Fantasy Football (NFL) 2008: Week 5 Sleepers and Keepers Running Backs (RBs)

What a rough week for fantasy football players. 3-0 teams fell and 0-3 teams won. Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for 26 yards rushing. Larry Johnson exploded for 198 yards. This truly was a flip flop week. I did remarkably bad on my picks last week but it appears that throughout my leagues I wasn't the only one.
I'm looking extra hard this week but there remains a few no brainers for running backs. My top ten running backs include a few surprise sleepers and of course the regular keepers.

1) Marion Barber and Joseph Addai - I had to include these two together because of who they face and they are number one picks. Barber will rumble against Cincinnati and Addai is destined to have a good game against the very porous Houston defense. I would have to urge you start either one in any leagues. Next week will indeed be a running back week.

2) Matt Forte - Well Kyle Orton is still the quarterback even though he is looking slightly better. Nevertheless Forte should have a decent game against the very helpless Detroit defense. Look for somewhere in the neighborhood of two TDs and some decent catching opportunities. Brandon Lloyd went down and that leaves Forte as a solid WR2 option for Orton who tends to favor the running back.

3) Rudi Johnson - I'm not saying he'll have a spectacular game against the Bears defense but he was just named the starter over Kevin Smith. If Kitna is firing on all cylinders and the Lions suddenly find themselves ahead the Lions will run the ball. Another note of interest is the amount of time the ball was thrown to Johnson. The combination of catches and runs should be a qualified sleeper pick.

4) Jonathan Stewart - Facing the Kansas City Chiefs. I know the Chiefs just beat Denver but look for Stewart to convert at least one TD and gain some decent yardage.

5) Ricky Williams - Call this nothing more than a hunch but after a buy week I think Miami's trickery will ensue and this time it won't be Ronnie Brown who benefits. I understand San Diego is decent on defense but they aren't the same team without Merriman. With Brown's amazing performance against New England it was Williams' stats that were lost in the shuffle.

6) Steve Slaton - I may just include Slaton in the remainder of the weeks. This guy is legit and underrated. He is rounding out to be a nice Westbrook impersonator. He can scorch you on the ground or burn you in the air. Either way Slaton will produce against a shaky Indy defense.

7) Earnest Graham - Denver just gave up one heck of a running game to Larry Johnson and it doesn't look like the bleeding will stop anytime soon. Tampa will throw the ball and then try and slow the game down so look to Graham to have a monster game against a porous defense that can't seem to contain the run.

8) Clinton Portis - Yes Philly has a good offense but Portis loves to beat up the eagles with his punishing style of running. He should top the 100 yard mark, make a few catches, and get a TD in a close match that the Redskins will win.

9) Ryan Grant - He's feeling the best he felt all year so I expect a couple of quick strikes against Atlanta courtesy of Rodgers. Then the game will slow down and Grant will get some good yardage against a tired defense. Look for good things to happen down the way with Grant too now that him hammy is feeling much better.

10) Julius Jones - Back from a fresh bye as the clear RB1 in an offense that sees two of its star receivers returning. I expect a high scoring game and plenty of action for Jones who should get a few red zone carries and not disappoint with some decent yardage.