NFL Predictions Week 1: Picking the Top Five RBs

It's early September. The weather is changing, kids are back in school, and Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann are back in the studio together.

That can only mean one thing.

The NFL is back!

No more OTAs, no more camp scrimmages, and no more meaningless preseason games riddled with meaningful injuries.

Tonight, the New Orleans Saints will take the field against the Minnesota Vikings at the Louisiana Superdome in a season-opening rematch of January's NFC Championship Game.

And America will rejoice.

As always, Week 1 is sure to be filled with excitement and intrigue, as every team will come out in earnest, playing as though this will finally be the year, hopes not yet dashed by losses and gashed by opposing running backs.

Speaking of running backs, there are sure to be some standout performances on the ground in Week 1. Here are five ball-carriers bound to rack up some serious yardage in this most glorious of weeks.

Adrian Peterson

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SAN FRANCISCO - AUGUST 22: Adrian Peterson #28 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball during their preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on August 22, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

For the season's first break-loose performance, look no further than the Thursday night matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints.

Under normal circumstances, Adrian Peterson would receive plenty of handoffs from Brett Favre and punish defenders on the way to another chunk of yardage.

With Favre's health in question and the receiving core in disarray following the loss of Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin's perpetual bout with migraines, expect A.D. to get even more opportunities to churn up turf—especially against the Saints' defense, which ranked 21st in the league against the run last season and returns much of the same mediocre group up front.

New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams may be a brilliant mind, coaxing enough turnovers out of his defense to help the Saints go 13-3 and win the Super Bowl.

But even Williams' schemes won't be able to stop Peterson from starting off the 2010 season with some serious yardage and perhaps a touchdown or two.

Chris Johnson

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NASHVILLE, TN - AUGUST 15: Chris Johnson #28 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball during the NFL pre-season game against the Oakland Raiders at LP Field August 15, 2008 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Once Sunday rolls around, all eyes will be on one back in particular.

Chris Johnson is poised for another monster season after blazing past the competition and into the books with the sixth 2,000-rushing-yard season in NFL history and the first 2,500-all-purpose-yard season on record, besting Marshall Faulk's previous mark.

Johnson has already predicted he'll pick up 2,500 yards on the ground this year, which would shatter Eric Dickerson's record.

While Johnson will be hard pressed to accrue such monumental mileage, he should nonetheless get off to a successful start in Week 1.

He'll be up against the Oakland Raiders, whose defense ranked 29th in the league against the run last season. While the additions of rookie linebacker Rolando McClain and veteran lineman John Henderson should eventually improve the Raiders' rushing D, any improvement is unlikely to be enough to stop Johnson, who is on a mission to NFL greatness in just his third pro season.

As such, fantasy owners and Tennessee Titans fans alike are bound to enjoy Johnson's Week 1 bounty.

Maurice Jones-Drew

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JULY 30: Maurice Jones-Drew 32 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first day of Training Camp at EverBank Field on July 30, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

While any and every fantasy footballer will be on the Chris Johnson bandwagon this week, just as many have seemingly abandoned that of Maurice Jones-Drew, the bowling ball back for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

They have plenty of justification for doing so. While MJD isn't on the Jags' injury report for Week 1, he has been dogged by questions concerning his knee, which many have posited as the reason he sat out practice for more than a week.

He and the rest of the team insist he was held out so he could "rest" and that the knee is "a non-issue."

He'll have plenty of opportunity to silence his doubters on Sunday against a Denver Broncos defense that is in flux, to say the least.

The Broncos will be without Elvis Dumervil in the linebacking corps and will be breaking in a brand new defensive line featuring Jamal Williams, Justin Bannan, and Jarvis Green, all of whom are veterans over the age of 30.

While the new size and experience should be a boon to Denver's ability to stop the rush (the Broncos were 26th against the run last season), it's unlikely that adding three big names, especially ones that are already over the hill, will be enough of an upgrade to stop the human pinball that is Mo Jo-Drew.

That's assuming, of course, that Jones-Drew is healthy enough to bounce.

Steven Jackson

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CLEVELAND - AUGUST 21: St. Louis Rams #39 Steven Jackson runs by #43 T.J. Ward of the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on August 21, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Health was a concern last season for the St. Louis Rams' Steven Jackson, who accumulated 324 carries and 1,416 yards—second-best in the NFL—on a horrible team while playing with a herniated disk.

That being said, Jackson looks to be healthy to start the 2010 season. Jackson, now 27, is also in the midst of his prime and will have plenty of chances to ring up yardage, with the rookie Sam Bradford set to start for the Rams and his go-to receiver, Donnie Avery, out for the year with a torn ACL.

On top of all that, Jackson and the Rams will be facing the Arizona Cardinals, whose defense is without the services of Antrel Rolle (Giants) and Karlos Dansby (Dolphins) and was already middle-of-the-pack against the last year.

Jackson may still have difficulty against the Cards' D, which will be loading up in the box to stop the run while daring Bradford to throw against the likes of Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes. However, if Bradford is steady at the very least and hands the ball off as much as he's expected to, Jackson, with his bruising running style, should still have a big day at the Edward Jones Dome.

Ricky Williams/Ronnie Brown

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MIAMI - NOVEMBER 09: Running back Ronnie Brown #23 and Ricky Williams #34 of the Miami Dolphins celebrate after Brown's touchdown run in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Dolphin Stadium on November 9, 2008 in Miami, Florida. The Dolphin

With Lousaka Polite and Jake Long anchoring one of the league's best run-blocking units, the Miami Dolphins' back attack should make mincemeat of a Buffalo Bills defense that gave up 156.3 yards per game on the ground, good for 30th in the league last year.

Question is, who will be doing the bulk of the damage for the Dolphins?

Ronnie Brown, the presumed starter, missed the last seven games of the 2009 season with a foot injury. Brown's backup, the enigmatic Ricky Williams, took full advantage of the opportunity, finishing the season with 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns at the age of 32.

If Brown and Williams both stay healthy, they could be the first Dolphins duo to run for 1,000 yards each since Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris during Miami's perfect season in 1972.

Expect them to get off to a running start at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday.