Fantasy Football 2010: Top 36 Running Backs

1)Adrian Peterson - All hail Purple Jesus! Or The Diesel(with all due respect to John Riggins). Or All Day. It doesn't matter what you call him, just make sure you call his name on draft day if you have the chance. In what was considered a "down" year, Peterson still managed to put up over 1800 total yards and 18 toucdowns in 2009. He even added a career-best 43 receptions for those enlightened PPR players out there. Adrian has been the most consistent backfield force in fantasy football since the very first day he stepped onto an NFL gridiron and he has yet to have a true breakout season. It's coming. Trust me. And even if it doesn't arrive in his "age 25" season the production you'll get will keep you in contention.

2)Chris Johnson - The Titans' speed demon did, in fact, have his breakout season in 2009. His 2509 total yards and 16 TD's read almost as cartoonish. Johnson was flat-out unstoppable last year. No question. Unfortunately, no running back in fantasy history has ever followed a season like CJ28's with an improvement. Ever. So, assuming at least a small drop-off in 2010, you have to be wary of taking Johnson at #1 overall or dropping too much coin on him in your auction. I still believe he'll have his crazy-go-nuts moments this year, they just won't come like clockwork each and every Sunday.

3)Maurice Jones-Drew - Mojo is one bad mofo. He is money in the bank in any format and a bonus bonanza in PPR. And he loves fantasy football. Drew keeps churning out double digit TD totals year after year and you shouldn't expect that to stop anytime soon. Remember, this is only his "age 25" season too. Seems like he's been around longer than that doesn't it?

4)Ray Rice - Ray Rice is like Mojo Lite. He is a little fireplug the same as Drew who is also extremely adept at catching the ball out of the backfield and has a QB who is responsible with the ball and doesn't mind throwing the checkdown pass. I expect Rice to get to ten TD's this season to go with all the total yardage and PPR goodness.

5)Frank Gore - Most people think this is the year of a "Big 4", but I beg to differ. Gore is in a position to be every single bit as good as any of the previous backs, with the possibility of cracking the top three. San Fran should be vastly improved overall and they went out and got some pretty nasty big boys to add to their offensive front in this year's NFL Draft. With everyone predicting the 49ers to be better in 2010, there is absolutely no reason think Frank Gore will not improve too.

6)Steven Jackson - Love him or hate him, you simply have to respect Steven Jackson. S-Jax is the only true one-man wrecking crew in the entire NFL. And he still manages to put up numbers. Big #39 is amazing in his athleticism and toughness. Sure, he misses games from time to time, but the beating he takes is brutal. Jackson's getting up there in age now, so the injuries could be exacerbated. Of course, injuries can happen to anyone. Jackson should universally still be a fantasy first-rounder.

7)Michael Turner - Turner is like a modern-day Jamal Lewis. A hard inside runner who puts up big yardage and gets it down on the goal line. Also like Lewis, Turner isn't much of a PPR commodity. That lack of versatility keeps Turner off the field on passing downs and causes him to be slipping into the second round of most fantasy drafts this year. Don't let him fall that far in standard leagues, however. He can still drop a 15 touchdown bomb in 2010.

8)Rashard Mendenhall - Ahhh, Mister Mendenhall. Approximately three out of every four people who are reading this right now are disagreeing vehemently right now and laughing a laugh of superiority over me. Well, to you I say, "Just wait and see." Rashard gained the respect of a his hard-nosed coach last season while becoming the running back version of Miles Austin. Mendenhall also gained an experienced, run blocking right tackle in Flozell Adams and an extremely athletic young interior O-lineman in Maurkice Pouncey. The Steelers front has to be improved and, with Rapistberger out for at least the first month of the season, Mendenhall should be carrying the load in Pittsburgh.

9)LeSean McCoy - Looking for this year's Ray Rice? Look no further. This is a big leap of faith but no risk, no reward. Shady's ready to reward you. In a big way. He's an open field ace who's worked hard on his inside running in the offseason. I think McCoy's money in the bank for 1500 total yards, 60 receptions and 8 TD's. And I think these numbers might be conservative. McCoy will be a 5th round steal in your draft. Be the thief.

10)Pierre Thomas - Buh bye Mike Bell. Hasta la vista Lynell Hamilton. Hello Pierre. Of all fantasy RB's last season, Pierre Thomas did the most with the least amount of touches. With Bell and Hamilton now out of his way, look to see at least a five touch per game increase for Thomas and the expected bump in TD's as a direct result. Reggie Bush will stay be there to interfere a little, as will newly signed Ladell Betts, but the Saints' running game will hinge on Thomas. And you can easily get him as an RB2 in your leagues.

11)Jahvid Best - If his headaches are gone, I can see Jahvid being the best fantasy rookie. Pun fully intended. He's the most explosive offensive weapon the Lions have had since Barry Sanders. That is saying a lot. Do yourself a favor and steal this kid in the late 3rd or 4th round. He'll make you happy.

12)Ryan Grant - Grant is the opposite of sexy. He's a hard 6 out of 10. Nothing exotic about him. Very dependable, Grant will work hard for you, to make you happy. But you won't appreciate him. You'll downright take him for granted. No pun intended. Seriously. When the season's a wrap you look at Grant's numbers and wonder how he got there. And next season you'll miss him when he's gone. Solid low-end RB1 value if you want to go WR/QB or WR/WR early.

13)Shonn Greene - See Michael Turner. Basically. Except Greene hasn't proven he can do it over the grind of a full season yet and he is going to lose touches to former fantasy stalwart LaDainian Tomlinson. My gut tells me that Greene will get hurt at some point in 2010, therefore I will likely not own him in any leagues.
14)Jonathan Stewart - Outplayed D-Will last season and I see him doing it again.

15)Ryan Mathews - Everybody else's "best rookie on the board" struggled with injuries at Fresno State. Beware.

16)Cedric Benson - Ced finally realized his potential last year with the breakout Bengals. No reason to doubt him in 2010.

17)DeAngelo Williams - Williams will get his in spite of J-Stew. Solid RB2 value.

18)Arian Foster - No competition from Ben Tate(injury) or Steve Slaton(fumblitis) means Foster is set to take over. Great sleeper candidate for 10 TD's.

19)Joseph Addai - Colts' offensive line is a shell of its' former self and Addai takes a hit for it. At best, he's here. At worst, he's displaced a la Willie Parker in 2009.

20)Ronnie Brown - Enjoy Ronnie while you can. He will go down with an injury at some point. But he'll be great while he lasts.

21)Jamaal Charles - His fruitcake head coach is the only thing holding him back. He was a poor man's CJ28 over the second half last year, yet they bring in an old man "in front" of him.

22)Knowshon Moreno - I'm not completely sold on Knowshon, but I'll take his upside here. He's got all the tools in his toolbox.

23)Michael Bush - With Justin Fargas finally gone and Darren McFadden as fragile as a Faberge egg, I'm predicting Bush to be this year's Cedric Benson.

24)Beanie Wells - Coach Whiz wants to run the ball. Beanie can do that. And with Alan Faneca added, he should do it well. Uh-huh, another pun.

25)Matt Forte
26)Ahmad Bradshaw
27)Ricky Williams
28)Clinton Portis
29)Cadillac Williams
30)C.J. Spiller
31)Jerome Harrison
32)Felix Jones
33)Marion Barber
34)Tim Hightower
35)Reggie Bush
36)Brandon Jacobs