Small sample sizes can often mask what players are actually capable of doing, for better or worse. If a guy plays over his head for three games, fantasy owners go nuts and start drinking his Kool-Aid. If he struggles for three games, owners cut bait and offer him in trades for 50 cents on the dollar. After nine weeks of the NFL season, season numbers are starting to weed out imposters and exposing players for what they really are.

Just like in baseball, hot streaks don’t change who a player fundamentally is. DeAngelo Williams came out of nowhere to score three touchdowns in Week 5, but does that change a fact that he is undersized and incapable of shouldering a heavy work load? Willie Parker found paydirt three times in Week 1, but does that mean his touchdown-scoring woes are officially behind him?

Point is, there is writing on the wall for some players. A “zebra can’t change his stripes” kind of deal. Undersized and/or inexperienced running backs are simply not candidates to get goal-line carries. Wide receivers with loads of receptions and a low yards per catch average are not candidates to score double-digit touchdowns in a season. And, quarterbacks who get few chances to throw the ball downfield will almost never rack up monster passing games.

Facts are facts.

We’ll touch on a few players in each category and explain what may be holding them back from fantasy stardom. The way we see it, there is one group at each position with serious limitations.

PPR LEAGUE MONSTERS
These are possession wide receivers who provide great benefits in points-per-reception leagues, but have less of an impact in standard leagues. The reason? They all have unique attributes that prevent them from being explosive fantasy scorers. For example: Lack of size, constraining offensive system, weak-armed quarterback.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Cincinnati Bengals
Once again, in spite of the Bengals’ struggles, Houshmandzadeh sits atop the NFL receptions leaderboard. Not one to make an impact in the deep passing game, he averages just 9.5 yards per catch and has a long reception of 26 yards. Fortunately for fantasy owners, Houshmandzadeh is a big target who can be spotted easily in the red zone; a fact that keeps his touchdown total (3) respectable.

Wes Welker, New England Patriots
Welker is well on his way to a second straight 100-catch season, again doing it as a possession receiver and chain-moving machine. He has at least six catches in each of New England’s eight games and ranks third in the NFL with 51 catches. He’s similar to Houshmandzadeh in one regard - he averages less than 10 ypc - and his polar opposite in another - he is generously listed at 5-foot-9.

Eddie Royal, Denver Broncos
Easily the most productive rookie wide receiver in the league, Royal’s lack of size restricts his role in the Broncos’ passing game. As the field shortens, his slender 5-foot-10 frame becomes harder and harder to find. He, too, has more value moving the chains than he does running deep routes, which has contributed to his 10.0 ypc average.

Matt Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jones’ lack of scoring punch has more to do with the Jaguars’ offensive philosophy and struggles on the offensive line than it does with his own shortcomings. He’s big, strong and fast and has sure hands that haul in everything thrown his way. But, the Jags take a run-first approach and give quarterback David Garrard little time to scan the field - not a good recipe for big plays.

Greg Camarillo, Miami Dolphins
A favorite of quarterback Chad Pennington’s, Camarillo is a possession wide receiver through and through. Even if Pennington wanted to find him in the deep passing game, his noodle arm would prevent him from getting the ball down the field. Camarillo will keep leading Miami in targets and getting occasional scraps in the red zone, but big plays will be reserved for home run hitter Ted Ginn Jr.

BETWEEN THE 20s GRINDERS
These are players who get a majority of carries, but rarely have their numbers called in short yardage situations. They either cannot make the grade physically, have little experience, or are platooned with bigger, more bruising backs that specialize in goal-line situations. They are frustrating because the high yardage totals are seldom accompanied by scoring opportunities.

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
Johnson is too good to stay out of the end zone completely, which is reason for his five rushing touchdowns in the last five games. But, when push comes to shove and tough yardage is needed, LenDale White almost always gets the call. Good thing for Johnson is, in addition to his immense talent, the Titans are physical and dedicated to the run. His legwork pays off more often than his peers in this group.

Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
This may be an unfair indictment on Parker based on this season’s numbers alone. The fact remains, though, that Parker is slightly built and rarely the best option when the ball is near the goal-line. Jerome Bettis vultured touchdowns early in his career and the likes of Najeh Davenport have done it in previous seasons. Parker is still a scoring threat, but he must do the bulk of it on long runs and sweep plays.

DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
Williams, too, is on the small side, so it remains in head coach John Fox’s best interest to look elsewhere in short yardage situations. Enter Jonathan Stewart this season, who leads Carolina with five rushing scores and possesses the size necessary to consistently move the pile. The thunder and lightning duo has severely restricted the value of both players thus far in ‘08.

Julius Jones, Seattle Seahawks
Jones, although a very capable NFL runners, demands to be platooned. It happened during his time in Dallas (Marion Barber) and it has happened in his first season with Seattle (Maurice Morris). He has not found the end zone since Week 2, and he has not registered more than 12 carries since Week 5. Most of his quiet performances came while Morris recovered from a knee injury, but now Morris is back and vulturing even more carries.

Fred Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars
At the tender age of 31, Taylor had a big 2007 season to earn his first career Pro Bowl selection. Even as he carried 223 times and averaged 5.4 yards per carry, he still managed just five touchdowns to teammate Maurice Jones-Drew’s nine. Greg Jones and LaBrandon Toefield have also stepped in to pick up tough yardage in recent seasons, keeping Taylor on the sidelines during prime times for fantasy scoring.

LOW-UPSIDE EFFICIENCY EXPERTS
The best game managers have their places on winning NFL teams, but usually play just “stop-gap” roles in fantasy. Quarterbacks are the most explosive players in fantasy, so owners are rightfully seeking signal callers who are focal points of pass-happy offenses.

But, as the season unfolds, efficient QBs who don’t make mistakes are useful in overcoming injuries or filling roster spots during bye weeks. The following players are the best of the best when it comes to finding trustworthy backups.

Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills
Edwards turned heads early this season, largely because of the unexpected success Buffalo was having. Truth is, in fantasy, he is mediocre at best because of the way head coach Dick Jauron runs his offense. Edwards doesn’t get many opportunities to make big throws because the Bills are focused on grinding down the field and establishing the running game. In eight games, Edwards has just six touchdown passes.

Jason Campbell, Washington Redskins
Campbell’s remarkable streak of passing attempts without throwing an interception came to a close on Monday night, but his stock remains as high as it ever was. He’s the type of guy who won’t make big mistakes, but also won’t lift Washington (or your fantasy team) to victory with his arm alone. A nice complementary piece in fantasy, he has thrown eight touchdown passes to two interceptions in nine games.

David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars
In 2007, Garrard made a similar splash to Edwards and Campbell this season. A string of games with 200 yards, 1 TD and no INTs eventually proved valuable once people to took notice. He got off to a slow start, but has amounted to a similar type player with 5 TDs to 1 INT in his last 5 games. He adds rushing yardage to the mix, but seldom throws more than one touchdown pass in a given week.

Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As Garcia, now 38 years of age, has gotten older, he has turned more and more from a playmaker into a game manager. At his peak in 2001, Garcia threw 32 touchdown passes and ran for five more. Since leaving San Francisco in ‘03, Garcia has yet to throw more than 13 TDs in a season, and worse yet, his scrambling ability has been used just to buy time in the pocket. There’s little explosion left in his numbers, but he always makes for a good bye week or injury replacement.

Kerry Collins, Tennessee Titans
Collins’ job is abundantly clear: do not lose games. The veteran simply must keep the ball in the hands of backfield dynamos Chris Johnson and LenDale White, make occasional third down throws, and avoid taking sacks. With those types of duties, it’s no wonder Collins is nowhere near the fantasy map. He has just three touchdown passes and three interceptions since taking over for injured Vince Young in Week 2.