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By Jordan Hall
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Here’s a look at my 2011 fantasy football running back rankings.
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1 . Jamaal Charles KC
Charles is the perfect blend of everything. He may be the most talented runner in the league right now. He plays on a team that throws the ball just enough to keep the heat off the running game. He also has a reliable but non-threatening backup. He will be the leading scorer in the league this season.
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2 . Chris Johnson Ten
Johnson may be the fastest back in the league and the Titans will be leaning on him more than ever with the unsettled quarterback situation. He can take any play to the house and gets plenty of receptions. I like him slightly better than Peterson though they are in virtually the exact same situation.
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3 . Adrian Peterson Min
Always reliable and dangerous. I’m not a huge fan of him historically but he is always a top five producer.
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4 . Rashard Mendenhall Pitt
Mendenhall is one of the more underrated backs in the league. He gets in done and has nobody to snake his goal line touches. He is decent catching the ball out of the backfield and should boost his production from last season in that department.
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5 . Maurice Jones-Drew Jac
Injury risk but very talented. I would bank on him returning to his healthy contributions.
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6 . Darren McFadden Oak
I have a personal motto that I play all fantasy games by; “top prospects become top producers.” While this is obviously far from foolproof, more times than not it turns out to be true. McFadden started to deliver on his enormous talent and high draft pick last season. I think that this season will be his breakout season.
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7 . Felix Jones Dal
If there is one player that I would stake my reputation on for this season it would be Felix Jones. Dallas on paper has one of the best offenses on the league. While Jason Garrett loves to air it out, he will also give Felix his share of touches. He has as much potential as any back in the league and without any real threats to his touches, he will have a monster year.
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8 . Ray Rice Balt
Rice is a great receiver out of the backfield. This will add to his value. He is a good option going forward but I feel like he may have reached his ceiling.
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9 . LeSean McCoy Phi
Shady is about to break out. Philly will have an explosive offense and McCoy is just one of those weapons.
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10. Frank Gore SF
Gore has been much maligned recently. He has produced every year in recent memory but for some reason nobody gives him love. He may not be flashy, but he is a guy you can build your team around.
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11. Steven Jackson StL
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12. Arian Foster Hou
Foster led the league in scoring last year and while many are calling for a repeat, I don’t see it. He plays on a team that has a potent passing attack. He went undrafted and had 257 rushing yards going into last season. I think he will be decent but I’m not going overboard on him this year.
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13. Marshawn Lynch Sea
I am going overboard on Lynch. He may not be a number one fantasy back, but he is the clear cut guy in Seattle. He still has a lot of untapped potential and is still young. He may look scary but he puts the team on his back.
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14. Matt Forte Chi
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15. C.J. Spiller Buf
I love C.J. Spiller this year. I think he is a poor man’s LeSean McCoy. He is electric and will get plenty of catches out of the backfield. I think he will get the majority of the carries in Buffalo and make the most of them.
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16. Michael Turner Atl
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17. LeGarrette Blount TB
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18. Ahmad Bradshaw NYG
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19. Jonathan Stewart Car
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20. Peyton Hillis Cle
I am not a Hillis believer at all. I had him on my team and rode the wave, but crashed with him as he ran out of gas. He isn’t quick and has no passing game to support him. He does catch the ball well out of the backfield and is a beast. I am just not buying anything close to a repeat of last year.
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21. Ryan Torain Was
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22. Jahvid Best Det
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23. Danny Woodhead NE
I think that Woodhead will have a great year. He will get a ton of catches out of the backfield which will make up for not getting a ton of carries.
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24. Ryan Mathews SD
Mathews enters his post hype year. Last year this time he was the toast of the ESPN Mock Drafts and had a disappointing year due to injuries and ineffectiveness. He is still the same player he was then, I’m willing to take another chance on him.
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25. Shonn Greene NYJ
See Mathews, Ryan
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26. DeAngelo Williams Car
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27. Mark Ingram NO
I’m not convinced he’s going to be the feature back and I would stay away from him this season. I think that he will be a great back in the NFL someday, but I think he is going to be valued much too highly after his college career.
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28. James Starks GB
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29. Knowshon Moreno Den
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30. Michael Bush Oak
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31. Cedric Benson Cin
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32. Daniel Thomas Mia
My favorite rookie runner. He is stepping into a great situation and a lot of carries. He had a decent college career and should get the bulk of the work compared to Ricky Williams (if he returns).
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33. BenJarvus Green-Ellis NE
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34. Ben Tate Hou
I loved Tate last year; Foster’s breakout year may never have happened if it weren’t for his ankle injury. I still think that he is the better back and if Foster stumbles early, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tate got some carries and production.
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35. Justin Forsett Sea
Never been a fan.
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36. Fred Jackson Buf
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37. Ricky Williams Mia
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38. Ryan Williams Az
The Arizona backfield is a bloodbath. I would stay away from all three but I like Williams the best of the bunch.
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39. Ryan Grant GB
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40. Mikel Leshoure Det
Leshoure and Best are going to be dynamic this year in Detroit. They remind me a lot of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart over the past couple years. They both have individual value but are best coupled together.
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41. Donald Brown Ind
Another post hype guy. I’m a sucker.
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42. Mike Goodson Car
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43. Rashad Jennings Jac
If MJD gets hurt, Jennings might break out. He has game breaking speed, just seems too small to be a reliable contributor. Might be worth a pick in the last couple rounds.
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44. Reggie Bush NO
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45. LaDainian Tomlinson NYJ
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46. Brandon Jacobs NYG
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47. Thomas Jones KC
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48. Ronnie Brown FA
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49. Tim Hightower Az
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50. Shane Vereen NE
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51. Alex Green GB
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52. Chris Ivory NO
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53. Joe McKnight NYJ
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54. Jacquizz Rodgers Atl
I am a big fan of Rodgers this season. If Turner gets hurt, he may never get his job back because Rodgers is so talented. At least, he will be the third down back, and at most…well, you never know.
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55. Mike Tolbert SD
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56. Chris Wells AZ
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57. Kendall Hunter SF
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58. Joseph Addai Ind
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59. Cadillac Williams TB
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60. Roy Helu Wash
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61. Bernard Scott Cin
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62. Steven Ridley NE
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You can follow Jordan on Twitter @ twitter.com/#!/lefthandsmoke23

2 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

1. 

   Chris Barber
   July 19th, 2011 at 2:29 pm #

   wow – some gutsy calls for the top 10-15, including Arian Foster! definitely saving this article for my draft day

2. 

   LestersLegends
   July 19th, 2011 at 5:15 pm #

   I don’t quite have Jordan’s distrust in Foster. He’s my number one back.