Fantasy’s Biggest Boom or Bust Candidates: AFC East
Dorian “The Trashman” Colbert, Rosterwatch.com

C.J. Spiller RB, Bills: Outside of Ray Rice, there is no back in the league with bigger boom/bust potential than Spiller. Though a dynamic talent, he has been plagued with nagging injuries, and thus, inconsistent play for his entire NFL career. The Bills plan to run Spiller until the wheels fall off this year (sound familiar?) so he “should” see plenty of carries, but whether he can stay healthy enough to support your fantasy squad during the playoff is yet to be seen … well … ever.

Mike Wallace WR, Dolphins: Should he pan out this season, Wallace will go down as perhaps the best value pick at receiver in 2014 fantasy drafts. Few in fantasy circles seem to believe in him, and his current seventh-round ADP indicates that. We’ve seen Wallace dominate as a fantasy receiver as a Steeler, though, so we know he’s capable of producing at an elite level. With all this said, he is a boom/bust guy, and there’s just as strong a chance he’ll flounder again this season as a Dolphin.

Stevan Ridley RB, Patriots: Fortunately, Ridley’s success this season depends almost entirely on him. If he can hold onto the ball, he’ll be a centerpiece in one of the league’s most prolific offenses. That’s a BIG “if,” though. Ridley’s fumble-itis always seems to come back – and always at the worst possible time.

Chris Johnson RB, Jets: At this point in his career, it’s highly doubtful that Chris Johnson is a better back than Chris Ivory. He does have the bigger contract, though, so he’ll get the first shot at taking lead-back duties as a Jet. New York will run the ball a ton, so Johnson has the potential to have a nice fantasy season, but the Jets don’t have a problem replacing him with Ivory should he disappoint.

Aaron Dobson WR, Patriots: You could really put any current Pats receiver in this category, as there isn’t a clear go-to among the lot of them, but Dobson represents the greatest possibility for fantasy gold. A deep ball specialist, Dobson could be the Randy Moss replacement Brady has been hoping for, or he could be the guy who gets benched for Kenbrell Thompkins.

Knowshon Moreno RB, Dolphins: Moreno’s tenure in Miami has started off poorly, as he’s come into OTA’s out of shape, and Lamar Miller is taking reps with the first team. If Moreno’s 2013 season is any indication of what he can do in a starting role, he should be able to be the team’s most prolific back this year.

Rob Gronkowski TE, Patriots: Gronk could easily be the highest-scoring fantasy tight end in the league if he can avoid another season-shortening surgery – which seems unlikely. You have to imagine the dings he’s already endured are going to catch up with his performance at some point though.

E.J. Manuel QB, Bills: The Bills have arguably the best receiving corps in the AFC east now, and one of the better pass-catching backs in the league with C.J Spiller. Manuel has all the tools to be deceptively useful in fantasy, but it’s yet to be seen if he’s gotten over the NFL learning curve as yet.