The Next Superstar NFL Running Back Has Arrived: Ray Rice

Sportsbook bettors knew it a few weeks ago. Crazy fantasy football fans knew it a year ago. Now, everyone knows it.

Baltimore's Ray Rice is one of the best running backs in the NFL. You could even make the case that he's already the best.

It's not just what he's done running the football that is turning heads, though the 5.2 yards per carry, two 100-yard games and five rushing touchdowns are nothing to sneeze at. It's his fantastic ability as a receiver out of the backfield that is really eye-popping.

Through eight games -- half a season -- Rice has 46 catches for 436 yards. That puts him on pace for 92 grabs. He ranks in the NFL's top 10 despite the fact that he essentially played the first quarter of the season in a timeshare with Willis McGahee (though Rice still got third-down duties).

In Rice's last five games, he has 35 receptions -- more than Greg Jennings and Steve Smith's full- season totals.

How good is Rice's 46 catches on less than a starter's workload? Marshall Faulk, known to many as the best pass-catching back of all time, never topped 87 receptions in a season. Brian Westbrook's career high is 90.

It's pretty amazing to see Rice even flirting with Larry Centers (101 receptions) and LaDainian Tomlinson, the only backs to catch 100 passes in a season. Considering Rice's recent production, it wouldn't be surprising to see him break Centers' record.

Could Marshall Faulk's yards-from-scrimmage record (2,429) be far off? I wouldn't wager against it over the next few years in my online betting.