Dynasty Rankings: Running Backs
As explained in Thursday's Quarterback Rankings, I haven't updated my Dynasty league blog since before the draft. Since I'm finally getting around to mass updates, I'm rolling them out on Pancake Blocks one position at a time, with Running Backs on the agenda today.
A few notes of interest on the running backs:
1. As most of you know, I'm an unabashed Chris Johnson true believer. I make no apologies for his high ranking and firmly believe he's a special talent and a true nucleus player for Dynasty leaguers.
2. Tier two is a bottleneck. The last could be first and the first could be last. I'm perfectly willing to admit that the two top rookies may be too high, but the rest of the backs in that tier have significant questions preventing them from holding down true stud status. The rookies, though, have the talent and opportunity to be RB1s for a long time.
3. Clinton Portis is too low, I know. But I just have no interest in being left holding the bag when he falls off the cliff . . . and I get the feeling the cliff is coming like a freight train.
4. Darren McFadden is too high and Steve Slaton is being disrespected. Very possible. I think Slaton lacks staying power just as I believed that players like Willie Parker and Joseph Addai lacked staying power. McFadden still has a chance to be special.
OK, on to the rankings. . . .
RUNNING BACKS
Tier One
1. Adrian Peterson, MIN | Age: 24.5 | Value Score: 100
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX | Age: 24.4 | Value Score: 98
3. Chris Johnson, TEN | Age: 23.9 | Value Score: 97
4. Steven Jackson, STL | Age: 26.1 | Value Score: 95
5. Matt Forte, CHI | Age: 23.7 | Value Score: 93
Tier Two
6. Frank Gore, SF | Age: 26.2 | Value Score: 87
7. Michael Turner, ATL | Age: 27.5 | Value Score: 87
8. DeAngelo Williams, CAR | Age: 26.4 | Value Score: 85
Tier Three
9. Knowshon Moreno, DEN | Age: 22.2 | Value Score: 76
10. Beanie Wells, ARI | Age: 21.1 | Value Score: 75
11. Marion Barber, DAL | Age: 26.3 | Value Score: 74
12. Brian Westbrook, PHI | Age: 30.0 | Value Score: 73
13. Marshawn Lynch, BUF | Age: 23.4 | Value Score: 73
14. Ronnie Brown, MIA | Age: 27.7 | Value Score: 72
15. Brandon Jacobs, NYG | Age: 27.2 | Value Score: 72
16. Jonathan Stewart, CAR | Age: 22.5 | Value Score: 70
17. Darren McFadden, OAK | Age: 22.0 | Value Score: 70
18. Steve Slaton, HOU | Age: 23.7 | Value Score: 69
19. Pierre Thomas, NO | Age: 24.7 | Value Score: 69
Tier Four
20. Clinton Portis, WAS | Age: 28.0 | Value Score: 62
21. Donald Brown, IND | Age: 22.4 | Value Score: 60
22. Reggie Bush, NO | Age: 24.5 | Value Score: 60
23. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | Age: 30.2 | Value Score: 59
24. Kevin Smith, DET | Age: 22.7 | Value Score: 57
25. Ryan Grant, GB | Age: 26.7 | Value Score: 55
Tier Five
26. Rashard Mendenhall, PIT | Age: 22.2 | Value Score: 46
27. Ray Rice, BAL | Age: 22.7 | Value Score: 44
28. Derrick Ward, TB | Age: 29.1 | Value Score: 43
29. Shonn Greene, NYJ | Age: 24.1 | Value Score: 42
30. Felix Jones, DAL | Age: 22.3 | Value Score: 42
31. Willie Parker, PIT | Age: 28.8 | Value Score: 40
Tier Six
32. Joseph Addai, IND | Age: 26.3 | Value Score: 32
33. LeSean McCoy, PHI | Age: 21.2 | Value Score: 32
34. Cedric Benson, CIN | Age: 26.7 | Value Score: 29
35. Laurence Maroney, NE | Age: 24.5 | Value Score: 28
36. Larry Johnson, KC | Age: 29.8 | Value Score: 28
37. Thomas Jones, NYJ | Age: 31.0 | Value Score: 27
38. Willis McGahee, BAL | Age: 27.9 | Value Score: 26
39. Jamaal Charles, KC | Age: 22.7 | Value Score: 24
40. Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG | Age: 23.5 | Value Score: 22
41. Michaeal Bush, OAK | Age: 25.3 | Value Score: 20
Tier Seven
