Fantasy Football: Running Back Rankings (Part I)

I’ve never seen a team win a fantasy football league without good running backs. Not once, not ever. So while the fact that more teams are adopting a running back by committee approach diminishes the value of the position, it does not change the fact that running backs are still the super models of the fantasy football world. Having said that, one certainly can make arguments for not drafting RB-RB in the first two rounds for the first time since I began playing fantasy football (I believe this was around the time that “Mmm Bop” and “The Sign” were in Billboard’s Top 50. Yeah, the 90’s were weird). But if you don’t draft at least one solid running back in the first two rounds, you are finished. I don’t care what kind of league it is, you simply will not win (unless you are playing in a league with Harry and Lloyd from “Dumb and Dumber”). So with that, here are my top 30 running backs going into this year’s fantasy football draft:

1. LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers)-I keep waiting for this guy to not be a stud but it just doesn’t seem to be happening. Year in and year out he produces. The only other thing in the world I know of that matches Tomlinson’s staying power and consistency is Tom Jones who may have died years ago but has a look alike cyborg that still performs in Las Vegas under his name. He is more repetitive than those HeadOn commercials (remember those? “apply directly to the forehead” and they repeat that 50 times) which in fantasy land is a good thing. We crave for consistency. If you need more numbers as to why he wins the #1 running back slot, look back to my article about him vs AP.

2. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings)- Again, I don’t want to be too repetitive but AP is primed for a monster season. That offensive line is tremendous and with a full season without having to share carries, he should be good to go for 1400+ yards and 14-16 touchdowns. Not only that, but he’s fun to have on your team. You never know when he’ll single handedly win a week for you (see week 6 against Chicago or week 9 against San Diego).

3. Joseph Addai (Indianapolis Colts)- I don’t know why anyone doubts Addai coming into this year. If you exclude his last three weeks (when the Colts were trying about as hard as Manny Ramirez runs to first base) he averaged 17 points a week. That is about a point short of what LT averaged last year! Oh, and by the way, he is 25 and entering his third year in the league (when many players make their biggest leap in improvement). He could very well end up as the #1 ranked player in fantasy football this year.

4. Stephen Jackson (St. Louis Rams)- Jackson’s holdout doesn’t scare me one bit. When on the field, Jackson produces. Last year he got banged up but expect him to come back with a bang this year. Let’s just think for a second about what Jackson managed to accomplish last year once he came back from injury in the second half. He had no offensive line, no quarterback, and no defense to keep the score close so that the Rams would keep running. Yet despite all these obstacles, he still scored double digit points in 7 of his final 8 games. Imagine what he could do with a healthy offensive line and a healthy Marc Bulger. Jackson consistently gets 20 carries a game which is crucial as one cannot score without the ball (thanks John Madden!!!!). But most importantly, I love Jackson because he is an avid fantasy football player. He actually cares about producing for his fantasy owners. Does this mean he’ll alter his play on the field to benefit us? I don’t know, but it sure can’t hurt, right?  At the very least we can assume he won’t pull a Westbrook and fall to the ground at the one yard line like a wounded zebra, ruining millions of fantasy team’s seasons in the first week of the fantasy playoffs (thanks again Brian!).

5. Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles)-Here is what scares me about Westbrook coming int othis year.  Everything went perfectly for him last year.  He stayed healthy (he only missed one game which for him would be the equivalent of Chandler from Friends staying the same weight for an entire season), his quarterback went down early allowing him to be the complete focal point of the offense, and he put up career numbers in rushing attempts and catches.  Here is my general rule of fantasy: you don’t overpay for career years.  There was nothing that went wrong for him last year and so people are forgetting that he missed a combined 7 games in 2004 and 2005, that he has never eclipsed 7 rushing touchdowns in his entire career, and that he is going to be 29 years old this coming year.  Do I think he’s going to be a bust?  Absolutely not.  But to take him over the first four guys is a huge gamble in my opinion.

6. Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins)- Running backs who get touches score fantasy points.  It’s that simple.  And that is why I love a guy like Portis.  He led the league in carries last year and with the addition of the west coast offense, caught 47 passes as well.  With Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas back to full strength, Portis’ offensive line should be even better than last year, which should allow him to eclipse double digit touchdowns for the fifth time in his seven years.

7. Marshawn Lynch (Buffalo Bills)- As a rookie last year, Lynch was overshadowed by Peterson (and rightfully so) but Marshawn (word white people can’t say especially when talking about a black golfer) was a tremendous fantasy asset.  This year, the coaches have promised to get Lynch more involved in the passing game, which should only help his fantasy potential.  Lynch should eclipse 300 carries this year which is a workload that even an i-banker can respect.  He averaged nearly 13 points a game as a rookie and with an improving Trent Edwards at quarterback and more emphasis on Lynch getting the ball, I expect that number to reach to be around 15 or 16 a game.

8. Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys)- Just like the cookie monster loves the delectable taste of cookie dough, so too does Barber love the sweet scent of the end zone.  He has found pay dirt double digit times each of the past two years and has the fortunate circumstance of playing for the NFC’s best team (meaning a lot of leads and more rushing attempts).  The addition of Felix Jones should do nothing to scare off potential drafters as Jones will be nothing more than someone to spell Barber while he wrings the sweat out of his dreadlocks on the sideline.

9. Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers)- I don’t get why everyone is so down on Grant.  Here is what he did once he got the starting job in Week 8: 929 yards (92.9 yards/game), 8 touchdowns, and an average of 14.2 fantasy points/game.  He scored at least once in each of the last six weeks as well, meaning he got better as the year went on.  So what that Favre is leaving?  If anything, that means more touches for Grant.  Rodgers will be able to keep defenses respectable enough so that Grant can find the holes in the Packers’ one-cut-zone blocking scheme.

10. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers)- I am a huge Niners fan but even I realize how risky it would be to take Gore in the upper echelon of running backs this year.  Gore has never scored double digit touchdowns and is now being coached by a guy who is known to get a little too pass happy.  Martz claims that he will make Gore the focal point of the offense and run the ball but I believe that like I believe that O.J. is fresh on his quest to find the “real killers.”  Not to mention that little has changed since Gore’s unproductive season last year.  The offensive line is still a mess and there is still a huge question mark at the quarterback position.  I just don’t see the Niners scoring many more points than last year and that limits Gore’s value big time.

11. Larry Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs)- LJ has fallen from fantasy fame in Lindsay Lohanesque fashion.  The man who used to be the prototypical workhorse now can’t seem to stay on the field.  But, when healthy, LJ is still an elite running back.  We had flashbacks of his former self from Week 6 to Week 9 but then injuries plagued him again.  If he can stay healthy, he’ll be a steal but I think that is about as likely as seeing John McCain at a Lil’ Wayne concert.

12. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars)- Okay, raise your hand if you think Fred Taylor will remain healthy this year.  Now of those raising your hand, please raise your hand if you were recently part of a Carlos Mencia showcase (duh duh duh).  I’m sure all of you are raising your hands because there is no way that “Fragile” Fred is staying healthy this year.  Last year was the perfect storm for Taylor and Drew still was a solid RB#2.  This year, I expect closer to 200 carries for the guy with the coolest nickname in sports and in a run-first offense like the Jags, you gotta like your chances with this guy.

13. Willis McGahee (Baltimore Ravens)- McGahee would be a lot higher if he a) hadn’t been criticized by coaches for coming into camp out of shape b) did not recently receive surgury which could keep him out of the season opener and c) Ray Rice (McGahee’s backup) was not be lauded by the Baltimore coaching staff.  All three of these things scream disappointment this year.  Last year, I grabbed McGahee in the second round and loved the first round value I got from him.  This year, I pray that I don’t get in a position where I have to draft him.

14. Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots)- Last year, Maroney disappointed fantasy owners more than people who sit on Pamela Anderson’s toilet seat.  The Patriots brought a “F U” attitude into every game and as a result, rarely ran the ball.  But once the weather got bad, Maroney got some touches and we saw the talent this guy has.  He averaged over 18 points a game in his final three and with the Pats likely to take a more balanced offensive approach this year, I expect Maroney to become fantasy relevant again.

15. Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns)- The bruiser surprised fantasy owners last year with solid contributions, especially in the final seven games where he averaged nearly 17 points a week and never scored below 12 points.  The Browns are just getting better offensively which will continue to help Lewis as teams must respect Derek Anderson and the passing game.  Lewis is like dating the cute girl with no drama (it’s not as exciting as dating the headcase cheerleader, but in the end, you don’t lose years off your life dealing with a moron and you don’t have to listen to giggling 24/7).

Look for Part II in the coming days.  Until then, good luck in the draft my friends!

Agree?  Disagree?  Think I’m crazy?  Express your opinions below.

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Tags: Adrian Peterson, Brian Westbrook, Draft, Fantasy Football, Fantasy rankings, Fantasy running backs, Fantasy sports, football rankings, Frank Gore, Jamal Lewis, Joseph Addai, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson, Laurence Maroney, Marion Barber, Marshawn Lynch, Maurice Jones-Drew, running back rankings, Running Backs, Ryan Grant, Stephen Jackson, Willis McGahee

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