The 25: Running Backs

by Matt Prendergast

Hey kids! You know how everybody and their uncle that plays fantasy football (and that includes Michael Fabiano) likes to give you helpful lists? US TOO! Because you deserve nice things.... as space and attention spans demand brevity....here's ReclinerQB.com's  25 top fantasy RBs, sokit up into handy tiers (and in order of listing), and as always, this is my opinion, so shut it.

THE TOP TRIO:

Arian Foster, Ray Rice and LeSean McCoy

Or get yourself one of these. Fun at parties, too!

You already know this. More precisely, if you don't already know this, just hand your league fees to a baboon and let him attend your draft for you - he'll do just as well, and your league members probably won't notice the difference. Nearly every single authority I've seen thus far puts Foster well ahead of the pack - and he deserves that with his pure performance over the past two seasons....but because I'm a paranoid who can't get over taking LT with the first pick the year the wheels came off, I wouldn't take him first overall - I'd take Rice, just from a gut feeling that he still hasn't come close to his peak, and Shady McCoy is never going to repeat last year's output. However, I am sometimes an idiot, so if you have the first overall, you should probably just grab Foster. Regardless, outside of injury, you can't go wrong spending a top three big on any of these guys - they all have tremendous work ethic, heart, and pretty healthy opinions of their teams...which is critical. Also, their teams have clearly built them in as key cogs as opposed to 'saviors when everything else doesn't work out (see: MJD).

4 to 15 - The Semi-Questionables: 

Matt Forte,  Marshawn Lynch, Darren McFadden, Maurice Jones-Drew, DeMarco Murray, Ryan Matthews, Fred Jackson, Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, Michael Turner, Write-In: Trent Richardson

I would have confidently had a top 5 had two things not gone down; The Bears dicking around with Forte for two straight years in the contract arena, and Marshawn Lynchburg Lemonading himself into yet another apology press conference. But because those things did actually happen, now I gots the questions. And those questions in order of operations:

Forte - Honest to god, love the guy, but is he really going to still grind out the effort for a team that begrudging caved in and paid him his dues? I think he will, but it wouldn't surprise me if his effort drops a smidge.

Lynch - Some folks might think this is high - and if he's suspended, it most certainly is, but with all his idiocy, Marshawn runs like a goddamned bull on meth on his good days, and with both QB and WR Rotissierie Jamborees happening out in SEA (and will continue to the entire year), it favors a solid lean on the running game, and honestly, there's nobody else there yet that's done anything to take Beashhht Mode's carries away except Marshawn himself. NOTE: If Marshawn is suspended for three or four games, don't touch him until the seventh round.

Darren McFadden - is a terrific running back, one who's shown that early doubters could stick it. And he doesn't have the Michael Bush distraction looming over him constantly. Injury prone? Who isn't anymore...but that's the knock on DMac, and it's a concern. If you assume you're not going to have him for three-to-four weeks and plan your team around that, then you've got an ace for all the weeks he is there....and what if - just what if -  he doesn't get injured?

MJD - Well, he's still not at camp. And his team still blows, and blows hard. That said, he'll eventually show, and the missed camp time won't hurt him nearly as much as JESUS H BLAINE GABBERT STILL HAS A STARTING NFL JOB.

DeMarco Murray - I love what I've seen so far from DeMarco, there's just not enough data assembled yet to push him higher. That said, I think he has all the potential in the world to finish in the Top 3 at his position. I could say that about most of these guys, since they're all starting running backs in the National Football League, but in this case, I'd actually mean it.