42. Darren Sproles, SD | Age: 26.3 | Value Score: 14
43. Andre Brown, NYG | Age: 22.7 | Value Score: 13
44. LenDale White, TEN | Age: 24.7 | Value Score: 12
45. Le’Ron McClain, BAL | Age: 24.7 | Value Score: 11
46. Fred Jackson, BUF | Age: 26.3 | Value Score: 11
47. Tashard Choice, DAL | Age: 24.8 | Value Score: 10
48. Leon Washington, NYJ | Age: 27.0 | Value Score: 9
49. Jerious Norwood, ATL | Age: 26.1 | Value Score: 9
50. Jamal Lewis, CLE | Age: 30.0 | Value Score: 8
51. Julius Jones, SEA | Age: 28.0 | Value Score: 7
Tier Eight
52. Jerome Harrison, CLE | Age: 26.5 | Value Score: 5
53. Earnest Graham, TB | Age: 29.7 | Value Score: 5
54. Chester Taylor, MIN | Age: 30.0 | Value Score: 5
55. Sammy Morris, NE | Age: 32.5 | Value Score: 4
56. Fred Taylor, NE | Age: 33.6 | Value Score: 4
57. Brandon Jackson, GB | Age: 23.9 | Value Score: 4
58. Justin Fargas, OAK | Age: 29.6 | Value Score: 4
59. James Davis, CLE | Age: 23.7 | Value Score: 3
60. Arian Foster, HOU | Age: 23.1 | Value Score: 3
Comments
Thanks but I'll just take all the LT cast offs from those owners that love shiny pieces and let them draft rookie RBs in the higher rounds when they are unknown quantities. Secret to my success. That tip there is for free
Posted by: cochisewv | May 22, 2009 01:51 PM
You have Justin Fargas ranked too high. Other than that I agree 100% with these rankings. You are the god of all you survey Wess.
Posted by: yosh | May 22, 2009 02:00 PM
thanks godbron. if you don't have anything constructive to add why are you in the comments section? you are clearly know much better than these rankings and i'm guessing i'm not the only one who would miss you if you never read any of them again.
for the sake of discussion, i would say several people didn't see chris johnson coming. namely, 23 other general managers in the nfl. not to say others wouldn't have taken him if rb were a more pressing need, but i would sincerely doubt he would go that low in a redraft of the exact same players. to me, that means wess identified some value in ranking him so high last year.
beyond that, your argument about his misses is not very strong in my mind. everyone is going to have misses. if you could predict the future, you clearly wouldn't have clicked on a link to read some lowly dynasty rankings. the key is to identify elite talent before others do so you can get them at a bargain. which had happened on several of the rookie rankings chris has posted over on his blog.
Posted by: joeymitch | May 22, 2009 02:10 PM
Godbron,
I don't mind if you disagree. I certainly don't have all the answers. There other ways to value the players, different ways to skin a cat, whatever. But you're sort of running the quality discussion into the ground here. Maybe you could take your comments in a different direction?
Posted by: Wess | May 22, 2009 02:14 PM
Pierre ahead of Portis? That is wrong.
Posted by: Misfit | May 22, 2009 02:20 PM
U have Beanie Wells way too high IMO. Hightower is the cards starter this year. And he isn't even on the list. Whats up with that? Edge James is gone Timmy is the man now.
Posted by: Mr. Mojo | May 22, 2009 02:26 PM
Mr. Mojo,
Are you serious about Hightower starting? What would possess the Cardinals to do that when he almost single-handedly sabotaged their season during his 7-game starting trial last season?
Check out Hightower's numbers as a starter last season. He had one 100-yard game, and then he never went over 35 rushing yards in the next six games while the Cardinals offense cratered.
Now they have an obscenely talented back in Beanie Wells, and they're going to relegate him to splinter duty b/c Hightower averaged 2.8 yards per carry last season?
Posted by: Wess | May 22, 2009 02:37 PM