Who Will Be the Top 5 Running Backs in 2011?

The following is not a list of fantasy projections. Now, obviously if I think a running back is going to have a great season then there’s a good chance he will also be very productive in fantasy football. However, this list is of the five best RBs for 2011 in real football, NOT fantasy. Are we clear? Great! If there are no more questions, we shall begin….

5. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice: Betting on the Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl every year is like betting on every team Lebron’s ever played on; you are destined for disappointment. Having said that, I think this could be the year they get over the hump in the AFC and represent the conference in the Super Bowl. 

Many people think if Joe Flacco is going to make the leap, it has to be this year and if you’re going to take some of the pressure off yourself as a quarterback, why not turn around and hand it off to runnin' Ray Rice of the Ravens from Rutgers (shout out Rich Eisen)?

Rice is good for four yards a carry and at least 1,700 yards of total offense and eight touchdowns. Plus, not too many backs run harder than he does and you can trust him to hold onto the football and move the chains on critical downs. Oh, and he can take it 85 yards at any given moment. Sounds like the complete package to me…

4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

Maurice Jones-Drew: MJD was hurt last year and still had seven 100-yard rushing games, and he did that with David Garrard as his quarterback. No offense to Mr. Garrard, but he’s no Peyton Manning.

Jones-Drew has 61 touchdowns in five seasons and is somehow only 26. He, like Rice, is a bowling ball with deceptive breakaway speed and power and isn’t afraid to get dirty in short-yardage situations. Still, you’re asking, why is he so high on this list? Well, remember those seven 100-yard rushing games I mentioned? The Jaguars were 6-1 in those games. He is the MVP of that team and one of the most vital players in the league to his team’s success.

As MJD goes, so go the Jaguars and that is why he has to be considered one of the Top 4 backs in the league.

3. Arian Foster, Houston Texans

With apologies to MJD, Arian Foster is the coolest running back in the NFL. Dude studied philosophy, avidly writes poetry and does a Namaste bow as his end-zone celebration. Of course, when you lead the league in rushing yards, total touchdowns and set an all-time record for most yards from scrimmage by an undrafted player, your cool factor will undoubtedly be enhanced.

As good as the Texans’ offense is, Foster is the key to it all. When he is productive, their aerial attack is unstoppable.

When you are the most important player on a team that includes Andre Johnson, that is saying something. He is a big dude (6’1" 230), which means he is Houston’s main goal line back as well, and his ability to get productive yards more consistently is what initially vaulted him over Chris Johnson. However, with the lingering hamstring issue he falls back to No. 3 behind Johnson and will have to prove he is healthy before I can consider putting him back at No. 2. 

2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson: Perhaps the most exciting running back since Marshall Faulk and Barry Sanders in their prime, CJ has been making more headlines for off-the-field contract disputes than on-the-field play. Now that he's financially secure, he is, once again, a threat to take it to the house with every touch.

If you had to bet on a player to set the single-season total yards record, he would be almost everyone’s pick and he has that kind of potential on an otherwise anemic offense (No. 2 reason you know your offense is anemic: you’re actually going to miss Vince Young).

He is a lot tougher than most people think and is able to get those tough, short yards because teams are so scared of him going 75 yards for a score. His biggest drawback: he is too Jekyll and Hyde. In 2010, he rushed over 100 yards in eight games, but in the other eight games: 34, 53, 66, 59, 5, 53, 58 and 39 yards. I’d like to see a little more consistency before I anoint him the best back in the game.

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson: Seriously, are you surprised by this one? AD (as in All Day) is the most consistent back in the league AND one of the three or four most explosive players. He is the only running back in the league that if he is on your team, you always have a chance to win.

Last year was a “down year” by his standards with 1,600 total yards and 13 touchdowns, but when disabled veterans are throwing interceptions every other pass, there is only so much you can do. Let’s say you had an arch enemy and you got to pick any player in the NFL to run him over and try and kill him… who are you picking? The answer is Adrian Peterson. If he is good enough to run over your nemesis (and we all have one), then he is certainly good enough to be the No. 1 running back in the NFL.