Fantasy Tip of the Week \u2013 RB Rankings <\/p>\n
By Chris Goudey The key position you need to focus on to have a championship fantasy football team is running back. Running backs are the core of almost any winning team for two reasons: They usually score the most points of any player, and they are normally the most reliable players. In almost every league I draft, I will take RBs with my first two picks because they are that important. In my previous article, I gave you a breakdown on what your overall draft should look like, but this article will focus strictly on which RB you should target and when.<\/p>\n The Big 3<\/u><\/strong> The Next 3<\/u><\/strong> Potential, Potential, Potential<\/u><\/strong> <\/u> The Rookies<\/u><\/strong> The Best Of The Rest<\/u><\/strong> Fantasy Tip of the Week \u2013 RB Rankings By Chris Goudey WagerWeb The key position you need to focus on to have a championship fantasy football team is running back. Running backs are the core of almost any winning team for two reasons: They usually score the most points of any player, and they are … Continue reading Fantasy Football Update<\/span>
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\nLarry Johnson, <\/strong>Kansas City<\/strong>
\nAfter taking over for the injured Priest Holmes midway through last season, all LJ did was set the league on fire and become the most dominant player in fantasy. With Holmes either not playing or on the bench this year, Johnson has a shot at breaking the single-season rushing record if he can stay healthy. He is the clear No. 1 pick.
\nShaun Alexander, Seattle<\/strong>
\nThe reigning league MVP should put up similar numbers to last year, and if you have the No.2 pick, you should feel lucky to grab such a great player. Alexander is the most consistent RB to come along in years, and he plays on a good team, so he should be churning out the yards late in games to close them out.
\nLaDanian Tomlinson, <\/strong>San Diego<\/strong>
\nI would say at least 75 percent of fantasy drafts this year are going to have LJ, Alexander and LT going in the top 3 spots. Tomlinson was the top-rated RB going into last year, and while he had a good year he has been passed up by the top two. San Diego might struggle this season, so LT might not have as many rushing opportunities as the other two, but he is a much better receiver than LJ and Alexander, so if your league counts receptions and\/or receiving yards, you can\u2019t go wrong with him. <\/p>\n
\nEdgerrin James<\/strong>, <\/strong>Arizona<\/strong>
\nAs I stated in my last article, the top 7 picks in my mind are the big 3 RBs, Peyton Manning and these next 3 RBs. These three RBs aren\u2019t in any particular order, so be happy to get any one of these guys if you\u2019re in the 4-7 slots in the first round. The Edge moves to the desert of Arizona and should continue to be a top-flight producer even though he moves away from the high-powered of offense of Indianapolis. Arizona actually might have as good a passing game as Indy this year, with Kurt Warner at QB and top 10 receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to take the focus off of James. The Cardinals also have a very good offensive line, so Edge should be just as good as he\u2019s ever been.
\nTiki Barber, NY Giants<\/strong>
\nNo back has more heart than Tiki, and the past two years he has turned into a premier RB. His production is close to that of the top 3, but the only reason he is grouped lower is because of his age. Tiki is 31 this year, and most RBs really start to lose it once they hit the big 3-0. As I said, Tiki has a ton of heart and will always do everything he can to get on the field, but this should really be his last top-level year. If you\u2019re drafting in a keeper league, I\u2019d move Tiki down in your rankings.
\nClinton<\/strong> Portis, Washington<\/strong>
\nPortis is the one back I really see making a noticeable improvement this year, and the reason is that the ‘Skins have hired former KC offensive coordinator Al Saunders. Saunders was the engineer of KC\u2019s running game for the past few years and turned Priest Holmes (and Larry Johnson last year) into a fantasy force. The plan is to use Portis exactly the way Holmes was used the past few seasons, so if he can stay healthy Portis could put up top 3 numbers. The only X mark on Portis\u2019 resume is he does get nicked up a lot, so make sure you draft Ladell Betts, his backup, in a middle-to-late round. <\/p>\n
\nI will rank these guys in order of preference, with a note about each. Remember, once the top 7 are gone you can start to pick these guys and feel just fine about it. If you are at the end of the first round (pick 8 or later) go ahead and draft a RB here and then assuming it\u2019s a snake draft (where you\u2019ll pick near the beginning of the 2nd round), take the next best RB. There are no QBs or WRs who are as good a value here as having two good RBs.
