Fantasy Football Top 40 Running Backs for 2011: Updated as of August 26

How do the situations in Miami, San Diego and Green Bay (among others) affect our rankings?  Does Chris Johnson’s holdout send him falling down the rankings? Let’s take a peek at how things currently look:

1. Arian Foster – Houston Texans
2. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings
3. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs
4. Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens
5. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans
6. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles
7. Darren McFadden – Oakland Raiders
8. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons
9. Rashard Mendenhall – Pittsburgh Steelers
10. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers
11. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars
12. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams
13. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears
14. Shonn Greene – New York Jets
15. LeGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. Peyton Hillis – Cleveland Browns
17. Knowshon Moreno – Denver Broncos
18. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina Panthers
19. Ahmad Bradshaw – New York Giants
20. Jahvid Best – Detroit Lions
21. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys
22. Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals
23. Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals
24. Mark Ingram – New Orleans Saints
25. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers
26. Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills
27. Jonathan Stewart – Carolina Panthers
28. Joseph Addai – Indianapolis Colts
29. Reggie Bush – Miami Dolphins
30. Tim Hightower – Washington Redskins
31. Daniel Thomas – Miami Dolphins
32. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots
33. Ryan Grant – Green Bay Packers
34. Mike Tolbert – San Diego Chargers
35. James Starks – Green Bay Packers
36. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks
37. Brandon Jacobs – New York Giants
38. C.J. Spiller – Buffalo Bills
39. Bernard Scott – Cincinnati Bengals
40. Rashad Jennings – Jacksonville Jaguars

Thoughts:

• What are we supposed to do with Chris Johnson at this point? You have to think that he is going to sign in time for the opening of the season, don’t we? He’s slowly starting to creep down the rankings, though I wouldn’t drop him from the top five quite yet. If we are sitting here in a week and he still hasn’t signed, things are going to get real interesting.
• According to Tom Silverstein of the Sporting News, “Grant, meanwhile, hasn’t looked like his old self, but the club guaranteed his salary in exchange for a $1 million pay cut, so it can’t cut him. Grant really needs to show something Friday because rookie Alex Green is right on his heels. In other words, Grant’s potential value is starting to plummet, while Starks is beginning to quickly move up. After Week 3 of the preseason, Starks could easily be the favorable pick for fantasy owners.
• I mentioned it in our Running Back Risers and Fallers, but Ahmad Bradshaw’s stock is quickly falling. While he’s still worth owning as a RB2, chances are his time share with Brandon Jacobs is going to be a lot closer to 50/50 than anyone initially believed.  That has to drop him a few spots down in these rankings.
• Mike Tolbert or Ryan Mathews? Will either of them emerge as the Chargers go to back?  Not likely, making both much better suited to be RB3 for fantasy owners. However, if you are going to own one, you will certainly want to own both just in case.
• Will the Dolphins actually give Reggie Bush an opportunity to be the RB1? It’s hard to imagine him suddenly being able to handle those responsibilities, though Daniel Thomas’ lackluster showing thus far is going to give him the chance. It’s a tough call who you would rather own, though with Bush looking good he may be the better option right now.  Flip a coin.
• So much for C.J. Spiller taking advantage of his opportunity to win the Bills’ starting running back job, huh? Fred Jackson remains the better selection at this point.
• Beanie Wells is the last man standing in Arizona and suddenly looking like he could finally live up to the potential we’ve heard about for all these years. He’s still a RB2, but one with significant potential.

Make sure to check out all of the rankings from Rotoprofessor:

Top 30 Quarterbacks
Top 50 Wide Receivers
Top 20 Tight Ends
Top 15 Kickers
Top 15 Defenses