Sink or Swim: Farewell to the Timeshare

It's another session of "Sink or Swim," Fantasy Football FanHouse's weekly look at the underachievers still lurking on many fantasy rosters. You've got the tough choices to make and we help you decide which direction to take. Do you cut the bait or give 'em one more chance to swim?

Well, I've already covered the ailing Cowboys receivers, so go ahead and move on. This was supposed to be the week I was all ready to tell you to rid yourselves of Darren McFadden (now injured) and Braylon Edwards (traded to Jets). They already dodged the hot seat for obvious reasons, but that doesn't mean you should hold onto any member of the Oakland Raiders, sorry Zach Miller.

Moving on, Thursday's fantasy hot seat is all about the timeshare running backs. The concept alone is like nails on a chalkboard to any proud fantasy owner. Not every timeshare running back has been a resounding success this season. And so, let's welcome a few of these underwhelming running backs to "sink or swim."

Ah yes, hello Jonathan Stewart, Derrick Ward and LenDale White. Where do we start?

Jonathan Stewart (RB, Panthers) -- Seeing Stewart's name on this list is really discouraging, but wasn't that to be expected? He struggled with an injury all preseason and that wasn't even taking DeAngelo Williams into consideration. It's not as if Williams has completely pushed Stewart out of the picture. I'd say it's more like Jake Delhomme has sabotaged any chance of the Panthers getting their smashmouth running game going. Or is it the confusing game plan of the Panthers?

Either way, as with most of the other names on the fantasy hot seat, you'll notice they share a common theme. Their teams are terrible and that my friends is mainly what ails Jonathan Stewart, thus far. Will he turn it around? I'd hope so, but I'm not as confident as I once was. If you absolutely can't hold his space anymore then it's a no-brainer, but if you're fine for roster spots, give it a few more weeks.

Derrick Ward (RB, Buccaneers) -- And here we thought Ward was primed to shove aside Cadillac Williams and Earnest Graham after signing that fat contract. Well, it hasn't quite turned out the way he or many of us expected. To be fair, it's not all Ward's fault. The Bucs have been and will continue to be one of the worst teams in the league. Plus, they've not really committed one way or the other as to who will actually receive the bulk of the carries.

Currently Ward is battling a knee injury which we haven't been given full disclosure on. He started the season off in Week 1 carrying the ball 12 times for 62 yards and a score. In the weeks that followed he totaled only 14 carries combined. Apparently, the Bucs still had the flavor for a Cadillac. Will that last all season? Who really knows the answer to that, but what I do know is that there's not much reason to keep Ward around your roster. Just monitor the situation, keeping an eye open to see if his carries pick up.

LenDale White (RB, Titans) -- He gave up a lot for the Titans this season, and it shows. Unfortunately, they've rewarded him with minimal carries and/or touches. That's not to say Chris Johnson isn't "killing it" against opposing defenses, because he is. But wouldn't it be nice to see the Titans use a little change of pace with White? Once again, another timeshare running back losing ground on an awful team.

In 10-man leagues, White is what he is: a big fat waste of roster space. However, in deeper leagues you might just have to hold out hope. Look, the Titans defense can't stay off the field and they can't keep anyone out of the end zone. Tennessee may be forced to turn to a more ball-controlling game plan. This could indeed benefit the big jelly known as LenDale White. At some point the Titans are going to get into the red zone and that means they could very well feed the big man. I say hold and monitor, because a goal-line vulture is never easy to just part with.