The Official 2012 Ryan-Mathews-Themed Chargers Team Bus

Ryan Matthews - The Chargers have declared they're all in on the new LT! If he can finish a whole season, assuming he gets to it first. Bringing in Ronnie Brown and Jackie Battle doesn't show me their strong confidence....he's got the talent, and this could be a gem, but it could easily melt down just as quickly. Updated right as Matthews went out for 4-6 weeks

Fred Jackson - Probably the most under-the-radar guy in this year's draft, like every year he's been in the game. Thankfully, he's coming back from a broken bone and not an ACL/MCL/DUI....Spiller started to step up in his place, but not enough to really challenge for Fred's job at this point. Until that broken bone, Fred was on his way to obliterating all his previous seasons' output, and with the upgrades the Bills have made team-wide, there's little reason to think he can't jump right back in at that pace

Steven Jackson  - A little old, a lotta miles and guaranteed to miss at least two games a season when you could really use him - but he's got GREAT coaching this year with Fisher, and when he's on the field, he's a truck that stays in the passing lane. I always bet on the RB who takes his cues from the NFL's Greatest Active Mustache.

Frank Gore - A lot of things happening out in SF, and Frank's role is maybe getting muddled....they brought in Brandon Jacobs to use him, and Kendall Hunter is going to see more work. That said, last year was the second time in his career Frank did all sixteen weeks, and ended up with his second best production year since 2006. Jacobs and Hunter might spell our hero a bit, but unless he breaks down, nobody's replacing him.

There will be a new collectible jersey
issued for each T-Rich professional injury!

Michael Turner - Love the guy, there aren't many harder workers, but facts are facts: He's got a TON of road miles on him in the last four years, and the Falcons are moving quickly to a pass-first mentality. His stats have held pretty firm, but sometimes I can't shake that 'wrong side of 30' feeling, combined with my belief that he'll get drafted way too high on name-recognition alone. He's a back-end 2nd round guy at best; he'll go higher.

Trent Richardson (Maybe) - In what's becoming an annual tradition for the Browns, their savior went down before the shooting started....maybe. Trent Richardson went to get his knee cut-on before the first preseason game, as per schedule....however, in a surprising turn of events, he says he's gonna be back Week One. Here's the deal: there's NOBODY to compete with him, and even with no legs he'd be the best workhorse the Browns can ride for awhile....so I've inserted him here, high up in the clouds, because there has to be hope.

15 to 25- Good Luck and God Speed: If these guys are your #1 RB, I hope you got Rodgers.

Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Darren Sproles, Isaac Redman,  Ahmad Bradshaw, Reggie Bush, Ryan Matthews, LeGarrette Blount/Doug Martin, Shonn Greene, Beanie Wells/Ryan Williams, TIE AT 24: Denver and Washington and Carolina Backfield Participants, 

Jamaal Charles - Coming back from a nasty knee injury (that he's had a year to recover from), and now purportedly competing with Peyton Hillis (who's had one terrific year, followed by a descent into madness). Let's remember this: Jamaal Charles has never been alone in that backfield, and he's still been electric. Hillis will gobble some short-yardage TDs, which is fine since Jamaal like to take them in from way past the three-point line. You might even be able to grab him in the third round, but I wouldn't wait for that.

Moneybags Johnson - CJ2K showed some signs later in last season that he was regaining his form - THAT HE SHOULDN'T HAVE LOST. He held out, played horribly ('not his fault', right?), and directly caused Matt Forte and Ray Rice a lot of heartburn this offseason. Also, the offense around him is kind of a total mess right about now. That said, it's hard to argue against the raw talent - guy could easily outperform even his best season, but I just don't trust his nickel head.

AD - Still in the middle of recovering? Probably. Horrendous off-season? You bet. But Adrian has always come across as a stand-up guy, and one of the hardest workers in the league. But that injury was nasty, especially considering his style, and it happened in week 16. Even if he somehow starts the season, the Vikes can't possibly be stupid enough to full-workload him for quite some time...this might be a waste of a season, but I still can't bet against him as the best RB2 you could draft and store until the second half of the fantasy year.

Darren Sproles - I love Darren Sproles: exciting and unpredictable, he can hurt you in a thousand variations. However, the Saints are still using Pierre and Ingram regularly, and I hate that.

