Running Backs - Basic Fantasy Football RankingsAre you looking for some help for your fantasy football league this year? If you want to make some money, you better make sure you know what you're doing first! Just about every fantasy owners has a "cheatsheet," or a list of players at each position ranked by their fantasy value. Just to get you started, here is an abbreviated list, with brief descriptions of why the players are ranked where they are. In a 12-team league, these are the players that, in my opinion, should be drafted in the first five rounds of the fantasy draft. If you're not 100% sure why there are so many running backs listed, then please refer to the "Basic Fantasy Draft Strategy" article on this site for an in-depth discussion.Are you ready to win some cash? WagerWeb.com has built a solid reputation by offering their customers quick easy deposits, the best customer service in the industry, fast payouts and great bonuses. They specialize in the European Market for all sports including one of the best Football/Soccer divisions with lines for all the Major Conferences from around the Globe! Visit WagerWeb.com Today and start Winning! Running Backs 1. Larry Johnson - Lost a coach, coordinator, starting tackle, starting guard, and fullback. Ouch. But he's still Larry Johnson - the same Larry Johnson who finished as the #3 fantasy back last year despite starting just 9 games. If he even comes close to his pace in 2005, Johnson can single-handedly win fantasy leagues for his owners. 2. LaDainian Tomlinson - King of the boom-or-bust game, Tomlinson is consistent year-to-year, but not so much week-to-week. He's also been hurt and ineffective during the fantasy playoffs (weeks 14-16) the last couple years, which has him in many fantasy owners' doghouses. All that said, he's still a virtual lock for 2,000 total yards and no less than 15 touchdowns. 3. Shaun Alexander - He's had arguably the best five-year stretch of any back in NFL history, at least statistically. He's consistent on both a weekly and yearly basis, and always a top fantasy back. So what makes him the #3 guy for me this year? It's not so much the loss of superstar guard Steve Hutchinson - though that does hurt. What worries me is the fact that Alexander, now 30 years old, is no longer playing for a contract. The last couple years he's been motivated by the fact that the Seahawks organization has been slighting him by not signing him long-term. Now that he's got a monster contract with a huge amount of guaranteed money, a lot of that motivation is gone. I don't know about you, but everything I've seen from Alexander as a person gives me the indication that this is something that will negatively affect his performance - and that's enough to scare me a bit. 4. Tiki Barber - Barber's at the age where running backs are at the risk of swift and sever collapses (see: Curtis Martin), but hopefully he has a good enough team around him to prevent this from happening. Despite posting his best statistical year in 2005, it's clear that he's lost a considerable amount of speed. Does he have another elite-level year left in him? Most fantasy owners think yes. 5. Clinton Portis - Has the shoulder injury now, but it doesn't look like he'll miss much regular season time. Portis has had minor injury problems in the past, but he's been as rock-solid as they come for a while now. Assuming he recovers fully (which I think is likely), he should be an excellent top fantasy back for your team. 6. Steven Jackson - I'm a big Steven Jackson fan this year. He's young, talented, apparently pretty durable, unchallenged as the #1 back (no more Marshall Faulk), and most importantly, he's out of Mike Martz's ridiculous offense. Expect Scott Linehan to run him early and often, and for Jackson to have his breakout year in 2006. 7. Ronnie Brown - Much of what can be said about Steven Jackson can also be said about Ronnie Brown, and the latter is every bit the breakout candidate that the former is. Brown's in a Miami system where he'll be asked to both run and catch, and should be the focal point of the offense even with the addition of Daunte Culpepper. 8. Rudi Johnson - Consistency is the key with Rudi Johnson, who you can already pencil in for 1,200 yards and 12 TD's. Even if it's unlikely that he'll eclipse those numbers by a large margin. 9. Edgerrin James - He's been great in Indy's system, but now that he's behind a terrible Arizona line, Edge might very well run into some trouble due to the fact that he's lost a lot of quickness after two knee surgeries. 10. Carnell Williams - Last year's breakout rookie star - but can Cadillac stay healthy for a full NFL season having never carried the load at Auburn? 11. LaMont Jordan - Quietly posted great total yardage numbers last year, and was actually the #5 fantasy back in standard scoring leagues. But can he match his receiving totals with Aaron Brooks throwing to him? 12. Brian Westbrook - He's as much of a receiver as a running back, but Westbrook gets the job done for your fantasy team. 13. Willis McGahee - Had a disastrous 2005 - can he bounce back with what appears to be even less of a passing game to help him out? 14. Julius Jones - In a bit of danger of losing his starting job to Marion Barber at some point this year, but when healthy Jones posts excellent numbers. 15. Domanick Davis - Still not recovered from off-season knee surgery, but if he's healthy he's always better than people perceive. He's been a top-10 fantasy back a couple times. 16. Kevin Jones - Major injury issues make K. Jones a complete roll of the dice. He wasn't even good when he was healthy last year. Still, has shown just enough talent to sucker fantasy owners into drafting him. 17. Reuben Droughns - A true workhorse who puts up solid yardage totals every week. Can he get into the end-zone more than twice in 2006? 18. Warrick Dunn - Duckett trade rumors have the potential to give Dunn's value a huge boost if they come to fruition. An underrated fantasy back as it stands. 19. Willie Parker - Rumor is that he'll be getting more goal-line carries this year; and if that's the case, expect Parker to be a real nice fantasy back. 20. Jamal Lewis - Had a horrendous 2005. It's unclear whether the addition of Mike Anderson will motivate Lewis and keep him healthy, or further cut down his scoring chances. 21. Reggie Bush - Looked unbelievable in his first pre-season game, but his fantasy value depends on Deuce McAllister's health (or lack thereof). 22. Cedric Benson - Doesn't look like a very durable guy, but as the starter in a run-heavy offense, Benson really has nice potential. 23. Chester Taylor - Hasn't been good in preseason, but appears to be Minnesota's starter for now. 24. Corey Dillon - How long can he last before Maroney takes over? He managed 12 touchdowns despite being hurt and ineffective most of the time, so the potential for good numbers is still there. 25. Ahman Green - Once an elite fantasy back, but that was years ago. Can Green bounce back and finally have a healthy year? 26. Deuce McAllister - Has really only had one top-notch season in his career, and has major injury recovery issues - not to mention that other running back on the roster. 27. Dominic Rhodes - I really like him this year; I think he'll get the majority of the carries for the Colts, specifically on the goal-line. 28. DeShaun Foster - Loads of talent, but can DeShaun Foster stop fumbling and stay healthy? The coaching staff in Carolina doesn't think so (see: DeAngelo Williams). 29. Frank Gore - Looks like the clear-cut starter in San Francisco - but how much does that actually mean? Didn't work for Kevan Barlow, anyway. 30. Joseph Addai - A lot of people are high on him, but for a guy that was never the starter in college, can Addai really be a legit fantasy back as rookie? Basic Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks Basic Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends Receive all your NFL lines and the FASTEST PAYOUTS on the WEB! Bet on Sports, Casino, Poker and Horses at proBETS Sportsbook and enjoy a huge 25% CASH Sign-up Bonus, 5% Re-load Bonus and Free Cash when you Refer-a-Friend. Open an account and start gambling on the NFL TODAY! --- by Mike Jones at 1800-sports.com on July 18, 2007
Football Pick Articles
Featured
|
|
© 1800-Sports.com
1998-2008. All rights reserved.
Information contained in this Web site is intended for recreational purposes only. Access to information contained in this Web site is void where prohibited