And then out of nowhere, White was released by the Seahawks last Friday. The organization issued a statement saying White simply wasn’t fitting in with the team. But there was clearly more to the story.

Sure enough, a few hours later, NFL Network’s Jason LaCanfora passed along the news that White was facing a 4-game suspension for failing a drug test.

So what does the future hold for the man formerly known as LenWhale? Is he just a pothead who is still capable of producing at the NFL level? Or is he officially washed-up?

Ask the Seahawks and they’ll tell you it’s the latter. The organization admitted that it knew about White’s impending suspension when it released him. But that wasn’t the main reason for the move, or so they say.

“It became apparent at this time that LenDale was not ready to be a member of the Seattle Seahawks,” Seahawks GM John Schneider said. “It just did not appear to be the right fit at this point in our program.” Sources close to the team say that even though White lost 30 pounds this offseason, his work ethic and conditioning were poor.

If that’s the truth, it’s tough to imagine White making an impact in the NFL ever again. He landed in the perfect spot in Seattle. Reunited with his former college coach – a guy who always believed in him – on a roster devoid of a true #1 RB, he had a shot to be The Man. If White couldn’t win the starting job in Seattle – or even make it to training camp – he won’t win one anywhere.

But what if the accusations of his laziness are overstated? What if White really has rededicated himself and just cant quit the Ganj? If that’s the case, then there’s a talented RB waiting to be scooped up by a team in need.

The Bengals make some sense. They don’t like Bernard Scott as much as I do and are looking for a true backup for Cedric Benson.

How about the Rams? They have absolutely nothing behind injury-prone Steven Jackson.

Or what about the Patriots taking on another reclamation project?

The bet here is that White lands in Cincinnati. After his 4-game suspension is up, he could take on 8-10 carries per game to keep Benson fresh after his 342-touch 2009 season.

By now, you know the story. CJ2K wants more money — like the majority of NFL players — and is threatening to miss regular season action if he doesn’t get a raise on the $550,000 he’s slated to make in 2010. Recently, Hall of Fame RB Marshall Faulk came forward and voiced his opinion on the situation, suggesting the Titans superstar should holdout. “Chris has outplayed his rookie deal,” Faulk told the Tennessean. “He has beyond exceeded the expectation where he was drafted. He has exceeded the money he’s making, the Titans know it and everyone in the league knows it.” Quite frankly, Faulk is 100% correct. Johnson was the most productive RB in the league last season, and should be paid accordingly.

So why isn’t he?

Well, the Titans have cited the “30 percent rule,” a result of the NFL’s current labor problems. Basically, the rule puts restrictions on the growth of base salaries of renegotiated existing contracts in the uncapped year. As a result, the Titans would likely have to give Johnson a guaranteed signing bonus in the neighborhood of $40 million to $50 million, or whatever figure satisfies him. Remember, the base salary is not to be tinkered with.

We have no idea how this situation will play out. What we do know is how several similar holdout scenarios have gone down in the past – and the impact they’ve had on fantasy football teams.

Let’s take a look at a few recent examples:

Steven Jackson – 2008
Steve Jax held out for more dough as he entered the final year of his rookie deal. It took until mid-August for him to end the holdout, but the Rams workhorse eventually got paid. #39 missed 4 games due to injury that year, yet somehow managed to eclipse 1,400 total yards. 25 touches per game probably had something to do with it. That’s what you want in a top-tier fantasy football RB.

Larry Johnson – 2007
L.J. missed 25 days of training camp when he held out for a new deal in the summer of ‘07. Finally, on August 21st he agreed to a new contract with the Chiefs that would pay him a total of $43.2 million. He struggled on the field, averaging a paltry 3.5 yards per carry in the 8 games he played. And the rest, he watched from the sideline thanks to a broken foot suffered in Week 9.

Cedric Benson – 2005
A 36-day holdout — including an absence throughout the entirety of training camp — started Benson’s pro career off on the wrong foot. Ced-Ben caught the injury bug, falling victim to an MCL sprain that kept him out of 6 games. He managed a mediocre 4.1 yards per carry during the ‘05 season and failed to record a TD.

Chris Johnson’s holdout situation could go a multitude of ways. If he misses substantial time in training camp or the preseason, we might have to bump him down our rankings. Durability was a minor concern heading into this season, considering the huge spike in touches he saw last year (408). And given the injury problems past holdout RBs have had, we’d be a bit worried about that trend continuing. Certainly, Johnson is a phenomenal athlete. But he is human, and a long contract dispute could severely hamper his 2010 fantasy football projections.