Who Deserves to Be the No. 1 Ranked Fantasy Running Back for 2010?

As 2010 fantasy drafts draw closer, we address one of the first dilemmas that your team will face: “Who should I draft at Running Back?” There are several options for players that could be the first back you select. We now take an inside look at the top six fantasy candidates.

Cast of Characters

Donald Buckram – UTEP
Lance Dunbar – North Texas
Dion Lewis – Pittsburgh
Bernard Pierce – Temple
Jacquizz Rodgers – Oregon State
Shane Vereen – California

2009 Fantasy Production

Name	Fantasy Pts	Rush Att	Rush Yds	Rush TDs	Rec	Rec Yards	Rec TDs
Jacquizz Rodgers	367.3	273	1440	21	78	522	1
Donald Buckram	345.7	259	1594	18	30	453	3
Dion Lewis	319.3	325	1799	17	25	189	1
Lance Dunbar	295.8	200	1378	17	28	300	2
Bernard Pierce	240.1	236	1361	16	8	39	0
Shane Vereen	216.1	183	952	12	25	244	2

2009 Snapshot

Jacquizz Rodgers – Oregon State
- Small but powerful back that gains yards after contact.
- Is the workhorse of the offense.
- Provides a receiving threat and adds fantasy value in Points Per Reception leagues.
Donald Buckram – UTEP
- Is the main touchdown weapon of the UTEP offense.
- Averaged over 20 carries per game.
- Has a passing attack to compliment him and keep defenses honest.
Dion Lewis – Pittsburgh
- Workhorse back that averaged 25 carries per game.
- Very athletic with the ability to break the big play.
- The combination of a power running game and good defense will allow the coaches to lean on Lewis late in games when playing with the lead.
Lance Dunbar – North Texas
- Averaged 25 carries per game after becoming the clear cut starter.
- Explosive back that averaged 6.89 yards per carry.
- Is the main offensive threat for the North Texas team.
Bernard Pierce – Temple
- Is the center piece of the Temple offensive attack.
- Plays in the “defense optional” MAC conference.
- Strong offensive line to open up holes.
Shane Vereen – California
- After taking over the starting role, averaged 27 carries per game.
- Explosive playmaking ability that can bust the big play on the ground or in the air.
- California has boasted the most efficient rushing attack in the Pac-10 over the past five years.

What’s the Scoop?

Jacquizz Rodgers returns to an offense that has a veteran offensive line as well as an offense that will be breaking in a new quarterback. Although there are always injury concerns with Quizz due to his diminutive stature, he has missed very little playing time over the past two seasons. He should remain the top workhorse of the offense once again in 2010.

Donald Buckram has experienced trigger man Trevor Vittatoe back to lead the UTEP aerial attack. The passing game should be more efficient this fall which will make it harder for defenses to key on Buckram. With four good offensive linemen returning there are no major holes up front to contend with. Buckram didn’t get going until the middle portion of the season. He has a chance to outperform his 2009 numbers.

Dion Lewis had an amazing début as a true freshman in 2009. Look for Lewis to be bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter on the field. The coaches know they have lightning in a bottle when it comes to Lewis’ playmaking ability and they will continue to lean heavily on the running game. The passing game will be going through a transition which means that although he could see more carries early in the year, defenses might be able to limit his yards per carry while they key on stopping Lewis.

Lance Dunbar stormed onto the scene in 2009 in a season where many people thought North Texas would find their stride in the air, not on the ground. Dunbar is the undisputed starter and will continue to see his workload increase with the move of 2009 starting quarterback Riley Dodge over to receiver. But North Texas’ defense is not good, and they will find themselves playing behind in many games. How much they can afford to feed Dunbar the ball while trailing will determine just how high his fantasy value will be for the 2010 season.

Bernard Pierce established himself as the center piece of the Temple offensive attack. Pierced suffered from injuries in the last several games of 2009, and back-up running back Matt Brown was efficient in his absence. Although there are split carry concerns, Temple coach Al Golden has made comments this offseason that Pierce will continue to be the workhorse and that he could see his workload increase behind a very experienced offensive line.

Shane Vereen played second fiddle to the talented Jahvid Best in 2009 until Best was lost for the season late in the year. Once taking over the starting role Vereen showcased the ability to carry a strong workload. California has four offensive linemen returning as well as starting quarterback Kevin Riley. Vereen will easily hit the 1,000 yard mark, but head coach Jeff Tedford has utilized a two running back attack in the past. True freshman Trajuan Briggs will find his way onto the field, and thus cut into how many carries Vereen will receive.

If Your Fantasy Draft Was Today (05/10/10)

We believe these are the top six fantasy backs for the 2010 season.

We like Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers as a safe choice as the No. 1 fantasy running back. There are several things that make “The Quizz” stand out. He does receive a workhorse amount of carries. There are no worries about split carries.  Although Rodgers doesn’t rack up as many rushing yards as some of these other backs, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the pack in receiving offense. If you play in a Points Per Reception league then Quizz’s fantasy value goes up even more.

We believe the next four players are all very similar in terms of fantasy value. As we tried to look at distinguishing this pack we came up with a handful of things we liked about their 2010 futures.

Dion Lewis is the player we favor the most in the pack. He has the largest workload of carries. Pitt will be breaking in a new quarterback, so the opportunity for more carries and redzone scoring opportunities is a strong possibility. With a less experienced passing attack, the coaches could decide to call Lewis’ number inside the redzone in situations where they would have passed the ball last season.

Shane Vereen should average the same amount of carries that Jahvid Best had two seasons ago. But Vereen is more durable and should not miss as many games as Best had over his Cal career. Bernard Pierce has a very good chance to blow away his 2009 numbers. The coaches are promoting Pierce very hard to the press, and they have stated there is no split carry situation for 2010. The fact that Pierce didn’t come on until midway through the season as well as missing the last several games means that his season averages are lower than what we can expect for 2010. As long as he can stay healthy he has an extremely high ceiling.

The final player in ths four-pack is UTEP’s Donald Buckram . We place Buckram at the bottom of this small pack only because we want to exercise caution with the UTEP offense. UTEP was a pass first, run second offense before Buckram came out of nowhere in the middle of the 2009 season. Our slightly cautious approach with Buckram most likely relates to our hangover from last summer’s high expectations of the UTEP passing offense.

The running back that we place at the bottom of this top six fantasy back list is Lance Dunbar . There are areas of caution that made us place him the No. 6 spot. The Mean Green will be breaking in a new quarterback. If they can’t generate enough passing production to keep defenses honest it will be difficult for Dunbar to get enough space to make things happen. There are many high powered offenses in the Sun Belt Conference. North Texas has a poor defense and they may find themselves too far behind to stick with Dunbar and the running game at times.

Joe Arpasi is the co-owner of CollegeFootballGeek.com , your premier resource for college fantasy football information. Check us out.