For a long time this was the staple position in every fantasy league. The running back position is what won you your league until Peyton Manning and Bill Polian started crying and the game changed. Now we live in a pass happy world that reduces the importance of a feature running back. While the number of true number one backs has shrunk to an unthinkable number there are a few guys out there that can give you one hell of an advantage on a weekly basis.

Honorable Mention

Frank Gore

I love me some Frank Gore. He continues to defy logic by staying healthy and playing in all 16 games for the third straight season despite having surpassed the age of 30. The worry with Gore comes from the guys lurking behind him on the depth chart. Kendall Hunter is still there and they drafted Carlos Hyde and now have a healthy Marcus Lattimore knocking on the door. He won’t catch many passes at all, that’s one way they seem to have preserved his health, and should see a slip in his yardage numbers with all the other backs trying to break through. He should still rack up the touchdowns and provide some help as a depth back but if he is your number one RB you are facing quite the disadvantage on a weekly basis.

Le’Veon Bell

Bell is obviously facing a suspension after being charged with possession of marijuana and a DUI charge, but luckily for fantasy owners this year that suspension likely won’t come until next season since the NFL and justice system likes to take their time. Regardless it isn’t exactly going to help as it hangs over his head as we get close to the start of the season. He doesn’t make the official list because despite his 240lb frame he doesn’t seem to enjoy contact very much. Not to forget the fact that the Steelers never seem to have an offensive line that knows what they are doing. They are going to rely heavily on Bell but I wouldn’t be thrilled to have him on my personal team.

Montee Ball

I’m not buying this stock at all. People are really high on him heading into this season but I don’t get it. He struggled with fumble issues at times last season and could never really break into the rotation with any regularity. Now that Knowshon has moved on the door is wide open, but he struggles with blocking for Peyton Manning and that is probably the most important job for a Broncos running back. He should get plenty of goal line carries and plenty of chances in garbage time but I don’t see him breaking out into a sudden star like some people seem to have talked themselves into. You might as well wait and draft someone like Stevan Ridley or Shane Vereen later on in the draft or just take a chance with a young backup running back and hope they can breakout because I don’t see anyway in which a running back that can’t block on a team with Peyton Manning will net you that many points, especially since Manning loves to rack up the passing touchdowns instead of checking to run in the redzone.

15. Ray Rice (Bal)

I don’t know if you have heard but Rice will miss the first two weeks of the season thanks to a hefty suspension for knocking his fiance unconscious. Regardless of your feelings towards that subject that should be a good thing for fantasy owners. Rice will miss just two games and then will have the final 14 to overcome a few negative connotations. He should be playing with purpose to not only shake the situation with his girlfriend but to shake the Super Bowl hangover he had last season that saw him rack up just 660 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He averaged just 3.1ypc last season despite never averaging below 4.0ypc and nearly 10 touchdowns a season in his career. He needs to prove himself in more than one way this season and he should have the motivation to do it. The Ravens offensive line is still a bit shaky as is their offensive game plan but if he has the drive to succeed and leave the past in the past he can overcome his struggles on the field.

14. Ben Tate (Cle)

Tate is the clear cut #1 option in Cleveland, who has an extreme lack of playmakers, so he should get plenty of touches. Especially since the Browns are going to be running an offense either with Brian Hoyer at the helm or rookie Manziel. The Browns are going to win games by playing defense and running the ball so Tate could have a big season. However he drops to this point on the list because of his injury past. Over the past four seasons he has missed 24 games and has appeared on the injury report 80% of the time and that was when he was Arian Foster’s backup. This is a real risk/reward play. The added touches could provide you with a breakout season or it could add to the injury woes.

13. Reggie Bush (Det)

Reggie deserves to be a starter every week in all leagues but barely. He can be dynamic and make big plays but with the Lions making an investment in Joique Bell, he is going to lose out on all goal line touches. The added benefit to having Reggie is in a PPR league. With the pass happy Lions he should catch plenty of balls in space and have an opportunity to make something big out of nothing. But he has had some injury issues as well as ball security issues in the past and again he is on the pass happy Lions who have the best receiver in the game taking potential touches away from him in the pass game. Plus Matthew Stafford isn’t exactly the smartest quarterback out there, so that isn’t going to help anyone other than Calvin who can turn his bad decisions into big gains.

12. Doug Martin (TB)

I’m not going to lie, Martin is only on my list because I felt like I couldn’t leave him off. There is no scenario in which I will be drafting him. I have no expectations for the Bucs this year, I think they are truly awful but even Tony Allen averaged 20 points a game when the Celtics sucked, so maybe he can break a few big ones every few weeks.

11. Zac Stacy (Stl)

Stacy is going to be the focus of the Rams offense. While they did draft Tre Mason, who will take away from the workload of Stacy, Stacy last season proved to be a great goal line back similar to Frank Gore. He tallied six touchdowns from inside the five yard line last year and averaged over 20 carries a game. Tre Mason might eventually steal some touches from him but the Rams are banking on Stacy taking another step forward. With Sam Bradford’s stock being as low as it gets the Rams will need their defense and ground game to control the clock and win them games. He should have plenty of opportunities to rack up the stats and prove to be a true RB1.

