11 carries for 75 yards, but 56 of those came on one play and resulted in a touchdown. Darrian Miller chipped in 66 yards on four more carries and also had a score.
Analysis: Other than these two, the Jayhawks had virtually no offensive production, but Miller continues to show a lot of promise and Sims has been solid (for the most part) this season.
News: Kansas running back Darrian Miller injured his hamstring on a 25-yard reception early in Saturday's game and as a result, Brandon Bourbon received 10 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. James Sims added 85 yards and a score of his own.
Analysis: Coaches said Miller tweaked his hammy in practice and when they saw he didn't have the usual burst on his 25-yard catch, they pulled him. Bourbon managed to fill in nicely, but it doesn't look like Miller's injury is anything close to serious.
News: The Kansas running attack has been stellar all year behind James Sims and freshman sensation Darrian Miller and the duo's early season success should continue going up against a sketchy Texas Tech defense.
Analysis: Kansas' defense has been far from good this season as well, so this one has the makings of a shootout in Lawrence. Last week, the Red Raiders allowed two rushers from Nevada to reach 139 yards...each. Sims and Miller are worth a look this week.
News: The Kansas defense may have imploded against Georgia Tech, but freshman running back Darrian Miller had a nice day on the ground racking up 53 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, the same amount of carries starter James Sims had.
Analysis: I wouldn't say that this means Miller becomes the primary back anytime soon, but he by far had the best fantasy day for the Jayhawks. If the Kansas defense continues to play poorly, however, they will be forced to pass the ball more frequently to play catch-up.
News: Obviously, Kansas' defense is off limits against almost anyone. But Georgia Tech's defense has been iffy against some easy opponents thus far this season, so running back James Sims is a solid option and quarterback Jordan Webb might be worth a look in deeper leagues.
Analysis: There has been uncertainty at wide receiver for the Jayhawks because of injury, so it's hard to say who will step up this week, but Webb has still managed to find one guy each week that becomes his favorite target. Sims leads a solid bunch of running backs - look for freshman Darrian Miller to make some noise as well.
News: Kansas running back James Sims rushed 26 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns while also reeling in 49 yards through the air against Northern Illinois.
Analysis: Sims has been impressive over the first couple weeks of the college football season. Darius Miller also had a nice day, running the ball ten times for 57 yards and a score. It looks like the Jayhawks' commitment to speed is paying off so far.
News: Kansas was led by running back James Sims, who had 19 carries for 104 yards and a score, but there were two other backs who surpassed 60 yards in Anthony Pierson (5 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD) and Darrian Miller (13 carries, 63 yards).
Analysis: The Jayhawks had a huge difference in their passing and rushing split, but they stuck with the run game so much because of how effective it was. Even though Sims was clearly the main back Saturday night against McNeese State, it's clear that other guys can contribute as well.
News: The Kansas depth chart was released Monday - Daymond Patterson and D.J. Beshears will start at the two wide receiver slots while freshmen Brandon Bourbon and Darrian Miller will back up James Sims at running back.
Analysis: Miller and Bourbon both made noise in fall workouts and should see some time on Saturday against McNeese State. Backing up at wide receiver will be former quarterback Kale Pick and sophomore Christian Matthews. Pick has made big strides at receiver and is someone who could earn significant playing time.
News: Kansas redshirt freshman Brandon Bourbon has made lots of noise in fall camp despite battling injury, especially with his impressive performance in the Jayhawks' last scrimmage.
Analysis: We've been hearing Bourbon's name a lot lately, which has to make you think he has a good shot at backing up James Sims this season. He has a unique combination of size and speed, but he's going to have to prove he's durable.
News: Kansas sophomore running back Deshaun Sands has been removed from the team effective immediately after getting arrested because he failed to attend his court date.
Analysis: Sands has been nothing but trouble over the past year or so and his time is up as a Kansas Jayhawk. He was expected to garner a lot of carries this season behind starter James Sims, but his decision making has cost him a spot on the roster.
News: Kansas running back Deshaun Sands was arrested Saturday night on a warrant for missing a June court date related to an April misdemeanor for disturbing the peace.
Analysis: Sands was expected to challenge to be the backup to James Sims, but his legal troubles quickly led to him falling out of the race and resulted in a suspension. He was also arrested last October for speeding and failing to appear in court, so this might be the last straw.
News: Kansas redshirt freshman running back Brandon Bourbon and true freshman running back Anthony Pierson scored two touchdowns and one touchdown respectively during Saturday's scrimmage. Pierson's came from outside the red zone and he also had the two longest runs of the day.
Analysis: Kansas continues to show how talented - and young - it is at tailback. Bourbon and Pierson aren't even slated to be in the top two in the depth chart. Those spots are currently held by James Sims, who received limited carries in the scrimmage, and Darrian Miller, who was held out as a precaution.
