2008 Running Back Power Rankings: The Fantasy Football Geek Blog

By Brandon (FFGeekBlog) on Monday, June 23, 2008. Comment on this post

2008 Running Back Power Rankings

We all know the big question this season is LT or A-Pete, but while constructing this list I realized that after the top 5, the question is "Who the heck do I take?!" How can you justify taking someone like Frank Gore over Tom Brady or Randy Moss? Without falling back on the old "RB first" argument, you're going to struggle to argue that Gore will have more of an impact on your fantasy team than either of those two. Same goes for Larry Johnson, who last preseason was a top three running back, but is now the Albert Pujols of the draft (i.e. someone you're so scared to draft because of injury worries, but who could be a monster if he plays to his potential). While this list won't answer all your questions, hopefully it at least gives you some direction when it comes to deciding what running back to draft!

Bookmark this post, it's updated regularly! Last updated: 08/31/08
Rank	Player	Team	Notes
Tier 1: Best of the best
1	Tomlinson, LaDainian	SD	LT has been Mr. Fantasy Football for years now and I'll let him keep that title until A-Pete can prove that he's not the NFL's version of Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable.
2	Peterson, Adrian	MIN	If Minnesota can get one iota of production out of the quarterback position this season, it should make it all the easier for Peterson, who will initially be the target of every defender on every play.
Tier 2: Rest of the best
3	Addai, Joseph	IND	Over 1400 yards and 15 TD's (combined rushing and receiving) last year...I see a slight improvement over that this season as another year of maturity and experience in this potent offense.
4	Westbrook, Brian	PHI	Westbrook is the Eagles offense and last year was his best. He does turn 30 this season, but I expect at least one more solid year out of Westbrook, who is a PPR league's wet dream (90 receptions last year!).
5	Jackson, Steven	STL	There is some concern with Jackson's durability, after missing four games last season, but he has the skills to be a top fantasy football running back.
Tier 3: Solid RB1's
6	Gore, Frank	SF	Ehhh....things get a bit dicey here. The 49er's don't score a lot of touchdowns, but Gore is going to be a big part of what offense they can get.
7	Johnson, Larry	KC	At this point, Johnson is the ultimate wild card in the running back rankings. Will you get the awesome running back who scored 40 combined touchdowns over the 2005 and 2006 seasons? Or the running back that appeared to have lost his skills and durability as the offensive line fell apart?
8	Portis, Clinton	WAS	If he can stay healthy, expect another great year from Portis.
9	Barber, Marion	DAL	He's a monster and now he'll get every chance he wants to show it with Julius Jones out of town.
10	Lynch, Marshawn	BUF	Now that we don't have to worry about any suspensions, we can safely project Lynch to have a top 10 year at the position.
Tier 4: Could work as an RB1, but even better as an RB2
11	Jones-Drew, Maurice	JAX	We're expecting big things as MJD moves more into the feature back role and Fred Taylor moves into old age.
12	Grant, Ryan	GB	As with Earnest Graham, the one hit wonder worry factor is in play here, plus he's holding out for more money.
13	Lewis, Jamal	CLE
Tier 5: Quality RB2, but if you don't have an RB1 on your squad at this point you're in some trouble
14	McGahee, Willis	BAL	Arthroscopic knee surgery will have him miss the entire preseason and possibly limit him at the beginning of the regular season...stay tuned for updates.
15	Bush, Reggie	NO	In PPR leagues you can boost him a bit, but don't expect anything spectacular on the ground.
16	Graham, Earnest	TB	Is he a one hit wonder? The Bucs didn't think so when they extended his contract.
17	Parker, Willie	PIT	If he can return to his touchdown numbers of two years ago, he's an absolute bargain at this spot in the draft, but if he can't, good luck to his owners when he gets another two scores!
18	Maroney, Laurence	NE	The signing of LaMont Jordan doesn't help Maroney's cause, so he better show some good stuff early in the season, or his carries are going to get cut into...especially when Sammy Morris returns from his injury.
19	Jacobs, Brandon	NYG	There's some worry about a running back by committee situation in NY at this point.
20	Jones, Thomas	NYJ	Favre could be just what the doctor ordered to get those TD numbers up!
21	James, Edgerrin	ARI	Apparently he looks primed and ready to go for a solid fantasy season this year...let's hope he can stay healthy when he crosses the 30 year mark.
22	Turner, Michael	ATL	Lookin' good in preseason so far...can he do it when the games actually mean something?
23	White, LenDale	TEN	We're liking backup Chris Johnson more and more to steal carries from White this season, so make sure you grab him as a handcuff!
24	McFadden, Darren	OAK	I can't see Oakland completely phasing Justin Fargas out of the running game until McFadden proves that he's the real deal, so expect a slow start from D-Mac.
Tier 6: Serviceable RB2's, but hopefully they're coming off your bench during a bye week
25	Young, Selvin	DEN	Is he really going to be the feature back in Denver? At least we know Travis Henry is out of the picture this year, so that helps Young's cause.
26	Brown, Ronnie	MIA	He hasn't looked good in preseason, plus he's piling up injuries, while Ricky Williams has been shining. Even when he's back to near 100%, I expect to see a committee of some sort in Miami.
27	Stewart, Jonathan	CAR	The thought is that he will take over the starting role from DeAngelo Williams early in the season, if not in preseason, so keep an eye on this guy to see what he can do when he goes on display during August's exhibitions.
28	Perry, Chris	CIN	With Rudi Johnson cut from the team, Perry steps into the starting role. Perry has seen little to no action in his three years in the league to this point, so it's a big mystery of how he'll handle the starting role. My assumption is that backup Kenny Watson will also see plenty of carries.
29	Jones, Julius	SEA	He'll have the chance to prove that he doesn't need to be part of a running back by committee, but will he have any more success than the other Seattle running backs did last year?
30	Forte, Matt	CHI	Was Cedric Benson really that bad? Will Adrian Peterson be just as average? If Forte has the skills, he will be given all the chances in the world.
Tier 7: Handcuffs and the starting running backs of the Texans and Lions
31	Taylor, Fred	JAX	He's dropping far in drafts that I've seen, which makes him quite the value pick for a guy who just finished a season with over 1000 rushing yards. If you got MJD early in the draft, consider taking Taylor just in case.
32	Johnson, Chris	TEN	One of our sleeper picks this season!
33	Williams, DeAngelo	CAR	Although I guess he's officially the "starter" in Carolina, expect Jonathan Stewart to take over a bulk of the carries early in the year.
34	Williams, Ricky	MIA	Mandatory Ronnie Brown handcuff...looks real good in preseason and could be the starter for a bit while Brown recovers.
35	Fargas, Justin	OAK	He had a great year last season, but with McFadden in Oakland, he'll be forced into a running back by committee situation for sure. He's definitely a handcuff of McFadden though.
36	Green, Ahman	HOU	Will he even be the starter when the season begins?
37	Taylor, Chester	MIN	Obvious handcuff for Adrian Peterson owners
38	Smith, Kevin	DET	He just has to beat Tatum Bell for the job...
Tier 8: For handcuff purposes only! Or for using as trade bait to owners who didn't think to draft them.
39	Watson, Kenny	CIN	Looks like he'll be backing up Chris Perry now, instead of Rudi Johnson. I expect that he'll get more carries than he did while spelling Johnson, so make sure he's handcuffed to Perry in your draft.
40	Rice, Ray	BAL	With McGahee's injury likely to keep him out at least a week or so into the regular season, Rice is a must for Willis owners.
41	Mendenhall, Rashard	PIT	Fumbling problems aren't going to instill confidence in the coaching staff...especially around the goalline, where he was supposed to be the man.
42	Hightower, Tim	ARI	Looking real good in preseason and could be the man on the goal line. Edge owners should be taking Hightower at the end of the draft for insurance.
43	Foster, DeShaun	SF	Backup to Mr. Frank Gore...make sure he's on your roster if you're relying heavily on the 49er's running game.
44	Jones, Felix	DAL	I think the reason Dallas let Julius Jones go was because they thought MBIII could hold it down by himself. There's a chance though that maybe they though Felix Jones was a better back than Julius was and they didn't need JJ anymore for their platoon situation. Either way, Barber owners should look for this guy as a late round insurance policy in the draft.
45	Morris, Maurice	SEA	Will most likely split carries with Julius Jones.
46	Hester, Jacob	SD	Looks like the rookie will be the one backing up LT in San Diego.

