By Chad Samuels from Fantasy Football Maniaxs
Updated as of 08/25/2008.
Not much has changed at the top in our August update of our Official 2008 Fantasy Football RBs Rankings.
Just a few spot swaps, like Larry Johnson moving up to the eight spot and Ryan Grant down to the ninth. Marion Barber goes to the sixth overall position, and Clinton Portis moves back one spot to the seventh.
Miami’s RB Ronnie Brown (still ailing) takes a deep plunge from 12th to 23rd in light of the team’s decision of going with veteran Ricky Williams to start the season.
The Jets’ Thomas Jones moves up from 22nd to 18th, courtesy of Favre’s trade from Green Bay. Willis McGahee spirals downwards from 15th to 20th because of his injury.
LenDale White also saw a major drop, going from the 26th spot to the 35th, thanks to all the capable RBs the Titans elected to keep on their roster.
In standard fantasy football leagues, the position that makes the most impact on a roster is the running-back position. There is a trend, started not too long ago, in the NFL for teams to establish a committee of running backs.
With improved conditioning and sports medicine, players can play at a higher level longer, and with the influx of young talent, there are many viable running backs for teams to utilize.
This limits their touches through the season and prolongs their careers. There can be gems found in these committees, if you know where to look.
With the emergence of the RBBC, running backs aren't racking up fantasy points like they used to. That's not to say that all teams do that; each team is different, but you have to analyze their situation. With the decline of RBs fantasy points, you have an emergence of WRs.
Wide receivers' stocks have risen because teams that practice RBBC find WRs more active and open in the red zone. As such, wide receivers should receive higher picks than the typical third or fourth-round selection that they historically receive. You can still draft good running backs past the first round.
When you factor in the wide-receiver run in the third round, there will be value at the running back position after round two and into round four.
NOTE: These rankings are for seasonal/re-draft leagues only! They're not intended for keeper or dynasty leagues.
1) LaDainian Tomlinson: This ranking is normally reserved for the No. 1 pick in the draft. You want someone that will put up stud points and not burn you. He comes with consistency and a track record with plenty of multiple-touchdown games. The Chargers' OL finished tied for second in rushing TDs and seventh in rushing yards last year.
Tomlinson opens the season by facing soft run-defenses like Carolina, Denver, Jets, Oakland, and Miami. Tomlinson is nearing 30 but has one more season left in the tank as an elite back. In the seasonal format, L.T. received all but one first-place vote and still towers over the other RBs for the upcoming season.
2) Adrian Peterson: “Purple Sensation” was the only other player to receive a first-place vote. There is little to not like about Adrian Peterson. He is a touchdown machine, and in his first year in the league, has wrestled the bulk of the carries away from Chester Taylor.
When on the field, you cannot go wrong playing him. Running behind OLs Matt Birk, Bryant McKinnie, and Steve Hutchinson will certainly help, as the Vikings led the league in rushing yards, yards per carry, and rushing touchdowns in 2007.
In 2008, the Vikings have the sixth best SOS for RBs, a positive sign for Peterson’s owners. Two things keep Peterson from claiming the top spot in our rankings. First is consistency. He has played only one season in the NFL. We do not predict him to drop drastically in production. There is some extra risk involved in taking a player who has had only one good season.
The second concern is injuries. For the last three seasons (one NFL, and two college), Mr. Peterson has missed time due to injury. If you take AP, we advise handcuffing Chester Taylor to him for this reason.
3) Brian Westbrook:
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