\nSteven Jackson, <\/strong>St. Louis<\/strong> \u2013 Look for Jackson to have a career year this year due to two things: Marshall Faulk is now out for the year (and possibly his career), and new coach Scott Linehan wants to focus on the run.
\nRudi Johnson, <\/strong>Cincinnati<\/strong> \u2013 Rudi has slimmed down and wants to take a step up to the top level of RBs. He has been very productive and reliable thus far, but the only drawback to him is that he isn\u2019t much of a receiver and the Bengals love his backup, Chris Perry.
\nKevin Jones, <\/strong>Detroit<\/strong> \u2013 I probably have him ranked a lot higher than most other experts, but I really think Mike Martz will do wonders with him. He sees him as his next Marshall Faulk and is going to do everything he can to get him the ball. If Detroit can get decent QB play out of Jon Kitna (or Josh McCown), KJ is going to be a stud.
\nLaMont <\/strong>Jordan<\/strong>, <\/strong>Oakland<\/strong> \u2013 After having watched Jordan play in college and play behind Curtis Martin for a couple of years with the Jets, I knew he\u2019d be a great player if given the opportunity. He got that shot last year with the Raiders, and much like Kevin Jones just needs good QB play to turn him into a star.
\nRonnie Brown, <\/strong>Miami<\/strong> \u2013 With Ricky Williams heading to Canada to do whatever it is Ricky does, Brown gets his shot as the lead RB for the Fins. Coach Nick Saban has big plans for Brown and needs him to be the complement to the passing game he is trying to implement with Daunte Culpepper. There\u2019s a reason Miami took him so high in the draft last year, and this year we\u2019ll see why.
\nJulius Jones, Dallas<\/strong> \u2013 JJ could be a superstar if only Bill Parcells would let him. Parcells seems to have a soft spot in his heart for Marion Barber III and plans to give him more carries than he should. Watching Jones in his rookie year I saw a lot of the same things Walter Payton brought to the table and thought he would be incredible in his sophomore season. This is a situation to monitor closely in the preseason. If Jones looks like he\u2019ll get 25 carries per game, I\u2019d rank him even higher. If not, he stays here or moves down if Barber gets more carries.
\nCadillac Williams, <\/strong>Tampa<\/strong> <\/strong>Bay<\/strong> \u2013 Cadillac had a great rookie year and is very tough. The only reason I have him this low is the presence of Michael Pittman and the fact that Williams is a little on the smallish side. He is a great runner, but I have a feeling he\u2019s going to be injury-prone once he takes a lot of pounding.
\nBrian Westbrook, <\/strong>Philadelphia<\/strong> \u2013 Westbrook is like Tomlinson-lite. If you\u2019re in a league where receiving is important, Westbrook moves to the top of this group. With the departure of Terrell Owens, coach Andy Reid has stated he plans to run the ball a lot more and Westbrook will be the beneficiary, IF he can stay healthy.
\nWillis McGahee, <\/strong>Buffalo<\/strong> \u2013 McGahee is just as talented as those above him, but he has a lot of question marks coming into this year. His primary problem is lack of good QB play. Without a good passing game, teams are going to stack eight in the box and shut Willis down. If JP Losman can take some pressure off McGahee, then he can return to the level he was at going into last year.
\nDomanick Davis, Houston<\/strong> \u2013 Davis has potential to move to the top of this list, but like the others here he has issues to overcome. The first issue is he is currently injured and is a question mark to begin the season. The second is lack of a passing game, much like McGahee. If David Carr can get a solid connection going with Andre Johnson and new WR Eric Moulds, then Davis should be a top-10 guy.
