2008 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs, Updated!

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: Westbrook’s age and injury concerns scare people away from him. We are telling you to not be afraid. Westbrook does not reach 30 years of age until the playoffs. Therefore, he will be reliably safe for seasonal formats. Brian also played 15 games each of the last two seasons. The addition of change-of-pace back Lorenzo Booker indicates that Brian should remain healthy this season.

Westbrook is a rushing and receiving threat. He is also the best player on the Eagles. Westbrook should again match 1,800+ all-purpose yards and 10+ touchdowns. One concern is their SOS, which is 25th in the league for RBs, but with their good OL, that was good for eighth in rushing yards and second in yards-per-carry at 4.7 last season, Westbrook can once again excel.

4) Steven Jackson: Steven Jackson tied with Joseph Addai in our scoring system. Really, you cannot go wrong with any of our top five. Jackson gets the edge here because he rushed for just over 1,000 yards last year in only 12 games. This includes an injury-depleted offensive line that should see the return of Orlando Pace.

We feel the cobbled OL is the reason for his drop in touchdown production from 16 to six. We expect that total to rise significantly in 2008, as the line gets the starters back, making Jackson a good fantasy point’s generator again.

5) Joseph Addai: If Peyton Manning were 100 percent, we would have Addai ranked No. 4, due to Jackson’s holdout that cost him a lot of practice time. As it is, they both are great players that do have some questions.

Addai’s scoring should be similar to last year, with 1,000-1,200 rushing yards and 15+ TDs. He plays for one of the best offenses in the league and is a good receiving back, as his 41 catches for 364 yards in ’07 will show.

Do not worry about the Colts clinching too soon. With Jacksonville competing for the division title, there will be plenty of reasons to keep him and the other Colts in the lineup. Also, for seasonal owners, tough defenses can sometimes surprise. Addai plays Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit in the fantasy playoff weeks of 13, 14, and 15, respectively.

6) Marion Barber: Barber will be the man in Dallas. He is still capable of a 16-TD season and posting over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Let other people have concerns over Felix Jones stealing carries. His large contract insures he will see a lot of work this year.

The addition of Jones should help keep Barber from wearing down during the season. He is the best back on the NFC’s most balanced offense. 

7) Clinton Portis: Clinton proved he could stay healthy last year by playing in all 16 games. Clinton will get a lot of carries this season; so do not be surprised if he does not participate a lot in training camp. This will keep him fresh.

Expect Portis to have a better year than in 2007, as he should be targeted more in the West Coast passing game. The Redskins are getting O-linemen Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas back from injures, a good indication that bigger running lanes are on the horizon for Portis. The concern with Portis is the lack of support from the passing game. 

8) Larry Johnson: Larry is an excellent candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. Kansas City upgraded their offensive line in the offseason by drafting Brandon Albert. He also should see a full training camp and be ready to go at the start of the season. Herm Edwards has already stated that Larry is going to have his workload reduced this season.

Where that is normally a concern, Larry did break an NFL record for carries in a single season in 2006. Look for Johnson’s attempts to be more in line with other backs in the NFL this season. Factor in that the Chiefs have the second-best SOS for RBs in the league this year, and Johnson gets a vote of confidence to be a top-10 back once more. His problem is the quarterback and the passing game, as well as a defense that lost Allen.

9) Ryan Grant: Some people will shy away from Ryan Grant because of his contract situation that resulted in him getting to camp late and a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the preseason. Grant just burst on the scene out of nowhere. For the last 10 games, Grant rushed for 929 yards and scored eight TDs.

Projecting that out for a 16-game season would be 1,486 yards and 12 TDs! He is also still in Green Bay. Even with Rodgers at the helm, Green Bay has the skill-position players to score a lot of points.

They will not turn into the 2006 Raiders just because Favre left. We think Grant will offer great productivity at the beginning of Round Two. He is ranked higher than some of the next guys on our list because of the quality of the Packer team and the fact that Jackson and Wynn aren’t serious threats to steal carries or goal line touches.

10) Frank Gore: Frank is another back that had a less-than-stellar 2007 season because of injuries. Still, Frank is young enough to bounce back. DeShaun Foster should be a backup back only. Do not worry about a committee that will hinder Gore’s production.

Gore’s receiving stats should rise with the addition of Mike Martz as OC. That will offset Martz’s tendency to pass more than he should. We still think Frank will surpass 1,000 rushing yards and could challenge for his first 10 TD season.

