Fantasy Football: Top 5 RBs

1. Chris Johnson - After surpassing 2,500 total yards last year and compiling 16TDs its hard to bet against the guy. He's got pure speed and talent. Technicians at NBC after analyzing video, say Johnson ran faster at the combine than Usain Bolt has ever run on the first 40 yards of one of his world-record sprints (4.24). Unfortunately the chances are his stats have nowhere to go but down. Defenses should be more focused on shutting him down and its hard to stay healthy when carrying that kind of a workload (358 Attempts, 50 Rec). Great upside and that's why CJ2k is ranked #1.



 2. Adrian Peterson - Purely in terms of touchdowns, "All Day" is the clear choice. AP outscored Johnson 18-16 in TDs last year where CJ scored 7TDs from 50 plus yards, that kind of success is hard to repeat. The more reliable scorers are the ones who carry the ball around the goal line (AP carried the ball a league-high 30 times inside the 5 last season). AP has also been improving on his receiving ability and should be used more in 3rd down situations, favoring fantasy leagues based on points-per-reception. Only downfall with Peterson is his aggressive running style which could lead to injury. If Brett Favre plays this season it definitely will boost AP's value.



              3. Maurice Jones-Drew - Unfortunately MJD plays for probably the worst team in the AFC South, but they sure have a run-dominated offense boosting his value. "Mojo Drew" was overused with last year's 365 touches, so it's possible the Jags might slow his role and throw in Rashad Jennings in goal line situations. However MJD is a versatile back and also catches a lot of balls helping fantasy owners in the PPR format. It's a good shot he will score 12-plus touchdowns and he is one of the leagues full-time running backs making him ideal for Fantasy owners when healthy.



      4. Ray Rice - You will have to double check your fantasy scoring system, but in PPR formats Rice should be ranked higher and alternatively ranked lower in TD-only formats due to his limited goal line carries. "Rated-R" is clearly one of the elite RBs in the game and only at the age of 23. Ray Rice is one of the only three backs to surpass 2,000 total yards in the last three years. Rice is also one of the best pass-catching backs in the league (last season he totaled 78 receptions, finishing with 199 more receiving yards than any other back). The Ravens will most likely run the ball less this season after acquiring Anquan Boldin and Joe Flacco gaining some more experience, however this doesn't hurt Rice's value much as he looks like a safe bet to go over 1,700 total yards this season. The only drawback with Ray Rice is his limited goal line touches due to Willis McGahee being used in red-zone situations.




5. Frank Gore - Believe it or not, Gore has gained more yards from the line of scrimmage than any other player over the last four years (6,653 total yards). He definitely should have another productive season in him as he pretty much can do it all. He's tough, can catch well and runs hard. The 49ers feature him extensively in their offense not only as a running back, but also as a pass catcher (52 receptions last year). The 49ers also have boosted the O-Line with 2 first round picks aiding Gore even more with his hard-nosed running game. Gore could be ranked higher yet he is more likely to get hurt based on 4 years of punishment (3 years in a row he's missed at least a game). Some people could argue Michael Turner deserves the #5 spot however Turner is not as versatile and has no receiving ability compared to these other backs.