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.
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