| Top 30 running backs for 2013 |
| Jamey Eisenberg | Dave Richard | Nathan Zegura |
| 1. Adrian Peterson, MIN | 1. Adrian Peterson, MIN | 1. Adrian Peterson, MIN |
| 2. Arian Foster, HOU | 2. Arian Foster, HOU | 2. Arian Foster, HOU |
| 3. Marshawn Lynch, SEA | 3. Marshawn Lynch, SEA | 3. Marshawn Lynch, SEA |
| 4. Ray Rice, BAL | 4. Trent Richardson, CLE | 4. Jamaal Charles, KC |
| 5. C.J. Spiller, BUF | 5. Ray Rice, BAL | 5. Trent Richardson, CLE |
| 6. Doug Martin, TB | 6. Doug Martin, TB | 6. Doug Martin, TB |
| 7. Trent Richardson, CLE | 7. Jamaal Charles, KC | 7. C.J. Spiller, BUF |
| 8. LeSean McCoy, PHI | 8. Alfred Morris, WAS | 8. Ray Rice, BAL |
| 9. Jamaal Charles, KC | 9. LeSean McCoy, PHI | 9. Alfred Morris, WAS |
| 10. Alfred Morris, WAS | 10. C.J. Spiller, BUF | 10. LeSean McCoy, PHI |
| 11. Stevan Ridley, NE | 11. Stevan Ridley, NE | 11. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC |
| 12. DeMarco Murray, DAL | 12. Chris Johnson, TEN | 12. Chris Johnson, TEN |
| 13. Chris Johnson, TEN | 13. DeMarco Murray, DAL | 13. Stevan Ridley, NE |
| 14. Matt Forte, CHI | 14. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | 14. DeMarco Murray, DAL |
| 15. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | 15. Matt Forte, CHI | 15. Matt Forte, CHI |
| 16. Darren McFadden, OAK | 16. Frank Gore, SF | 16. Darren McFadden, OAK |
| 17. Frank Gore, SF | 17. Darren McFadden, OAK | 17. Frank Gore, SF |
| 18. Darren Sproles, NO | 18. Mikel Leshoure, DET | 18. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, CIN |
| 19. Ryan Mathews, SD | 19. Reggie Bush, MIA | 19. Steven Jackson, STL |
| 20. Mikel Leshoure, DET | 20. Darren Sproles, NO | 20. Darren Sproles, NO |
| 21. Steven Jackson, STL | 21. Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG | 21. Ryan Mathews, SD |
| 22. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, CIN | 22. Ryan Mathews, SD | 22. Mikel Leshoure, DET |
| 23. Reggie Bush, MIA | 23. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, CIN | 23. Reggie Bush, MIA |
| 24. Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG | 24. Vick Ballard, IND | 24. Vick Ballard, IND |
| 25. Vick Ballard, IND | 25. Steven Jackson, STL | 25. Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG |
| 26. Shonn Greene, NYJ | 26. Shonn Greene, NYJ | 26. David Wilson, NYG |
| 27. Willis McGahee, DEN | 27. Knowshon Moreno, DEN | 27. Shonn Greene, NYJ |
| 28. Jonathan Stewart, CAR | 28. Jonathan Stewart, CAR | 28. Willis McGahee, DEN |
| 29. David Wilson, NYG | 29. David Wilson, NYG | 29. Jonathan Stewart, CAR |
| 30. Mark Ingram, NO | 30. Mark Ingram, NO | 30. Mark Ingram, NO |
| Fantasy owners are going to have a tough decision to make on the order of running backs after Peterson and Foster. ... Lynch is the easy choice at No. 3 because in two years as the starter for Seattle he scored 25 total touchdowns with over 1,400 total yards in each season. ... Rice loses value with the potential increase in workload for Bernard Pierce next year, but he still has 25 total touchdowns the past two seasons and at least 1,500 total yards in each of the past four years. ... Spiller is in my Top 5 because of his upside. Fred Jackson could be gone, and Spiller averaged 6.0 yards per carry and 10.7 yards per catch last season. ... I like McCoy and Charles, who will be tied together because of the Andy Reid connection. McCoy is a little safer because of his track record, but the new coach in Philadelphia will determine if he stays ranked behind Charles. I love Charles' upside with Reid, who had three primary running backs during his tenure with the Eagles (Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook and McCoy) who combined for six 1,000-yard rushing seasons, seven 1,500 total-yard seasons, nine seasons with at least 50 catches and five seasons with 10 total touchdowns. ... After Morris, who had an impressive rookie campaign, the guessing game sets in with which No. 2 running back to gamble on. Can Ridley repeat as a Bill Belichick running back? Can Murray, McFadden or Mathews stay healthy? How will Jones-Drew do coming off foot surgery? Are Gore and Jackson going to break down? ... You'll have to gamble on one or two of these guys because starting in Round 4 next year -- after the run on running back ends -- finding quality talent could be hard to do. -- Jamey Eisenberg |