\nJamal Lewis, Baltimore<\/strong> \u2013 Potential, potential, potential. Every year Lewis is ranked highly, and every year except one he has not lived up to it. He\u2019s either been hurt or in jail and now he has competition in Mike Anderson. Lewis has the skills to be a top-3 guy but he is really a question mark this year.
\nReggie Bush, <\/strong>New Orleans<\/strong> \u2013 He will probably be overvalued in your drafts and will go much higher than he should. There happens to be an All-Pro back already in the New Orleans backfield going by the name of Deuce. He\u2019s going to take a lot of the carries Bush should get, but like Westbrook Bush will be much more valuable in a league with receptions and\/or a big emphasis on receiving yards.<\/p>\n
\nAll of these guys are in similar situations, currently the backup but with poor performance or injury by the starting RB, they could shine:
\nLaurence Maroney, <\/strong>New England<\/strong>
\nJoseph Addai, <\/strong>Indianapolis<\/strong>
\nDeAngelo Williams, <\/strong>Carolina<\/strong>
\nLenDale White<\/strong>, <\/strong>Tennessee<\/strong>
\nKeep an eye on their situations during the preseason and try to grab them in a middle round if it looks like they\u2019ll help you. These are also guys to grab as backups to the main guy. I often like to grab a tandem of guys, and then I\u2019m guaranteed to have the starter every week. <\/p>\n
\nAll of these guys have issues: age, uncertain playing time or just not as good as what they once were. These should be guys you target as your third back. These are in preferential order.
\nCedric Benson, Chicago<\/strong> — assuming he wins the job over Thomas Jones
\nTatum Bell, <\/strong>Denver<\/strong> — assuming he wins the job over Ron Dayne
\nChester<\/strong> <\/strong>Taylor<\/strong>, <\/strong>Minnesota<\/strong> — I like him as a sleeper
\nWarrick Dunn, <\/strong>Atlanta<\/strong> — bound to breakdown sometime and has T.J. Duckett to share carries with
\nReuben Droughns, <\/strong>Cleveland<\/strong> \u2013 <\/strong>has the job but just isn\u2019t that great.
\nWillie Parker, <\/strong>Pittsburgh<\/strong> \u2013 Good for yards but not for TDs.
\nDeuce McAllister, <\/strong>New Orleans<\/strong> \u2013 Moves way up if Bush doesn\u2019t sign soon but will still be a decent 3rd RB for your team even if he splits time.
\nDeShaun Foster, <\/strong>Carolina<\/strong> \u2013 Productive when he plays but has injury issues and DeAngelo Williams to deal with.
\nFrank Gore, <\/strong>San Francisco<\/strong> \u2013 Splits carries with Kevan Barlow but should take over the starting job by the end of the year.
\nDominic Rhodes, <\/strong>Indianapolis<\/strong> \u2013 Will start out with the job but Joseph Addai is more talented.
\nThomas Jones, <\/strong>Chicago<\/strong> \u2013 <\/strong>Will probably lose his job to Benson, but if he starts he moves up to a top-15 guy.
\nFred Taylor, <\/strong>Jacksonville<\/strong> \u2013 Avoid if possible, but he has a shot to be productive. He\u2019s just so unreliable.
\nAhman Green, <\/strong>Green Bay<\/strong> \u2013 How the mighty have fallen. He was a top-two RB two years ago and is now fighting to stay on the field and to keep his job. Age, a bad offense and Samkon Gado are his problems.
\nRon Dayne, <\/strong>Denver<\/strong> \u2013 Will probably back up Bell, but should he get the job he moves up to the top 15. Denver always gets great RB production. I\u2019d draft the Bell-Dayne tandem and hope for the best.
\nCurtis Martin, NY Jets<\/strong> \u2013 Stay away. Stay far away. He\u2019s half the player he once was and will get picked much earlier than he should. <\/p>\n
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