Top 10 Running Backs

1. Ladanian Tomlinson -San Diego Chargers

Tomlinson is the most consistent fantasy performer and has been since he broke into the league in 2001. He has never posted less then double digit touchdown figures and never run for less then 1200 yards in a season. Tomlinson’s abilities are not limited to just pounding the ball, he also has great hands out of the backfield and will throw the occasional TD pass. He plays on a potent offense that will only get better if Phillip Rivers continues to progress into a solid young quarterback. Antonio Gates helps to open up room for Tomlinson because he can stretch a defense down the field. Also, consider that this will be Chris Chambers’ first full year of full integration into the offense and that could open up even more room for Tomlinson. On the downside the numerous offensive weapons at Phillip Rivers disposal may take away a few red zone touches for Tomlinson, but he is still the go to guy when the team nears the end zone.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1500 Yds Rushing 15 TD , 400 Yds Receiving, 3 TD, 2 TD Passes.

2. Adrian Peterson- Minnesota Vikings

A.P. burst onto the NFL scene last year with his explosive rookie campaign. In just 14 games A.P. racked up 1351 rushing yards, and 12 TD’s. He also had 19 receptions for 268 yds, and 1 TD. He averaged an awe inspiring 5.6 YPC, and did all this while playing with an injured knee. If he can stay healthy for an entire season (which has been a concern) he could easily end up being the number one fantasy RB, even exceeding my number one pick Tomlinson. A.P. has set the bar high for himself, declaring that he wants 2,000 yds and 20 TD’s and he has the talent to do it. The problem is his supporting staff. Minnesota’s O-line is solid and will provide A.P. with plenty of holes to slash through, but the talent at their other skill positions is lacking. The addition of Bernard Berrian in the off-season should help a feeble passing game, especially if Sydney Rice continues to progress. However, Tarvaris Jackson has yet to prove himself as a reliable QB and their backup QB’s don’t really inspire much hope. On the upside of things Minnesota’s unreliable passing attack will force them to dish the ball to Peterson alot, and every time he touches the ball he’s a threat to take it to the house. Though I ranked Tomlinson higher because he plays for a better team and has been a consistent performer I’m still expecting big numbers from Peterson.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1600 Yds Rushing 15 TD, 300 Yds Rec, 3 TD.

3. Brian Westbrook- Philadelphia Eagles

B-West as I like to call him, (plus its easier to type) is the best all around threat outside of L.T. He racks up receiving yards, and piles up the rushing yards too. Since he became the featured back in ‘06 he’s posted some monster yardage totals and eclispsed double digit TD totals each year when you combine his rushing and receiving TD’s. B-West is the total package. He catches the ball like no other RB in the league coming out of the backfield. He piled up 90 receptions last year alone and racked up 771 receiving yards. Oh yeah he also runs the ball really well too. He put up 1333 rushing yards and 7 TD’s last year. In a point per reception league I would consider taking him as my first RB. The Eagles have a solid O-line (as long as Winston Justice doesn’t play) and they will have a fully healthy Donovan McNabb which can only help Westbrook.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1400 Yds Rushing 9 TD, 800 Yds Rec, 7 TD.

4. Joseph Addai- Indianapolis Colts

In his first full year as the featured back Addai proved that he could handle the workload. He accumulated 1072 rushing yards in 15 games and scored 12 TD’s. He also racked in 41 receptions for 364 yards and 3 TD. Addai plays behind a solid offensive line and gets plenty of red zone opportunities. He plays with a couple of guys by the names of Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne the latter may take some red zone looks away from Addai, but their is plenty of love to spread around in this high powered offense. I expect Addai to exceed his 2007 production by a solid amount.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1300 Yds Rushing 13 TD, 400 Yds Rec, 2 TD.

5. Steven Jackson- St. Louis Rams

I thought about ranking Jackson above Addai, but I can’t seem to get over the fact that he plays for a pretty crappy team. Their O-line is questionable at best especially after Orlando Pace went down and Marc Bulger can’t seem to keep himself on the field, leaving the team to a platoon of backups. Jackson wasn’t healthy for a majority of last year so his numbers don’t match his ability or talent. Still, in 12 games he surpassed the 1,000 yard mark and scored 5 TD’s. He has great hands out of the backfield (800Rec. Yds in 2006) and is an absolute beast running the ball when he’s at 100%. If the Rams can solve their O-line issues, and keep Bulger on the field Jackson could return to form and put up numbers similar to his 2006 campaign.

