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

Buddha's Dirty Dozens

Here we are in late July, on the precipice of training camp for all 32 NFL franchises, so it's time for some initial rankings. Since it is still early, I'll offer up just a tease over the course of this weekend. My Top 12 players overall and at each glorious fantasy relevant position will be revealed. So here, without further ado, is how a typical 12-team league's first round would play out if I were picking for each spot.

1)RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings-No shock here. None whatsoever. For all you contrarians out there, just stop and ask yourself one question. Do you really want to be the guy who had the first overall pick and passed on Purple Jesus the year that he set the NFL's all-time single season yardage record? If you answer yes to that question, please send me your e-mail address and I'll invite you to participate in one of my leagues. I love taking money from people who can't even get out of their own way. Don't overthink it. Peterson is a 2,000 yard bomb just waiting to explode and season three for him seems as good a time as any.

2)RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars-The numbers are clear. In his first three seasons, MoJo has only had the pleasure of playing four games without sharing the load with the artist formerly known as "Fragile" Fred Taylor. The results in those games? Try an average of 100 yards per game rushing in addition to all the wonderful peripherals that Jones-Drew brings to the table. The Jags believe that the kid from UCLA can do it on an every down basis and you should too. Expect over 1,800 total yards and 15 TD's in 2009. If that's not enough for you from a RB1, then you're just too greedy for your own good.

3)RB Matt Forte, Bears-He was a stud from the first moment he touched an NFL field and he never looked back. Don't anticipate a sophomore slump for Forte. His reception numbers could slip a little because his new QB is much more aggressive downfield, but expect more holes at the line of scrimmage and better rushing numbers as a result of Jay Cutler's presence. And there's more room for improvement at the goal line for this second year star from Tulane. Forte should continue trending up at the same time many former fantasy stalwarts are trending down.

4)RB Michael Turner, Falcons-Last year's carries are a red flag(not to mention an expanded role for Jerious Norwood). Only one guy, LaDainian Tomlinson, has avoided a slip in numbers the year following a 370+ attempt season. L.T.'s greatness aside, don't be overly concerned about Turner in '09. After backing up in San Diego for so long, the Burner should have plenty of tread still left on his tires and a slight drop in production would still keep him among the elite guys in all of fantasy football.

5)RB Frank Gore, 49ers-Call this one more of a gut call. But a Buddha gut is a prodigious gut and one you should listen to. His three year averages are 1,700+ total yards, 7 TD's, and 52 receptions(for you PPR guys). Not exactly shabby. Gore typically gets overlooked as a result of playing in San Fran. This season, however, being a 49er works in his favor. Mike Singletary is dedicated to the run and has a very solid offensive line in front of Gore. Add in six games versus the weak NFC West and you have the recipe for a breakout year.

6)QB Drew Brees, Saints-I normally always encourage the drafting of running backs at all costs in the first round, but not this year. The proliferation of running back by committee situations around the NFL combined with so many aging former superstars at the RB position has led me to rethink that old strategy. Brees is as close to a sure thing as there is on the board at six. Just look back at my blog and read "The Case for Drew Brees."

7)WR Randy Moss, Patriots-Surely you haven't forgotten 2007 already? That season "The Freak" finished second in fantasy value behind only, mama there goes that man, LaDainian Tomlinson. Tom Brady plus Randy Moss equalled 98 catches for 1,493 yards and an NFL record 23 TD's that year. Coming off a disappointing '08 due to Brady's injury, I expect Moss to vault back to the top of the wide receiver rankings upon reuniting with Mr. Gisele Bundchen in 2009. Twenty TD's may be pushing it, but I think fifteen is a lock along with 1,300 yards. I shouldn't have to tell you, but that's better than almost every RB you could draft at this point.

8)WR Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals-I'm in the overwhelming minority here. Lesbian chic has nothing on Fitz as your number one wideout. Everybody's doing it. It's not like I'm anti-Fitzgerald. More like I'm pro-Moss. Randy's ceiling is higher than Larry's and it's just that simple. And you don't get any of those absurd playoff numbers Fitzgerald put up in that memorable Cardinals' Super Bowl run either. But you should be able to bank on another 1,300 yards and double digit touchdowns.

9)WR Andre Johnson, Texans-Welcome to 2009. It's a time when locking up a solid number one WR is more important than ever due to the lack of guaranteed contributors at the position. As I've mentioned, RBBC's are everywhere these days and the savvy fantasy owner knows he/she can get better value at RB late in the draft than they can at wide receiver. AJ is every bit the player of the two guys preceeding him on the list and it's time for him to become the red zone beast he was born to be. Pray for the health of Matt Schaub if you draft Johnson, though.

10)RB Steve Slaton, Texans-Another second year RB in the Top 10? Yup. It's a transition year at the top and these things happen. Even more surprising is that Little Stevie is the second Texan in the first round. Houston's front office has done a great job recently and Slaton is just the latest example. The former third round pick from West Virginia burst onto the scene by tallying over 1,600 total yards and 10 TD's in 15 games as a rookie. You can take him here(or even a little higher if you don't like WR's) and feel safe because of how well his skill-set fits with the other talented players surrounding him on an underrated offensive team in Houston.

11)RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers-As draft time nears, I find myself coming back around on L.T. Not all the way, mind you, but at least to the point that he appears to be a viable low-end RB1 and worth a late first round selection. Take a look back at his 2008 season. 1,536 total yards. 12 TD's. Another 50+ reception season. Was it really that bad? He almost singlehandedly won me a league in the rarest of all birds, a Week 17 Super Bowl. Tomlinson's three touchdown game vs. Denver may have been tough for many of you who had already been eliminated to watch, but it was downright redemptive for me. Another year like '08 is conceivable for this all-time great fantasy performer.

12)RB Steven Jackson, Rams-While he could easily outperform this ranking, I know he's burned many of you over the past two seasons and, more importantly, plays for a very weak St. Louis Rams team in the midlle of a massive rebuild. On a positive note, the team drafted a potential star at left tackle in Jason Smith from Baylor and seems dedicated to Jackson being the centerpiece of the offense. S-Jax is going to have some rough weeks, but the good should outweigh the bad and he should make a strong push for 1,600 total yards and 10 TD's in 2009.

Keep checking back over the next couple of days for more of my Dirty Dozens. Hasta la vista everyone.