Eff it. Just Draft Priest Holmes. It Could Happen.

Isaac Redman - Not enough data assembled thus far, and wouldn't be starting if Mendie wasn't hurt. That said: a steal for your #2 or 3 RB, assuming he's still there past the third round. I wouldn't take the chance higher. Well, I might, but I do questionable things.

Ahmad Bradshaw - I will never draft Ahmad Bradshaw, I don't find him durable, nor do I find him particularly spectacular in that offense, ever. Do you feel differently? Super! Move him way up on this list, that's your choice. However, I can't deny he's got some value, I just don't like him on my team. AMERICA!

Reggie Bush - See above

Ryan Matthews - who, upon my first draft of this article less than twelve hours ago, was up in the top ten, has promptly proven to be a china doll wrapped in rice paper by sustaining a broken clavicle on the first play of the first preseason game against the Packers. Tremendous efforting, son. He's out four to six, which means he's probably back in week two or four....and I doubt he's the only truck driver anymore....cue up Ronnie Brown. That said, assuming Matthews makes it onto the field without shattering his knee on an airborne Dixie cup, or permanently blinding himself by looking directly at a camera flash, he's still going to be an impact player down the road, and has now decreased in value tremendously. If he's decreased enough in your league, enough to drop significantly, grab him when you can and stow him on the bench.

Tampa Bay Starting Running Back - The best thing that could happen to increase the fantasy draft value of either LeGarrette Blount or Doug Martin is a season-long injury to the other one. Instead, we're gonna see a time-share, or worse. Can't Truss It.

Shonn Greene - I understand all the Jets' promises about focusing on grinding it out and emphasizing the running game first. That's why they traded for Tebow. On another team, Greene might be able to show something special, or he may possibly have already disappeared.

Beanie Wells/Ryan Williams - See the TB post two back. I think Ryan Williams, if healthy, takes that job and is the better back for Arizona....but that team doesn't even have a quarterback settled yet, so the RB situation is a lot lower on the 'figure this out' pole. Beyond that, Beanie's been pretty decent when his wheels are on the ground, so your best situation is a time share for quite some time, and that can't be relied on in fantasty.

Denver/Washington/Carolina Committees For The Furtherance of Football Gains Through Applied Running Theory and Application - There's no clear-cut 'better guy' in any of these towns, but they can all run pretty good using an assortment of tools. Okay, maybe McGahee is above the pack in Broncoland, but how long is that going to hold up? Trust no one, and take DeAngelo, Willis, Roy, Hightower, Stewart, and Hillman at your own risk. Now, based on one preseason game, maybe McGahee has got more yips than I'm thinking, but I still don't trust it.

'Wait, I just signed who?'

Missing the cut, but keep a preseason eye on: Benjarvis on the Bengals (because 'who knows'?), Ben Tate, If the Packers Pick One Guy to Run With - and then choose to run (not likely), Critical injuries to any of the aforementioned committee-fields vaulting one guy up several spots. Daniel Thomas in Year Two. Rashad Jennings. Detroit Sorting Out That Mess Eventually, and Stevan Ridley - Has skills, and Pats RBs are prone to scoring on short yardage pretty often. What they're not prone to: yards and consistent production.


* Wild Card - I'd watch week three of the preseason to see how Cedric 'Drunk Boat' Benson fits into Green Bay's non-running scheme.....because if they are going to switch things up and run some more, he may turn out to be a mid-to-late round gem, particularly in points-only leagues, because I still don't see a lot of yards coming out of that backfield....




Tomorrow: The Quarterbacks......

Your complaints about these unjust rankings will be easier communicated when you follow @AmazingMattyP on the Twitter

In fact, follow all the ReclinerQB crew - they're good people and may listen to your complaints!

ReclinerQB, Sonny Prier, JR Sheppard, Corey Doiron, Christie Mac, Marcus Wyche, and Josh.