Fantasy Football - Running Back Groups 2011

It's been a wild offseason in the fantasy running back world. Lots of free agent moves have significantly altered the running back landscape. The addition of Willis McGahee will have a significant negative effect on Knowshon Moreno, since McGahee will steal all the goalline carries. Tim Hightower moving over to Washington (and now Ryan Williams is out for the season) will give Beanie Wells the opportunity to dominate the carries in Arizona. The rookie to watch is Mark Ingram. He is walking into an excellent situation and should have plenty of opportunities to score at the goalline this season. I am expecting big things from Ingram. This is the hardest group to peg, so watch the pre-season closely.

Group 1

This group consists of the cream of the crop. These guys are match-up proof fantasy beasts. If you don't get one of these guys, you better have a great WR corps.

Rank Player Draft Round

• 1. Adrian Peterson Rd. 1
• 2. Chris Johnson Rd. 1
• 3. Jamaal Charles Rd. 1
• 4. LeSean McCoy Rd. 1
• 5. Arian Foster Rd. 1

Group 2

Very good RBs and possibly very good value if you can get them in round 2 or 3. Pairing one of these RBs with a 1st round WR or Top 3 QB can put you in the driver seat for a playoff spot.

Rank Player Draft Round

• 1. Maurice Jones-Drew Rd. 1/2
• 2. Frank Gore Rd. 1/2
• 3. Ray Rice Rd. 1/2
• 4. Steven Jackson Rd. 2
• 5. Darren McFadden Rd. 2
• 6. Rashard Mendenhall Rd. 2
• 7. Peyton Hillis Rd. 2
• 8. Jahvid Best Rd. 2

Group 3

Ideally your RB2 will be from this group. Solid weekly starters, but not necessarily guys you can count on for big numbers on a weekly basis. There are a lot of sleepers in this group (Forte, Greene, Williams).

Rank Player Draft Round

• 1. Michael Turner Rd. 3
• 2. Matt Forte Rd. 3
• 3. Shonn Greene Rd. 3
• 4. Ahmad Bradshaw Rd. 3/4
• 5. Knowshon Moreno Rd. 3/4
• 6. DeAngelo Williams Rd. 4

Best of the Rest

If you still need a starting RB at this point, don't wait any longer. Make sure you get one of the guys in this group. This is list contains the last realistic options at RB2. After this list goes you are hoping for a starter to take an injury or a rookie to take the job. It's not wise to rely on hope right after the draft, especially when it comes to trading. Needing to make a trade puts you at a major disadvantage.

Rank Player Draft Round

• 1. LeGarrette Blount Rd. 5
• 2. Beanie Wells Rd. 5
• 3. Ryan Grant Rd. 6
• 4. Reggie Bush Rd. 6
• 5. Joseph Addai Rd. 7
• 6. Felix Jones Rd. 7
• 7. Mark Ingram Rd. 8
• 8. Cedric Benson Rd. 8
• 9. Fred Jackson Rd. 9
• 10. Ryan Mathews Rd. 9

By Nick Domanico
CEO & Co-Founder of fantasy football website, www.fsfans.com.