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8 comments

#1. The Hazean, 6 months ago

Nice list, I definitely will try to keep up with your rankings.

#2. Doc's Sports Power Rankings Guy, 6 months ago

I'll make this easy for everyone - whoever gets Adrian Peterson is going to get screwed. There is absolutely no doubt that he's going to get hurt this year. In fact, I put the over/under on games he plays this year at 9.5 - and I'm taking 'under'.

It happened with the "no doubt" pick two years ago (Shaun Alexander) and the "no doubt" pick from last year (Larry Johnson). I am saying that without a doubt AP is going on IR! I also think that Chester Taylor becomes a fifth-round handcuff if you do get AP.

#3. Matt, 6 months ago

I definitely like Chester Taylor in or around the 5th round. A-Pete's likely injury issues coupled with the stellar Vikings o-line make Taylor a major sleeper.

#4. The Advisor, 5 months ago

With Dominic Rhodes coming back, Kenton Keith back there, and newcomer Mike Hart added to a now crowded backfield, I would slide Addai down a slot or two. Not to mention the fact the Brian Westbrook should be #2 on the rankings. AP is getting ranked too high on too many lists.

#5. The Advisor, 5 months ago

Two words: Steve Slaton. Shhhhhhhhhh don't tell anyone.

#6. Advisor, 4 months ago

Time for Jonathan Stewart to make a move north on this list! ^

He's starting to look a lot better as my RB2. Got him in round 6, might have been a steal, we'll see.

#7. SM, 4 months ago

No Ray Rice? With all the other injury talk in your rankings, Willis' back-up gets no love on the list?

#8. Brandon, 4 months ago

@SM: Good catch...he must have been a victim of the dreaded Cut/Paste. He's up there now!

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