For all you dynasty league enthusiasts we will take a quick look at the pre-draft and pre-free agency dynasty rankings for running backs going into the 2012 season. We have attempted to seperate the players into tiers to better depict the effective value of these players.
LeSean McCoy
Darren McFadden
Adrian Peterson
Tier one sees LeSean McCoy atop the rankings due to his breakout campaign in 2011. McCoy has the total package and his career high 78 receptions in 2010 keeps his proven ceiling higher than the other two names on this list. McFadden and Peterson are arguably the two most talented running backs in the entire NFL.
Ray Rice
Maurice Jones-Drew
Chris Johnson
Tier two is full of running backs who can finish as the number one overall running back in any given season. Rice is a top-5 back while MJD led the NFL in rushing in 2011, CJ2K’s 2010 exploits are well known.
Trent Richardson
Arian Foster
Matt Forte
Ryan Mathews
This is an incredible third tier filled with running backs who can all be in the top tier if team dynamics change. Richardson is a question mark because we do not know where he will land but is talented enough to project belonging in this tier. Foster has to deal with Ben Tate, Mathews has not proven he can handle a feature back workload and Matt Forte could really use upgrades at his teams wide receiver position which would help him find less stacked boxes.
Jonathan Stewart
Ben Tate
Lamar Miller
This is fourth tier but each of these running backs could be a top-5 fantasy running back if team dynamics change. Stewart and Tate are the most talented backups in the NFL and are probably actually more talented than the starters they are playing behind. Lamar Miller has similar upside but we still do not know where he will land.
Jamaal Charles
DeMarco Murray
Steven Jackson
Jahvid Best
Frank Gore
Tier five consists of five running backs who have top-10 skill set but may not reach that level in 2012 due to any number of factors. Jamaal Charles is coming off a devastating injury and may never be the same player again; S-Jax plays on a struggling Rams team which posed no threat through the air in 2011 and played from behind in most games limiting rushing opportunities, he is also very injury prone due to his violent running style. Gore has the talent and the line but his now limited passing game targets have sapped some of his fantasy potential. DeMarco Murray has star written all over him but must contend with a Felix Jones time-share. Jahvid Best is a great talent but must deal with the potentially more talented Mikel LeShore in 2012.
Marshawn Lynch
David Wilson
Mark Ingram
Daniel Thomas
Tier six consists of four legit 1,000 yard rushing threats, Lynch has to ‘prove it’ now that he has been locked up long term before moving up a tier. Ingram and Thomas are both in timeshares which will affect their fantasy production in 2012. Mr. Wilson just needs to land on the right team and he could make a serious impact in 2012.
Ryan Williams
Mikel LeShoure
Roy Helu
Doug Martin
Shane Vereen
Stevan Ridley
Tier seven consists of the top fantasy prospects that have not appeared higher on this list. Ryan WIlliams is coming off a terrible injury which has left legit questions regarding whether he would ever be the same running back. Mikel LeShoure has to compete with the equally talented Jahvid Best for snaps. Roy Helu has proved it in Mike Shannahan’s system but we never can project the mad scientists depth chart tinkering. Doug Martin has top-10 ability on the right team, while Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley seem poised to take over the ground game in the potent Patriots offense.
Ahmad Bradshaw
Beanie Wells
Rashard Mendenhall
Tier eight consists of starters with limited upside. Mendenhall looks like he needs a time-share back to be at his most effective and is coming off of a late season injury. Beanie Wells has the very talented Ryan Williams to compete with while Ahmad Bradshaw while almost a lock for 1,000 yards rushing in 2012 does not project as a better dynasty piece than any of the names ahead of him on this list.
Fred Jackson
C.J Spiller
James Starks
Delone Carter
Darren Sproles
Peyton Hillis
Felix Jones
Here in tier nine we are looking at seven running backs who have the talent to be a top-15 running back in 2012. Fred Jackson and C.J Spiller have to deal with each-other eating into the others workload. James Starks plays in a decidedly pass first offense and may have new competition following the 2012 NFL draft; Sproles is the passing specialist back behind Mark Ingram and also has to deal with Pierre Thomas. Peyton Hillis should find more talented competition than Montario Hardesty in 2012 while Felix Jones has permanently lost his job to DeMarco Murray. The future of the Colts backfield is shrouded in mystery but Carter currently has the most talent on the depth chart.
DeAngelo Williams
LaGarette Blount
Michael Bush
Reggie Bush
Mike Tolbert
Montario Hardesty
Shonn Greene
Willis McGahee
Michael Turner
Kendall Hunter
It is kind of odd to have so many talented starters ranked all the way down in tier ten but the current rankings are justified. Blount may see an early round running back steal his job in Tampa Bay while Reggie Bush should lose his job to power back Daniel Thomas before long. Michael Bush could vault up this list if he lands a starting job in free agency, ditto for Mike Tolbert, however neither is likely. DeAngelo Williams has talent but faces an even more talented backup pressing for snaps. Shonn Greene does not look like a feature back in the NFL while Michael Turner is on his last legs and thus is not a valuable dynasty league asset. Willis McGahee is 30-plus and only has a season or two left in him. Hardesty has been a disappointment since entering the NFL, while Kendall Hunter could be anointed starter as soon as this season.
Joseph Addai
KnowShown Moreno
Brandon Jacobs
Pierre Thomas
BenJarvus Green-Ellis
Tim Hightower
Donald Brown
Ryan Grant
This eleventh tier could all potentially be starters on the right team, think Broncos and Browns. All face uphill battles for playing time but could find themselves in a higher tier once free agency and the 2012 draft play out.
Bernard Scott
Ronnie Brown
Danny Woodhead
Toby Gerhart
Leon Washington
Cedric Benson
This tier is the twelfth and consists of mainly backups who hold minimal fantasy value. Cedric Benson was a starter last year but is not expected to regain that role in 2012. The Jets appear to be interested in Ronnie Brown which could vault him into tier ten.