10. Giovanni Bernard (Cin)

Gio is prime for a breakout season. With The Lawfirm out of Cincy the possibilities are endless for Gio. He may give away some short yardage touchdowns but he showed the ability to be a feature back in this league last year. He excels in space and can turn nothing into a big gain if you get him some open space. With a guy like AJ Green occupying so much of the defensive attention Gio should be able to take that next step forward this season. Look for them to use him more in the passing game as well. Anytime you can get him in open space or with blockers in front of him you have a chance for a big play.

9. Andre Ellington (Ari)

Things are breaking Ellington’s way. With the unexpected retirement of Rashard Mendenhall and guys like Jonathan Dwyer and Stepfan Taylor behind him, the door is wide open for Ellington to garner the majority of the touches out of the backfield. The Cardinals are going to be a pass heavy team but A. Ellington can excel catching passes and B. Carson Palmer is still their QB. If Palmer struggles early the offensive focus could transition to Ellington allowing him to prove to coach Bruce Arians that he can be the feature back.

8. DeMarco Murray (Dal)

The Cowboys desperately need Murray to stay healthy this season. Their defense was amongst the worst in the NFL last year and they seemingly got worse this offseason. Meaning they need Murray to be healthy to help control the clock and keep the defense off the field. The Cowboys could rely on Romo and Dez and score a ton of points through the air but that will expose their poor defensive unit. Provided Murray stays healthy he is going to carry a very heavy load this season but his health is always a big if.

7. Eddie Lacy (GB)

The Packers seem to be taking the route of the Patriots by not surrounding their franchise QB with many weapons instead just relying on the QB to make weapons out of what they have in place. But Lacy is a true weapon. The reigning offensive rookie of the year showed he could break out into one of the leagues top backs. While Aaron Rodgers will continue to make his receivers look good he will need Lacy to take that next step forward to keep the defense guessing and to open up the field for the passing game. This won’t be a team that passes to set up the run but a team that runs to set up the pass despite having arguably the best QB in the game and that bodes well for Lacy owners.

6. Matt Forte (Chi)

Forte seems to disappoint every year. He always seems to get bit by the injury bug at some point despite carrying such high hopes on his shoulders. He is amongst the most well rounded backs in the game with a great set of hands to go along with exceptional speed and quickness. Last year he had his best season to date which makes me think we could be heading for a bit of a hangover season. That being said the Bears aerial attack is getting better now that Alshon Jeffery has another season under his belt. With two monster receivers spreading the defense thin it opens things up for Forte even more than before. We could see him top his production last season but again he needs to stay healthy.

5. Marshawn Lynch (Sea)

Lynch is such a bruising back but the Seahawks are probably going to be testing out their passing game early and often this year. With Percy Harvin healthy they will have an added dimension to their offense that could take touches away from Lynch. Toss in a possible Super Bowl hangover and he drops to fifth on my list. Despite those factors Lynch is still a monster and should rack up 1200 yards and 12 touchdowns like he has shown is the norm has the past few seasons.

4. Arian Foster (Hou)

Get ready for a bounce back season from Arian Foster. Last year I nailed him getting injured after carrying a crazy workload the year prior. This year he is coming off of surgery and will have to prove that he can once again carry an offense. But with that teams current construction they are going to have to rely on their defense and the run game. They need to shorten the game and control the clock. That bodes well for Foster who can only go up from a place where he appeared depressed in the offseason and considered hanging up his cleats. I think he may surprise himself this season as well as everyone other than me.

3. Jamaal Charles (KC)

While the Chiefs offensive line makes me a bit nervous for Charles, that shouldn’t impact how good he is in Andy Reid’s west coast offensive scheme. He is going to catch a ton of balls in open space and if you recall last year he can devastate a defense when given open space. His 19 touchdowns last year earned him an MVP trophy but his 104 targets is what should be focused on to earn him a 2014 fantasy MVP nod.

2. LeSean McCoy (Phi)

The closest thing to Barry Sanders we may ever see is just the perfect fit for Chip Kelly’s system. The only thing to worry about here is the fact that they brought Darren Sproles in which could limit the amount of times Shady is used in the passing game. Don’t get me wrong they will pass him the ball plenty of times but Sproles will certain steal a few of those away every week but he shouldn’t steal any carries. Regardless the 2013 rushing champ trails only Peterson in cumulative fantasy points, by running backs, the past three seasons and should be around the top of the board once again this year.

1. Adrian Peterson (Minn)

Peterson should be the #1 overall pick in every draft. He has finished with under 1400 total yards just once in his seven year career and has scored double digit touchdowns in each of them. This year the Vikings are going to shake things up a touch and use him more in the passing game to help free things up for a young offense. If guys like Cordarrelle Patterson can break out into an offensive threat it should open up the field a bit for Peterson. Regardless he is the best back in the NFL by a longshot and now should rack up the receptions which should get him more looks in open space. There is nothing to worry about here and the Vikings may sneak up on people and be a bit more competitive than most people think so I don’t know how much of his game will get cut at the end of the year if they are competing in every game. They need that defense to shape up this year since they were so putrid last year but the best way to protect their defense is to control the clock by giving Peterson the rock as often as possible.

mlz

Thursday, August 28, 2014