11) Brandon Jacobs: Brandon was a 1,000-yard rusher, despite starting only nine games and playing in 11. He is a big, bruising back who, if he can stay moderately healthy, will break 1,000 yards again. After all, he plays on a N.Y. Giants team that finished fourth in rushing last season.

With his size, he should get solid goal-line touches. In addition, his four rushing TDs last year should be a statistical aeration.

There are a couple concerns with Brandon.

1) He is not fragile, but running people over does tend to cause injuries. For this his value will drop.

2) N.Y. Giants running back coach Jerald Ingram stated at the beginning of training camp that the Giants would go with a running back by committee approach to utilize the various talents of their running backs and keep people healthy. That is news fantasy owners hate to hear.

Do not let injuries or splitting time deter you from drafting him. Splitting time may help him play all 16 games. He has done very well splitting time in the past. He is still going to be the Giants No. 1 guy. Plus, he will get the goal line carries.

That is essential to him having good fantasy value. That is why people loved having Marion Barber, but not Julius Jones in Dallas the last two years. Jacobs is in a contract year and will have plenty of motivation to do well. Expect solid numbers when he plays and plan on him missing a few games.

12) Maurice Jones-Drew: Maurice is embroiled in a RBBC. That most likely will not change this year or next. Fred Taylor will get significant yards, and Maurice will be hard-pressed to gain 1,000 yards this season.

Two years ago, when he almost put up 1,000 yards, he had an inflated 5.7 yd/carry avg. This stat needs to be put into proper perspective. Since 1947 to present, only eight times has a running back attempted 166 carries or more and averaged 5.7 yards or better.

The most recent backs to do it were Jones-Drew in 2006 and Barry Sanders in 1997. Drew does have some increased value, in that he can break the big play and should obtain 10 touchdowns. Besides, there is always the chance that Fred Taylor will get injured again. Though you might be tempted, do not make Drew your first running back.

If you still are not convinced, Jerious Norwood posted a 5.95 yd/carry in a committee last year. Would you trust him to be your No. 1 running back in a seasonal league? We thought not. 

Quality touches in volume make a running back first-round material. Jones does have a sore ankle, but should be ready for the opener. 

13) Marshawn Lynch: Lynch missed some time (three games) with a high-ankle sprain last season. Sprains normally are not recurring, so his health should be fine this year. We here at Fantasy Football Maniaxs see no reason why Lynch cannot repeat last year’s numbers of 1,115 YDS and seven TDs.

Keep in mind though, Lynch only had three 100-yard games last year (though two in December). We believe Lynch will improve this year (fifth in SOS), but we are not convinced you will gain any extra points from his receiving skills.

14) Laurence Maroney: The Patriots passing games should come down to earth, and Maroney benefits, thanks also to an amicable SOS that ranks eighth this year.

Oh, by the way, the Patriots' O-Line is ranked No. 1 in the league. If they give their running game some consideration, like they did last season in the playoffs, Maroney will be a top-10 back by season's end if new addition. 

The concern with Maroney is health. LaMont Jordan shouldn’t take many snaps away from him, but is an excellent handcuff.

15) Jamal Lewis: This aging veteran has one more year in the tank on a high-powered offense. The only concern, besides his age, is a tough 29th ranked SOS. He still should get over 1,000 yards and challenge for eight-10 touchdowns. 

16) Reggie Bush: He is a multipurpose threat, and McAllister is injury prone. The Saints should be going back to their 2006 playbook, and that will help Bush in some regard. He is a great receiving threat that has big play potential.

17) Willie Parker: “Fast Willie” is a yardage machine that will not see the end zone often. He is rehabilitating a broken leg. Rookie Rashard Mendenhall will steal some caries and TDs from him.

18) Thomas Jones: 30-years old with Leon Washington breathing down his neck. Awesome OL in New York on paper, but it needs to develop chemistry. Jones makes for a safe RB2 if you get one of the premier studs.

The acquisition of Brett Favre will make him more dangerous in the red zone, now that defenses will have to respect Favre's talent. His one-touchdown total should go up from last year.

19) Darren McFadden: This year’s Adrian Peterson by many. Because of Peterson's 2007 success, he will be reached for. Think early third-round value.

His value is a double-edged sword: The Raiders ranked sixth in rushing last year but are still a team on rebuilding mode with unproven JaMarcus Russell at the helm.

