[Tuesday Evening Edition]
Fantasy’s Best Running Back in 2009
Who Stands Head and Shoulders Above the Rest?....
Certainly naming the best pre-draft fantasy running back for 2009 is open to debate, but if you choose to take the safe road, there’s little doubt that the Vikings very own Adrian Peterson makes all the sense in the world.
After a fantastic 2008 campaign (1,700-yards plus and 10 touchdowns), Peterson really stepped into his own and arrived as an elite runner at the highest level. His 20 carries of 20-yards or more were far and away the best in the NFL last season. He also finished 2008 with 363 carries (ranked 2nd) showing his toughness and durability.
Peterson makes a great argument, but while I will not try to sell all of his stock here I am going offer three other candidates to consider and weigh-in with my choice at the end.
Last season saw the emergence of Michael Turner in Atlanta. Turner played several seasons in the shadow of LaDanian Tomlinson down in San Diegeo, but in his first season with the Falcons Turner turned quite a many heads around the league. The back-up runner turned loose scampered his way to nearly 1,700-yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. The Falcons will run the ball in 2009 and even with Jerious Norwood stealing the occasional carry; Turner is likely to reach the 325-plus carry plateau this season and will again see plenty of goal-line trots.
Now a name that is going to be on many folks radars heading into fantasy draft weekend will have to be the Bears own 2nd year running back Matt Forte. What will make Mr. Forte especially appealing in PPR leagues this summer are his 63 receptions a year ago (led all running backs). Forte also managed to find the endzone 12 times (8 rushing, 4 receiving) last season and with some of the changes made this offseason, he could easily become a bigger part of the Bear’s passing game. His 379 total touches last season were among the leaders at his position which should bode very well for fantasy owners this coming season.
There will be a lot of argument for those that have been left out, but one running back that has to be included is the Rams Steven Jackson. Just three seasons ago Jackson posted some ridiculous numbers with over 2,300 total yards, 90 catches, and 16 touchdowns. Jackson has hit a bit of a stumbling block over the past couple of seasons with injuries limiting his action to just 12 games in each of the last two. For the games he did play Jackson has been productive, but if he can stay healthy he has a great chance to be the 2,000-yard man. Last season in 12 games he finished with just over 1,000-yards on the ground and just under 400-yards receiving. Project over 16 games and he’s at 2,000-yards combined.
After a full 2008 season, we have seen what these backs are capable of, and all have proven to be worthy candidates to carry the title. But when you look at this short list, there is only one here that has been special. Even in his shortened season Steven Jackson proved to be a productive fantasy running back.
Health will be his biggest key. If Jackson can manage to play all 16 games, he’s is the Rams offense. Without a real suitable back-up and his great versatility, Jackson is very likely to see over 350 touches this season and could be one of a very few with a legitimate shot at 2,000-yards of offense in 2009.
My pick or prediction, this year’s best fantasy running back will be Steven Jackson.
Just my take.
Remember to check back for more "Monday Morning Huddle!"
Remember to check back for more "Monday Morning Huddle!"
No comments:
Post a Comment