2011 Top 20 Fantasy Runningbacks
Fantasy Football Draft Guide – Cheat Sheets & Player Rankings – With many Fantasy drafts right around the corner, it is time to start thinking about the players that will help you win the dough come January!
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Below is Dave B’s Running Back Rankings and an explanation as to why these Backs will help or hinder you going forward.
Take a good look and let me know what you think about my rankings! Don’t be afraid to leave a comment – all queries are read and will be rebutted!
1. Arian Foster (Houston) – Expect some regression this season but Foster gets my nod for #1 because he is on a far better team than AP and he catches the ball with regularity. I expect another 300+ touches and another great year from Foster.
2. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) – Peterson is still many people’s Fantasy darling but I am just a tad scared of him this year. If the Vikes don’t get a quality Free Agent QB, Peterson will be the ONLY GAME in town. With defenses keying solely on him, it could be a long year.
3. Jamaal Charles (Kansas City) – Charles is a legitimate home run hitter – every time he touches the ball something happens. Thomas Jones will be less of a factor – Todd Haley has vowed to get Charles more touches. That’s good enough for me
4. Chris Johnson (Tennessee) – Johnson at #4? It’s true! He has a contract situation that has yet to be worked out and his team also has some serious QB issues going into the season. Like AP, he is the only game in town – Defensive Coordinators take note!
5. Ray Rice (Baltimore) – Rice is the best of the dual-threat backs (yes even better than Foster). His team will get him the ball a ton – their success depends on it. Rice will score more than six times this season – GURAN-DAMN-TEED.
6. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) – MJD had a productive off season with his mouth! Jones Drew had a Jekyll and Hyde season last year and is coming off major knee surgery. Still, I am willing to gamble. After all, he is only 26 years old!
7. LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) – McCoy had 78 catches last year – 78! Michael Vick should open up some hole again this year making McCoy a very attractive option.
8. Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh) – Mendenhall is a workhorse in a very good offense – worthy of Top 10 status. He will get his numbers for sure!
9. Darren McFadden (Oakland) – Injury risk but clearly the best runner in the Oakland trio of rushers. Michael Bush may move on this season leaving the bulk of the work to McFadden. Expect 300 touches (receiving and rushing) this season.
10. Steven Jackson (St. Louis) – Jackson may finally get some help this season from his emerging young offense. He is an injury risk but is unquestionably the captain of the rusher’s ship. [ad-8469823]
11. Michael Turner (Atlanta) – Hard to believe that Turner slips out of the Top 10 but he has a tendency to wear down late in seasons, he doesn’t catch the ball and he is not a 3rd down guy. Still 10-13 touchdowns appears safe to predict!
12. Frank Gore (San Francisco) – Gore is a talent but he is an injury waiting to happen – hasn’t played a full season in four years! If he stays healthy, he could be a Top 5 Fantasy producer but BEWARE!
13. Peyton Hillis (Cleveland) – Hillis burst onto the scene last year and became one of the better dual threat RBs. But Montario Hardesty is expected to snake some of Hillis’s carries this year. But that may be good as well as Hillis faded badly down the stretch last season.
14. Matt Forte (Chicago) – Forte should be the same as last year – close to 1500 combined yards and 8-10 touchdowns. He still runs behind a brutal O-line and he still has Chester Taylor to take away carries however.
15. Ryan Mathews (San Diego) – Would somebody claim the lead back role in San Diego – PLEASE! His job will to be to hold off Mike Tolbert. If he can do that, he is the lead runner in a very explosive offense – good enough for me!
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16. Ahmad Bradshaw (New York Giants) – Bradshaw is the best option in a very good offense and if he can stay healthy, he could be a steal.
17. Jonathan Stewart (Carolina) – DeAngelo Williams could be on his way out of town leaving Stewart as “the man”. He has shown flashes in the past but he has also been brittle in the past!
18. LeGarrette Blount (Tampa Bay) – Emerging offense, scary talent – what else could you ask for? 300 touched and up to 14 touchdowns is tempting for sure.
19. Jahvid Best (Detroit) – Ditto for Best!
20. Knowshon Moreno (Denver) – Injuries are the only thing keeping Moreno from Top 10 status. He’s a risk but a very good RB2 risk.
Pre-season is nearly upon us (we hope), so for the next few weeks we encourage you to be checking out our FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT GUIDE for all your rankings and analysis for the upcoming league drafts that you’re going to be participating in.