Fargas will start the season as the starting back, with McFadden seeing time as both a runner and slot receiver. Not starting didn’t hurt Peterson’s value in 2007. McFadden is a special athlete and should get plenty of touches and is a good touchdown threat.

20) Willis McGahee: Speaking of Cam Cameron (think L.T. and Ronnie Brown), he is now in Baltimore. He has another fine weapon to coordinate and utilize in McGahee. McGahee comes with some injury concerns. McGahee is finally off crutches, but is not expected to play at all in the preseason and may not practice. The drafting of Ray Rice (think Michael Turner in SD) might limit his value a bit.

What this means is McGahee will have competition to push him, but he should keep the starting job if he plays well early. Early reports also indicate that Rice will also be playing the slot this year, which will help free up coverage on McGahee.

Rice will also help keep McGahee fresh if McGahee’s stamina is low to start the season.

21) Michael Turner: He should be ranked higher, but he is unproven as a starter. The chance to prove himself is served on a silver platter, as the Falcons’ RB will enjoy a fourth-best SOS this upcoming season.

If the Falcons' O-Line returns to their 2006 efficiency, Turner will reap some benefits. Playing with rookie Matt Ryan hurts his value.

22) Earnest Graham: One-year wonder? Probably not. Graham is a good PPR back with a new four-year contract and no threat behind him, as Warrick Dunn is 33-years old, and Carnell Williams' NFL future is in jeopardy while trying to recovery from injury. Williams will begin the season on the PUP list.

23) Ronnie Brown: We reluctantly rank Brown No. 23, but it isn’t because of last year’s injury. Brown blew out his knee last year. He is back, but the problem is that Ricky Williams has been having a great camp and will take carries away from Brown.

The Dolphins listed Williams as No. 1 on the depth chart, saying it was due to Brown’s injury. That seems odd. 

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are still listed first on the depth chart. At the very least, it indicates that there is a competition for the job and both will split more time than fantasy owners would like.

Last year, had Brown stayed healthy, he was on pace to 2,200 all-purpose yards, plus 11 touchdowns. The problem is that Cameron is no longer the coach, the injury, and the emergence of Williams.

I’d still draft Brown before Williams, but pay very close attention for any updates on that position battle. 

24) Selvin Young. He looks like the starter for now. "Shanahanagans," Andre Hall, and Michael Pitman are all concerns. Young had 729 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry last season, so the potential is there for a great season if he gets the carries.

25) Edgerrin James. Edge has not aged well. Either that or playing with Peyton Manning helps your numbers a bit. There are still gaps in the Cards' OL, but we'll take a last 1,000-yard season from him. His value rises a little in PPR leagues. Hightower could steal some carries by the goal line, and Fitzgerald and Boldin also steal touchdowns. 

26) Chester Taylor. Peterson’s track record says he should get hurt. But for how long? Handcuffing is a must here.

27) Fred Taylor. Fred will get good yardage but not a lot of touchdowns. Can he stay healthy? Jones-Drew is ready to take over in Jacksonville. Taylor is a great handcuff, and Jones does have a sore ankle headed into the regular season.

28) Ricky Williams: We don’t have Williams too far down the list from Brown, which shows that we aren’t sure how this battle will shake out. Before you start laughing, he has really impressed the Dolphin’s in camp.

Brown is hurt and there is speculation that Williams may end up starting. He’s worth a gamble, but don’t expect 2002 Ricky Williams production. 

29) Matt Forte: He is a promising young player playing in a bad offense. His stock rose significantly when the team released Cedric Benson. With the recent acquisition of Kevin Jones, his stock status goes back to RBBC. He will probably start, but the Ex-Lion will pilfer some of his carries if he doesn't start the season on the PUP as customary.

30) Kevin Smith: Should be the opening-day starter for the Detroit Lions. His 400+ carries as a senior could be a bad sign, but also show he is ready to handle the every-down-back role for a team that didn’t run the ball well with the departed Mike Martz calling the plays.

31) Julius Jones: Possible committee in Seattle, but we think it is smoke to motivate, as Maurice Morris is not a fantasy household name. Jones could be the steal of the draft, if he can just get mentally in shape.

In his past few seasons in Dallas, he was just going through the motions and appeared often unmotivated. Holmgren has shown a tendency to abandon the run and throw to them out of the backfield, which favors Morris. 

