Adrian Peterson and 7 Early Favorites at Running Back to Lead the NFL in Scoring

Week 8 is approaching, and all around the National Football League we've come to see and watch amazing running backs make powerful plays and light up the scoreboard.

Some of these running backs are the reason for their team's success. Others are the reason why their teams are hanging on by a thread.

As we come upon the halfway mark of this season, who stands today to be the leading RB in the NFL in scoring?

Beanie Wells

Beanie “Monster-Mash” Wells is known for his ground attack runs. He has the powerful ability to plow through his opponents to run the ball down the field.

He has rushed for 423 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns this season. 

Wells is a strong second half player where five of his six touchdowns have been scored.

The highest scoring season he’s had was in his rookie year in 2009 where he rushed for seven touchdowns that season. At the rate Wells is going, this might be his career high scoring season.

Matt Forte

Matt Forte is the heart of the Chicago Bears. He has rushed for 672 yards and two touchdowns this season.

While the Bears have struggled offensively in some games, Matt Forte proves dangerous when he gets his hands on the ball.

He ran for a career high on October 2^nd against the Carolina Panthers of 205 yards and a touchdown. While he is low on scoring so far this season, he still has a chance to climb his way up.

Frank Gore

Frank Gore is finding himself off to a good start after ending his season last year on IR on Week 12.

While he has only run for four touchdowns and 541 yards, he is still a strong running back with promise.

The running backs coach of the 49ers, Tom Rathman, calls Gore a real student of the game. He’s the player that sometimes calls Rathman late on Sunday night asking if he performed the plays right.

With his eagerness and determination, Gore will find a way to run in the game, either in the end zone or racking up yards.

Darren McFadden

The Oakland Raiders are lucky they have a bye this week as Darren McFadden will need some time to heal.

While there is no structural damage, this may be the perfect time for McFadden to heal by Week 9.

He has already put up some decent stats so far this season. He has run for 614 yards and four touchdowns.

The Oakland Raiders are a rushing team and definitely need McFadden to be healthy.

If this injury heals, McFadden could return to the game and put in more touchdowns for the Raiders.

LeSean McCoy

With the Philadelphia Eagles, LeSean McCoy has rushed for 569 yards and six touchdowns this season.

With Michael Vick behind him, he is the top rushing leader for the Eagles.

Five of his touchdowns were scored on the road.

On a team with a high rushing game, McCoy has a chance to rally up his rushing yards.

If he can start to score more rushing touchdowns at home, especially with the three straight home games coming up, he’ll be getting in more rushing touchdowns and be a top league rushing scoring contender against Peterson.

Fred Jackson

Fred Jackson, best known for his elusiveness, has already rushed for 601 yards and six touchdowns this season.

The Buffalo Bills are a rushing team, fourth best in the league in rushing yards.

Fred Jackson will be getting a lot more rushing yards this season and chances to rise his scoring, especially in the upcoming games against the New York Jets who are 26^th in rushing defense and have allowed nine rushing touchdowns this season.

Michael Turner

Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons ran for 621 yards and six touchdowns this season.  He is the top rushing leaders with the Falcons, averaging 4.5 yards a carry.

This year, Turner is becoming the focal point of this offense.

In his last game versus the Lions, he ran for 122 yards in 27 carries, the longest was a 50-yard run short of the end zone.

If Turner keeps this up, he’ll continue to get higher rushing yards as the season progresses and may be on the top to lead the league in scoring

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson has scored the most touchdowns and the most running yards among all running backs so far this season. He has run for 712 yards and eight touchdowns.

On a team with one of the worst passing games in the league, Peterson has picked up the slack with the Vikings, running for an average of 101.7 yards a game.

His team is third in the league in rushing yards and if they continue to use him, there is no doubt that Peterson will stay at the top all season long.