NFL Conference Championships Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

Ryan LesterJan 19, 2011

Michael Turner, Ray Rice, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Marshawn Lynch were sent packing last week. We’re down to the final four, and here are the running back rankings for the Conference Championship games.

1. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers: Mendenhall ran for a pair of touchdowns last week against a tough Ravens defense. He’ll have his work cut out for him when he faces the Jets, but he did run for 99 yards and a score against them in Week 15. He has scored in 12 of the Steelers' 17 games this year, making him a solid bet to get in the end zone once again.

2. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears: Forte averaged 117.4 total yards in the Bears’ final seven regular season games. He continued to run hot, piling up 134 total yards (80 rushing, 54 receiving) in the win over Seattle. That’s three straight games with at least 54 receiving yards for Forte. He had 151 total yards in the season finale against the Packers.

3. LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets: LT scored for the second straight week, giving him three touchdowns this postseason. I give him a slight edge over Shonn Greene because of his role in the passing game and in short yardage situations.

4. Shonn Greene, New York Jets: Shonn Greene has been very active in the playoffs with 36 carries in two games. He seldom gets in the end zone and is not very active in the passing game, so his value is lowered.

5. James Starks, Green Bay Packers: Starks is clearly the feature back, averaging 24 carries in the Packers' two playoff wins. He wasn’t nearly as effective against Atlanta and I see the sledding being equally tough against Chicago.

6. John Kuhn, Green Bay Packers: Kuhn will be called upon to get the tough yards. He is also capable in the passing game.

7. Chester Taylor, Chicago Bears: Used sparingly this season (112 carries, 20 catches), Taylor had 44 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries last week. He’s not a good bet for another productive game, but the playoffs can be so unpredictable.

8. Brandon Jackson, Green Bay Packers: Jackson has been the forgotten man. He only has four carries in the playoffs, but could see a few looks in the passing game.

9. Mewelde Moore , Pittsburgh Steelers: Moore had just two carries for 12 yards against the Ravens, and just 604 total yards (99 rushing, 205 receiving) on the year. I wouldn’t dream of endorsing him, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a short touchdown catch.

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