Given that Jones only averaged 3.6 yards per carry behind one of the biggest and best run-blocking lines in the NFL doesn’t give us a lot of optimism that he will blow up behind a Seattle line that is still good, but not in Dallas’s league.

32) Jonathan Stewart: Stewart is a human bowling ball. Stewart defines high risk-high reward. Again, Carolina has the No. 1 SOS for RBs in 2008.

33) DeAngelo Williams: John Fox normally does not play rookies. However, Jonathan Stewart may change his rules. Carolina's SOS is ranked first for 2008. This could be Williams' best year ever.

34) Chris Perry/Rudi Johnson: This year, the Bengals have hinted on using a RBBC that will see Perry, Rudi, and Kenny Watson (their best RB last year). Need we say more? This situation could change a lot from one week to another.

If you get into an injury problem, drafting the guy with the hot hand could bail you out for a week. I wouldn’t want to go with anyone of these guys for an extended period of time.  

35) LenDale White: He will get the goal-line touches. He might get the yards. He will not get the receptions. Chris Johnson is also impressing in camp and will steal touches. They also have Chris Henry. The Titans loaded up at running back and have a weak passing game. They rely on a strong defense and ball control to win games. While it will make the Titans a competitive running team, it doesn’t make for a fantasy friendly depth chart.

36) Rashard Mendenhall: He should get the TD carries in Pittsburgh's RBBC. Good handcuff for Parker. 

37) Justin Fargas: He will open the season as the Raiders' starter but may not get the most touches. Regardless, Fargas will not end the season as the starter.  

38) Ahman Green/Chris Brown: One should start, and starting has some value. We do not see either finishing the season as the starter for the Texans. Green is very injury prone at this point in his career.

39) Ahmad Bradshaw: Jacobs can equal injuries. Bradshaw could replace him and be effective.

40) LaMont Jordan: Randy Moss proved last year that the Patriots can turn ex-Raiders to productive fantasy options. He will get you respectable numbers if Maroney goes down. Good handcuff.

41) Leon Washington: One Thomas-Jones injury away from starting for the Jets, but is more of a receiving threat than starting running back threat.

42) Ladell Betts: Good pass-catching back that could see time in the West Coast offense. If you have the roster space, handcuff to Portis.

43) Deuce McAllister: Bush and McAllister will split time, and McAllister will run between the tackles. McAllister has played all 16 games only twice in seven years. Stecker was impressive last year, and Pierre Thomas is waiting in the wings. 

44) Felix Jones: Should play some slot and be a return threat. He is a bye-week replacement if you are desperate.

45) Jerious Norwood: Backup to Turner that could see five-10 touches a game. One of these years, hopefully before he retires, he will be the starting back for the Falcons.

Compare them to the original edition below

Rank/Notes	Player/Team
1	LaDainian Tomlinson SD
2	Adrian Peterson MIN
3	Brian Westbrook PHI
4	Steven Jackson STL
5	Joseph Addai IND
6	Clinton Portis WAS
7	Marion Barber DAL
8	Ryan Grant GB
9	Larry Johnson KC
10	Frank Gore SF
11	Brandon Jacobs NYG
12	Ronnie Brown↑
13	Maurice Jones-Drew JAX
14	Marshawn Lynch BUF
15	Willis McGahee BAL
16	Laurence Maroney NE
17	Jamal Lewis CLE
18	Reggie Bush NO
19	Michael Turner ATL
20	Earnest Graham TB
21	Willie Parker PIT
22	Thomas Jones JETS↑
23	Darren McFadden OAK
24	Selvin young DEN
25	Edgerrin James AZ
26	Lendale White TEN
27	Julius Jones SEA↓
28	Matt Forte CHI ↑
29	Rudi Johnson CIN
30	Fred Taylor JAX
31	Jonathan Stewart CAR
32	DeAngelo Williams CAR↓
33	Rashard Mendenhall PIT
34	Chester Taylor MIN
35	K. Smith/T. Bell DET
36	Justin Fargas OAK
37	A.Green/C.Brown HOU
38	Ahmad Bradshaw NYG
38B	LaMont Jordan NE↑
39	Leon Washington NYJ
40	Ladell Betts WAS
41	Deuce McAllister NO
42	Felix Jones DAL
43	Ricky Williams MIA
44	Jerious Norwood ATL