Projected Stat Line: 1600 Yds Rushing 14 TD, 600 Yds Rec, 5 TD

6. Marion Barber- Dallas Cowboys

The only reasons Barber falls to this point is because Dallas drafted Felix Jones in the first round of this years draft. That may say something about what the Cowboys think Barber is capable of, or in this case not capable of. Either they just wanted the most talented player on their draft board and took him, or they don’t think Barber can handle a full workload only time will tell. With that said, it seems pretty clear that Jones will steal some touches from Barber, you don’t let a player with that talent just ride the pine, and that should be a concern for fantasy owners in a position to draft Barber. Barber is a talented hard-running RB, and should definitely retain his goal line duties which still makes him a solid RB 1 option. Last year Barber ran 204 times for 975 yds and 10 TD’s. I expect an increase in his yardage totals but it all depends on how significant a role Felix Jones will play.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1100 Yds Rushing 12 TD, 200 Yds Rec, 1 TD.

7. Clinton Portis- Washington Redskins

Portis was a fantasy stud just a few short years ago, but has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency in the past few years. He still puts up solid numbers (when healthy) as proven by his play last year when he rushed for 1262 yds and 11 TD. The thing that concerns me about Portis besides for the injuries, is that his YPC has declined in each of the past three seasons and he’s carried a tremendous workload throughout the course of his career. On the upside, Jason Campbell seemed to take some steps forward in the quest to turn himself into a true signal caller and Chris Cooley has emerged as a star tight end. That should relieve some of the pressure off Portis’ as teams won’t always be able to stack 8 in the box. keeping Santana Moss on the field and forcing defense to defend against the deep threat would help as well.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1200 Yds Rushing, 10 TD, 400 Yds Rec, 2 TD.

8. Frank Gore- S.F. 49ers

After bursting onto the scene with an amazing 2006 season, Gore and his entire team for that fact, had a down year in ‘07. Gore has the stuff to be an elite RB in this league he just needs more from his teammates. Don’t discount the damage that losing Norv Turner to the Chargers did to San Fran’s offense and Gore in particular either. San Fran was supposed to be a good team last year and things didn’t really work out that way, I wouldn’t say they had a great draft either so it doesn’t look like they are going to get much better. Gore on the other hand can be much better then he was last year when he rushed for 1102 yards and 5 TD’s. I’m not expecting a return to the monster numbers he put up in ‘06 (1695 rush yds, 8 TD) but somewhere in between the two is a safe bet.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1300 Yds Rushing 8 TD, 300 Yds Rec, 1 TD.

9.Jamal Lewis-Cleveland Browns

Since his 2000 yard season in ‘03 Lewis’ production had fallen off steeply. In 2005 he did not even crack the 1000 yard mark. Baltimore shipped him off to Cleveland at a bargain rate and pretty much everyone assumed Lewis was finished as an elite back in the NFL. Well, Lewis did a lot to change that notion last season as he truly seemed to return to form and played a key role in helping to turn around the Cleveland franchise. He ran for 1304 yards,scored 9 TD’s and raised his YPC from a meager 3.6 in 2006 to a steady 4.4 in 2007. The Browns are a team on the verge, they have a young offensive line that should continue to get better as they grow with each other and the offense. Braylon Edwards has emerged into a star talent at wide receiver, Kellen Winslow has finally developed into the TE many thought he would be, and Derek Anderson looks to be the answer the Browns have been looking for at the QB position. These offensive weapons make it less likely that teams will key on Lewis as they were able to do in Baltimore. I suspect that last years numbers were no fluke.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1300 Yds Rushing 11 TD, 200 Yds Rec, 1 TD.

10. Larry Johnson- Kansas City Chiefs

Johnson had an extremely disappointing year in 2007 especially since he had set the bar so high in the previous two seasons. Injuries forced him to play in only 8 games, in which he ran for just 559 yards and 3 TD’s with a 3.5 YPC average. The Chiefs O-line showed their age last season and were unable to create the holes Johnson needed to make an impact. The QB situation was pretty dismal as well, Brodie Croyle may be a good QB some day but he hasn’t demonstrated that to this point. On the plus side of things the Chiefs had one of the best, if not the best, drafts and added some new blood on the O-line when they selected Branden Albert who should step in and play immediately. Albert should help the O-line in opening up holes some of those holes for Johnson that weren’t there last year. The Chiefs also drafted Jamaal Charles the RB from Texas, which means they could be worried about another potential breakdown from Johnson. It also seems clear that they do not want Johnson to shoulder as much of the workload as he has in the past in hopes of avoiding injury or fatigue. This could mean some lost touches for Johnson but he will still keep the all important goal line duties so I wouldn’t worry about Charles’ presence all that much. I’m doubting that Johnson will return to those 1700 yard seasons of the past but a return to form is expected.

2008 Projected Stat Line: 1500 Yds rushing 14 TD, 400 Yds Rec, 2 TD.

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