2011 Fantasy Football Preview:RB's

The running back position remains the most important position in fantasy football.  The full time running back is a dying breed in the NFL as things turn to more of a RBBC approach.  After the top 10 running backs, things start to get dicey.  Get them early and often, because they aren't going to last long in your drafts again this year.

1. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - There are concerns in Minnesota (shaky O-line, passing game lacking talent), but there isn't a more consistent RB in fantasy football than AP.
2. Chris Johnson (Tennessee) - His holdout is only temporary and now that the Titans have a veteran QB to keep defenses honest, CJ2K is in for a big year.
3. Jamaal Charles (Kansas City) - Todd Haley has vowed to get Charles more touches.  How long have we been saying that now?  I'm expecting big things from JC again in 2011. 
4. Ray Rice (Baltimore) - 300+ carry, 60+ reception running backs are hard to find in this league.  Ray Rice is one of them.  He'll score more than 6 times in 2011.
5. Arian Foster (Houston) - The loss of FB Vonta Leach hurts.  Ben Tate is back from injury.  Gary Kubiak is capable of anything.  He's a stud, but AP and CJ2K are safer.
6. LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) - The Eagles added veteran RB Ronnie Brown to spell McCoy from time to time.  I think Brown plays a bigger part than we may think. 
7. Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh) - The lead running back on a run heavy offense will always produce solid fantasy numbers.  Double-digit touchdowns is a lock.
8. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) - The Jaguars are going to play Rashad Jennings a little more to lighten the load on MJD's banged up body.  His value is down this year. 
9. Steven Jackson (St. Louis) - The St. Louis offense has gotten much better.  His bad back is a concern but there is nobody else who will take carries/touches from him.
10. Michael Turner (Atlanta) - He won't help much in the passing game, but Turner is still a strong fantasy option due to his heavy workload and efficiency on the goal line.
11. Darren McFadden (Oakland) - Run DMC comes with some risk since he has a hard time staying healthy, however at his best there are few who are better.
12. Matt Forte (Chicago) - The Bears signed Marion Barber and he'll likely take goal line touches.  A Martz offense features the RB though, so Forte is still borderline RB1 material. 
13. Frank Gore (San Francisco) - Gore has been the bell-cow in San Francisco for years.  Almost to a fault.  He's worked to death, and I think he slows down some this year.
14. DeAngelo Williams (Carolina) - His fat new contract (5 years/$43 million) tell me he's going to get a lot of work in Carolina.  He's a very solid RB2.
15. LeGarrette Blount (Tampa Bay) - Blount is the workhorse on an up and coming offense.  He should approach 300 carries. He'd be ranked even higher if he caught some passes.

Sleeper:Michael Bush (Oakland) - It's the Darren McFadden show in Oak-town.  Even as McFadden's handcuff, Bush has nice value.  DMC is known to miss a game or two. Look for around 600-700 and 6-10TD's

Bust:BenJarvus Green-Ellis (New England) - The Patriots added not one, but TWO running backs in the draft. The Law Firm is losing business quickly.  Comes with some risk. I hate to do this but even though he is considered the lead back for the team right now there are just too many RB's in the fold.

Stay tuned for WR preview