Fantasy Football 2009: Top 10 Running Backs to Draft

Traditionally in Fantasy Football, landing a big Running Back or two during your Draft has been vital to the success of your team. Now, with most NFL teams going to a two-back system, landing the right Running Back is more important than ever. Here then are the Top 10 Running Backs to own for the 2009 Fantasy Football Season.

1) Adrian Peterson (Vikings)

Peterson is in a league of his own after setting a single game rushing mark in 2007, and leading the NFL in rushing in 2008 with 1,760 yards in 363 carries. Picking this NFL Superman in the first round of the draft is a no brainer. The only concerns with Peterson may be with his history of injuries in college, but he is now more than two seasons removed from that.

2) Michael Turner (Falcons)

Everyone know Turner was good all those years he was backing up Tomlinson in San Diego, but "good" is not a good enough word to describe Turner who's 2008 fantasy football season was better than Peterson. Last year Turner rushed for 1,699 yards and 17 TDs. What's more, he has only logged 604 lifetime carries, so his legs are plenty fresh. With Matt Ryan and Roddy White helping the Falcon's to be a competitive team, look for another big year from Turner.

3) Brandon Jacobs (Giants)

Yes, there are plenty of backs that will get more carries and gain more yards in 2009, but the 6-4, 264 lbs Jacob will get his yards (he averages 5.0 yards a carry) and get the ball near the goal line. Last season he scored 15 times in only 13 games, while breaking the 1,000 yard barrier for the second straight season. Remember, a 70 yard, one touchdown day from Jacobs, beats a straight up 100 yards day without a TD in fantasy football. Take Jacobs as early as you can.

4) Matt Forte (Bears)

Forte was a workhorse for the Bears in his rookie season, getting over 20 carries in 11 out of 16 games. Add to that the fact that he also caught 63 passes and had +1,700 yards from scrimmage and you have a first class Fantasy Football back. Forte is not a sexy pick, but he gets the job done.

5) DeAngelo Williams (Panthers)

It's time to give DeAngelo his due, after all the Panther back ran for over 1,500 yards last season and scored a total of 20 times. The steady Williams had 8 games of over 100 yards rushing and twice score 4 TDs in a contest. Still, with Jonathan Stewart on board, look for Williams TD totals to take a dive this season. He will be good, but don't look for him to be 2008 good.

6) Clinton Portis (Redskins)

Portis is a workhorse, and a good one at that. But as good as he is considered he has already logged 2052 carries in 100 career games. That is a whopping 20.5 carries a game over seven years; time for Portis to start slowing down. Go ahead and draft him but keep an eye on him, if his number of touches deteriorate, trade him.

7) Stephen Jackson (Rams)

When healthy few backs are better than Jackson in Fantasy Football. In 2006 over a full season, Jackson had over 2,300 yards from scrimmage. The last two years though, he has only played in 12 out of 16 games. Still, consider that each of those shorten seasons he still rushed for over 1,000 yards and caught over 35 passes in each, and you begin to understand that even his downside is not all that bad.

8) Kevin Smith (Lions)

After a slow start last season, Smith began to establish himself as the workhorse he was in college at UCF, collecting over 20 carries in 6 out of the last 8 games of the seasons. Able to catch passes as well, there is no reason to believe that Smith won't be a top 10 runner in 2009. Having said that, he still plays for the Lions, and he will need help from the team. Keep an eye on the Lions' offense in the pre-season if you decide to take him.

9) LaDainian Tomlinson (Chargers)

Tomlinson is no longer the Fantasy Football god he was in the past, 3,167 touches in 127 games take a toll on the body. Given that, and that the Chargers are bound to spell him with Darren Sproles, and you begin to feel he will be lucky to crack the 1,000 yard and 10 TD barriers in 2009. If you take him, take Sproles as well for insurance.

10) Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars)

The Jaguars got ride of Fred Taylor this off-season, and started giving the ball more and more to Jones-Drew down the back stretch in 2008. Considering that Drew has scored 38 TDs in 3 years of limited touches, it was a good idea to do both. In three full seasons of limited touches Jones-Drew has also averaged over 1,300 yards from scrimmage. So, what is not to like about this 5-7 back out of UCLA?

If you pass on these 10, there is always Larry Johnson, Willi Parker, Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, Ryan Grant and Brian Westbrook to choose from. Each of these comes with their own sets of reservation, but they make up the tier of top backs.

Statistical Sources:

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