News: Kansas offensive line coach Chuck Long said at this point, it'll be running back by committee in what has become a suddenly-crowded backfield.
Analysis: Apparently it isn't James Sims' job like we all thought. He has been competing with redshirt freshman Brandon Bourbon and true freshmen Darrian Miller and Anthony Pierson. We'll see if Sims receives the most carries once the season starts and eventually earns the full-time job.
News: Although Jordan Webb is favored to enter the fall as the starting quarterback for the Kansas Jayhawks, offensive coordinator Chuck Long makes it a point to say " Be careful about doubting Quinn. Because the guy will come out and do something great right before your eyes." Quinn Mecham has worked hard all offseason to improve his arm strength and mobility in an effort to launch an assault against Webb for the starting spot.
Analysis: Whoever wins the job will have the luxury of handing the ball off to freshman sensation James Sims but it remains to be seen who will step up to receive passes. Daymond Patterson led the team with 60 receptions but only registered a little over eight yards a catch. Tim Biere is a solid, if not spectacular, option at tight end, but what the Jayhawks really need is a field stretcher.
News: After injuring his leg earlier this April, Kansas running back Brandon Bourbon has been cleared to resume all football activities.
Analysis: Bourbon has a similar skill set to that of James Sims, so he will only see carries when spelling Sims and when Darrian Miller is not getting them as a change-of-pace runner.
News: In an interview with ESPN, Kansas offensive coordinator Chuck Long talked about whether the Jayhawks would use a committee approach to running the ball, saying "We’re not talking red-shirting at this time. With the physicality of the Big 12, we’ll need the guys. We’ll let it play out. We do plan on running the football."
Analysis: James Sims is the frontrunner while Darrian Miller has asserted himself as the speedy threat the Jayhawks have been lacking. Outside of those two, the picture gets a bit murkier.
News: Kansas quarterback Jordan Webb has been in a heated competition with Quinn Mecham to be the starting quarterback for the Jayhawks and sources say that Webb has taken the lead. Webb has garnered praise from his coaching staff with head coach Turner Gill saying he has displayed poise and confidence while offensive coordinator Chuck Long can see that Webb has gained a lot of confidence heading into his second year.
Analysis: Regardless of who wins the starting job, they will have little fantasy value. The real question is whether Mecham or Webb can provide enough of a passing threat to open up the running lanes for James Sims and Darrian Miller.
News: Last year the Kansas offense was atrocious, but they enter 2011 with plenty of depth in the backfield. James Sims is the workhorse after rushing for 742 yards and nine scores as a freshman. Freshman Darrian Miller provides the big play spark that the rushing game has been lacking. Rounding out the depth is Brandon Bourbon who is such a good athlete that he may see the field as a linebacker.
Analysis: Sims is the only one with any fantasy value right now and should eclipse 1,000 yards rushing if the Jawhawks can pass the ball with some regularity.
News: Sims gained 78 yards on 17 carries to go along with a touchdown in Kansas' 48-14 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Analysis: Based on Sims' inconsistency this season, he shouldn't be trusted against a tough Missouri defense next week.
News: Sims only received nine carries for 24 yards and failed to score a touchdown in Kansas' loss to Nebraska on Saturday.
Analysis: You have to give Sims a pass here as he was facing a stout Cornhusker D. He gets another tough matchup against Oklahoma State next week, but he should find a little more running room.
News: Sims received 20 carries for 123 yards and scored an impressive four touchdowns in the Jayhawks' comeback win over the Buffaloes on Saturday.
Analysis: Sims was key in the comeback victory; he scored three of his four touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It appears that he has solely re-claimed the starter role.
News: Sims rushed 19 times for 60 yards against Iowa State on Saturday, while also catching a five-yard touchdown pass out of the backfield.
Analysis: Sims received more touches than Angus Quigley, though was less productive per touch. This looks like a timeshare moving forward.
News: Sims carried the ball 10 times but only managed to gain 23 yards against the Wildcats on Thursday.
Analysis: Sims' performance has really taken a dive in the past few weeks and he has seen a steady drop in the number of carries he has been receiving. It seems that he may be losing the starting job to Angus Quigley.
News: Sims carried the ball 14 times for only 39 yards and failed to find the end zone in Kansas' blowout loss to Baylor on Saturday.
Analysis: After three straight strong performances, Sims fell back to earth on Saturday. Baylor's defense stifled the entire Jayhawk offense, so look for Sims to bounce back against Kansas State next game.
News: Sims ran the ball 16 times for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Jayhawks' 42-16 win over New Mexico State on Saturday. He also added a couple of receptions for 49 yards.
Analysis: Sims turned in another great performance on Saturday. The true freshman should be picked up in Big 12-only leagues immediately, and should garner attention in standard leagues as well. He gets another great matchup against a weak Baylor run defense next week; expect a huge game from him.