| It's clear at the top between Peterson and Foster, though I could be swayed to push Foster down after such a heavy workload in 2012. ... Owners should have supreme confidence in 2012 rookies Richardson and Martin, both of whom should be effective with a year of work under their belts. Keep in mind with Martin, 33 percent of his Fantasy point totals came in consecutive games (Weeks 8 and 9) while Richardson had a little more consistency. Richardson also played with a broken rib and should be able to do better than 3.6 yards per carry. ... I'm still a fan of Jones-Drew, expecting him to be healthy in time for training camp, be it in Jacksonville or somewhere else. In a perfect world he ends up in a place such as Atlanta, which gets to face some historicially weak run defenses. But even if he stays with the Jags, he should get back to quality statistics. ... After Forte (15th ranked running back), things get ugly quickly at the position. Aiming to get two of the Top 15 running backs on Draft Day is a must in my opinion. ... It was interesting that the three of us like McFadden and Gore at 16th and 17th, basically representing the last two backs you'd be satisfied having as your second back. ... If there's a guy we all have ranked in the mid-late 20s who could ascend inside the top 20s, it's Wilson. He has exceptional speed and potential on a team with a solid offense (late last season notwithstanding) -- if he can learn to pass protect, he'll be one of a handful of backs owners will be happy to target as a No. 2 option with a pick in Round 4 or 5. Until then, he's probably more of a Round 6 or 7 choice. The same goes for Ballard in Indianapolis. -- Dave Richard |
| It has been a long time since I have felt so good about the Top 16 Fantasy running backs headed into a season. In fact, I think we will see many owners go back to the old RB-RB formula in the first two rounds of 2013 Fantasy drafts. ... Peterson is my clear top option after his remarkable 2012 season and is ahead of Foster, who I am definitely a little concerned about given that he has touched the ball 431 times in 18 games in 2012. ... I really like the runners from Lynch (consistent touches and production) through Morris and this group will likely have some shifts over the next few weeks/months based on some off-season moves. ... I do think Bernard Pierce will be playing a big role for the Ravens in 2013 and that could cut into Rice's overall production, which is why he is down at No.8. ... McCoy, MJD, Johnson, Ridley, Murray and Forte all have top 10 potential, but injuries and system will have a lot to do with where that talented group ends up. ...McFadden will finally be able to be drafted at a palatable spot and the fact that the Raiders jettisoned Greg Knapp will do wonders for him. ... After the Top 16 we do have some real question marks but plenty of upside. Mathews will go late enough in drafts that he can't torpedo your season and will have a reasonable chance at being a decent value. ... It will be very interesting to see what happens in New York because if the team turns the reigns over the Wilson, he could really climb up the rankings. ... There will also be a lot of movement in the rankings this offseason for running back, depending upon how some of these committees (Carolina, Miami, New York, Denver, Atlanta, New Orleans) shake out, we could end up with 20 or so backs with a good chance to shoulder the majority of the load for their respective teams, which would be great news for owners. -- Nathan Zegura |
