(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs (RBs)

Although we are more than two months away from the start of NFL training camps, we have already updated our initial Fantasy Football rankings from April 19th.

Here are my (updated) Top 40 Fantasy RBs for 2010:

1. Chris Johnson , Titans (previous 1): 2,006 yards. 11 straight 100-yard games. That's virtually impossible to repeat, but with 4.24 speed, Johnson can take it to the house on any given play—provided he doesn't hold out (at least, for more than training camp).

2. Adrian Peterson , Vikings (previous 2): I would love to get AD as the second running back, but there are too many other weapons in the Vikes offense (assuming a Favre return, which seems like a lock after ankle surgery ) and only one football to take over "Every Coach's Dream" for the top spot.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew , Jaguars (previous 3): Is MJD dynamic? Absolutely. Could he be the most productive RB in fantasy? Possibly. But, for inexplicable reasons, MJD will have games with six or eight carries. What if one of those is in Week 16?

4. Ray Rice , Ravens (previous 4): Rice led RBs in receptions (78) and receiving yards (702) in 2009. He was one of only two backs to have over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.

5. Michael Turner , Falcons (previous 5): The good news? Turner didn't take the punishment of another 394-carry (counting playoffs) season in 2009. The bad news? It was because of his ankle injury. With good health (knock on wood), The Burner should be a top-five fantasy back in 2010.

6. Steven Jackson , Rams (previous 6): With the Rams lack of offensive weapons to complement Jackson, opposing defenses knew what was coming. Yet Jackson still finished second in the NFL in rushing, which is more remarkable considering the back issues he had last year. This offseason Jackson had back surgery , but he expects to be ready for training camp.

7. Frank Gore , 49ers (previous 8): With two first-round picks, the 49ers drafted two offensive linemen (Trent Williams and Mike Iupati). And just as importantly for his fantasy value, they didn't draft running back C.J. Spiller (who was selected by the Bills ).

8. Rashard Mendenhall , Steelers (previous 7): Starting in Week four, Mendenhall rushed for 1,068 yards and seven touchdowns in the final 13 games of the season. (That's a 1300-yard pace.) With Fast Willie in D.C. now, a repeat (or even an improvement) of that pace seems likely.

9. Cedric Benson , Bengals (previous 9): As a back I recommended to target in 2009 fantasy drafts , Benson led the NFL in rushing for a good part of the season. Benson will be the featured workhorse again in 2010.

10. Ryan Grant , Packers (previous 10): As the runner for one of the league's best aerial assaults, Grant should continue to see a lot of seven-men fronts with lanes to run. He's a steady producer that's often overlooked on draft day.

11. DeAngelo Williams , Panthers (previous 11): One of the league's top backs; although the Panthers have the league's best backup RB, Williams has rushed for 2,632 yards and scored 27 touchdowns (25 rushing and two receiving) in the past two seasons.

12. Beanie Wells , Cardinals (previous 12): With the retirement of Kurt Warner and the departure of Anquan Boldin (to Baltimore), the Cardinals will likely rely more on their running game in 2010. And Wells, who had 338 rushing/receiving yards in his last four games, should be ready to capitalize.

13. Ryan Mathews , Chargers (previous unranked): Mathews will be the top-ranked rookie running back. Not only does he have the skills (NCAA's second-leading rusher), Chargers coach Norv Turner expects Mathews to get around 250 carries in 2010. Only nine running backs had more in 2009.

14. Jamaal Charles , Chiefs (previous 12): Charles tore it up in the second half (968 rushing yards, 158 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns), including a record-setting performance in the finale, but the Chiefs have added Thomas Jones, who rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards in 2009. Charles and Jones don't seem to be selfish , which is great for the Chiefs and bad for fantasy.

15. Jonathan Stewart , Panthers (previous 14): We saw what The Daily Show could do without DeAngelo Williams in the lineup: (440 rushing yards in the final three games). Barring an injury to Williams, however, Stewart will get less than 50 percent of the available touches, which keeps him from reaching his full potential.

16. Shonn Greene , Jets (previous 15): The Jets replaced one thirty-something back with another, but it's Greene's team now. And with arguably the league's best line in front of him, he should have a monster season.

17. Knowshon Moreno , Broncos (previous 17): Moreno led all rookies in rushing (947 yards) and finished 16th overall, even though he failed to go over the 50-yard mark in seven of his 16 games. He should be more consistent in 2010.

18. Pierre Thomas , Saints (previous 18): With the offseason departure of Mike Bell, Thomas should get more carries in 2010 than he was given in 2009 (147). In 14 games, he finished with 1,095 (793 rushing and 302 receiving) yards in 2009 and averaged 5.4 yards per rushing attempt.

19. Ronnie Brown , Dolphins (previous 19): When healthy, he's elite. However, he's missed 20 games in his five-year career. Therefore, his best season was 2006 when he finished with 1,008 rushing yards. Feeling lucky?

20. LeSean McCoy , Eagles (previous 21): The days of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are over in Philly. In the eight games that Westbrook missed in 2009, McCoy rushed for 473 yards and four touchdowns and caught 22 passes for 163 yards. A combined rushing/receiving total of 1,300-plus seems reasonable for 2010.

21. Joseph Addai , Colts (previous 22): In 2009, Addai never rushed for more than 79 yards in a game and averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. That said, he finished with 13 total touchdowns in 15 games and had scores in 10 of those games. Plus, his 51 receptions tied for sixth among running backs.

22. Brandon Jacobs , Giants (previous 23): After back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Jacobs rushed for only 835 yards, despite getting a career-high 224 carries. Even worse, his touchdown production dropped from 15 in 2008 to five in 2009. While there's a chance that Ahmad Bradshaw could get more of an even split of carries in 2010, it's hard to imagine a back with Jacobs' combination of size and speed not bouncing back in 2010.

23. Felix Jones , Cowboys (previous 26): Jones, who is a big-play threat, could become the starter in 2010. In two playoff games, Jones rushed for 217 yards on 30 carries (average of 7.2 YPC).

24. Ricky Williams , Dolphins (previous 24): He proved he can post big numbers if (or when) Ronnie Brown misses action. But these numbers—751 combined yards and seven touchdowns in nine games—came with Brown in the lineup.

25. Fred Jackson , Bills (previous 20): When he received the bulk of work (over Marshawn Lynch), Jackson flourished as one of only 15 running backs to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark, helped by a 212-yard performance in the season finale. He also finished 10th among RBs in receptions (46). The main question is how will the Bills use first-rounder C.J. Spiller?

26. Marion Barber , Cowboys (previous 25): Double-digit touchdowns are no longer a lock—Felix Jones may be the featured guy in 2010 and MBIII struggled to stay healthy last year. Therefore, he's the second best fantasy running back on the team in 2010.

27. Jerome Harrison , Browns (previous 18): By drafting Montario Hardesty (who has since impressed coach Eric Mangini ) in the second round, Harrison will have to share the workload with the rookie. But in the final three weeks of the season, Harrison had 561 yards and five touchdowns on 106 carries. Then again, he had only 88 carries for 301 yards and no scores in his other 11 games played. So, I guess we'll see.

28. Cadillac Williams , Buccaneers (previous 31): Cadillac had a solid (and, more importantly, healthy) season. His best month of the season was his last as he rushed for 301 yards in four December games with an average of 4.7 yards per carry.

29. Matt Forte , Bears (previous 30): This consensus top-five pick in 2009 was arguably Fantasy Football's biggest disappointment. With newcomers Mike Martz and Chester Taylor in town, 2010 is likely to be more like 2009 (929 rushing yards) than 2008 (1,238 rushing yards) for Forte.

30. Thomas Jones , Chiefs (previous 27): Thirty-something running backs tend to see precipitous declines in production. Despite setting career highs in rushing yards and touchdowns, Jones will back up Jamaal Charles in 2010.

31. LaDainian Tomlinson , Jets (previous 28): L.T. called his game film from last year "misleading." But he's gone from 1,474 yards (315 carries) to 1,110 yards (292 carries) to 730 yards (223 carries) over the last three seasons. Despite moving to a team with arguably the best offensive line, the trend is fairly obvious.

32. Ahmad Bradshaw , Giants (previous 29): Bradshaw averaged 1.1 yards more per carry than Jacobs did, and scored two more touchdowns despite getting 61 fewer carries. Bradshaw had offseason surgery on his feet and ankle, but he says that he feels "10 times better."

33. C.J. Spiller , Bills (previous unranked): Like the guy that tops this list, Spiller is a big-play threat with world-class speed that can take it to the house on any given play.

34. Ben Tate , Texans (previous unranked): Steve Slaton says that he's "100 percent." That said, the Texans traded up to draft Ben Tate, who ranked third on my list of rookie running backs for fantasy football . If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Tate being the Texans' leading rusher in 2010.

35. Jahvid Best , Lions (previous unranked): The Lions moved back up into the first round to select Best . With a healthy Kevin Smith or not, it appears as though Best will get a larger workload than Smith.

36. Michael Bush , Raiders (previous 34): Bush led the Raiders in rushing in 2009 with 589 yards. With Justin Fargas no longer in the mix, there will be more carries for Bush and Darren McFadden. Despite McFadden's potential, Bush has produced (career 4.6 yards per carry) when given a chance.

37. Montario Hardesty , Browns (previous unranked): Hardesty has impressed the coaching staff in Cleveland with his physical running style and ability to pick up the offense, and should push Jerome Harrison for carries in 2010.

38. Kevin Smith , Lions (previous 33): After offseason knee surgery, Smith might not be ready (or 100 percent) for the start of the season. Smith had 747 rushing yards and 415 receiving yards in 13 games in 2009, but the addition of Jahvid Best obviously hurts his fantasy value.

39. Steve Slaton , Texans (previous 36): There are plenty of concerns: fumbles lost, offseason neck surgery (although he says he's "100 percent") and Houston drafting Ben Tate. But in 11 games last year, Slaton still racked up 854 combined yards and scored seven touchdowns. That's a pace of 1,242 yards and ten touchdowns. Plus, he had 1,659 combined yards and 10 touchdowns in his 2008 rookie campaign.

40. Justin Forsett , Seahawks (previous 32): It looked as though the new regime led by coach Pete Carroll would give Forsett a fair shot to win the role as the featured back over Julius Jones. Although the Seahawks didn't draft competition for Forsett, they traded for LenDale White , who played for Carroll at USC, and for Leon Washington, who's one of the league's most versatile backs (when healthy). For now, I'm going to keep Forsett ahead of the other Seattle backs, but that could change.

Also, check out our other 2010 Fantasy Football rankings: Top 25 QBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

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