Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 5 Running Backs

The NFL is trending toward the two-back system but there are still a few workhorses in the league that are good fantasy bets. Here are the top five.

1. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

The Titans’ Chris Johnson is not only looking to lead the league in rushing for the 2010 season but looking to break the all-time single season rushing record.

“I’m shooting for 2,500, but I’ll be happy with anything over the record,” Johnson said.

The record is Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 yards in a season.

Johnson is coming off of a year in which he rushed for 2,006 yards. He did it in 358 yards carries for a strong 5.6 yards per attempt.

Johnson is young, fast and doesn’t have the tread on his tires that others in the league do. There’s no doubt he has a serious chance to push for Dickerson’s record.

The Titans are swapping out centers along the offense line but that shouldn’t make a huge difference to Johnson, who likes to capitalize on his speed by going off the tackle.They also like to get him the ball in the open field, which we saw a few times in his 503 receiving yards.

With over 350 carries in 2009, you might expect a decline in production but Johnson is still young enough that he will continue to rise -- maybe all the way to Dickerson’s record.

2. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Ray Rice is a new name at the top of the fantasy football rankings. He’s entering his third season and coming off of a very quiet, but incredibly productive season.

He rushed last year for 1,339 yards and had 702 receiving yards on a whopping 78 receptions. He averaged a very strong 5.3 yards per carry as well as 9.0 yards per reception.

Rice’s consistency is one of his strong suits. He had over 100 rushing and receiving yards in 14 of his 16 games. With Anquan Boldin added to the mix, it will open things up for him even more.

Willis McGahee is still on the Ravens roster but there are trade rumors swirling around him before the season even starts so if he’s still on the roster when the season starts, his only threat to Rice is taking away goal line carries.

Rice had over 2,000 rushing and receiving yards last year so it’s hard to call 2010 a breakout year but he should quickly establish himself among the fantasy elite.

3. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson is entering his fourth year in the NFL coming off of career highs in touchdowns and receptions. The jump in receptions was due to the arrival of Brett Favre so assuming he’ll return in 2010, that number shouldn’t change much.

With Favre, the Vikings can throw the ball with the best of them which hurts Peterson’s production. He had 49 less carries with Favre than the year before without Favre.

The big advantage he gains with Favre is touchdowns. The offense is able to move so much better creating more end zone opportunities and that’s something Peterson did last year leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 18.

Peterson’s young and has a bevy of talent around him so there’s no reason so think he shouldn’t put up another 1,400 yards, 15-18 touchdown season.

4. . Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

The four-year veteran really became the true feature back in 2009 with 312 carries. Before that he hadn’t ever carried the ball more than 200 times in one season so he doesn’t have a ton of wear and tear on him.

Jones-Drew’s strong suit is scoring touchdowns. Lots of ‘em. In the last four years, he’s had seasons of 13, 9, 12 and 15 touchdowns. Since he’s carrying the load himself -- one of only a handful of backs to do so -- that number isn’t expected to decrease.

He also had a career high of 1,391 yards last year which came out to an average of 4.5 yards per carry.

Jones-Drew is in the conversation for the elite fantasy running backs right now. Like most running backs, he probably won’t last long in the NFL so he’s likely in his prime right now.’

5. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams

He’s a very risky pick because of all the carries he’s taken in recent years. He’s considered a health risk not having played a full season since 2006.

But he did play 15 games in 2009 and that did get him a Pro Bowl nod. He has great numbers -- 1,416 yards rushing and 51 receptions for 322 yards receiving.

The problem? A weak four touchdowns.

The Rams offense was not very good in 2009 and couldn’t move the ball at all. With Sam Bradford in tow, that could change slightly in 2010. I suspect the Rams will rely more on the run game in 2010 to protect Bradford but at least he provides the ability to move the offense at times.

If Jackson can stay healthy, and if he can score touchdowns, he’ll be a top five fantasy back once again.