The choice comes down to the two premier RBs in both the NFL and fantasy football: Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson.
Johnson’s stock skyrocketed in his 2nd year and he rushed for over 2,000 yards and scored 16 total TDs.
He was also the top fantasy running back with 327 points by a wide margin.
One of the things we learned about the speedy back was that aside from his ability to take it the distance, he showed surprising toughness for his size by running inside and picked up plenty of yards after contact.
This enhanced his value even further as it kept LenDale White, primarily a short yardage specialist, on the bench.
Adrian Peterson was expected to be the 2,000 yard guy in 2009 – not Johnson – but while his year began with a bang, it finished with a fizzle.
Midway through the season, the supremely talented runner rediscovered the Tiki-itus which plagued him in ’08 and his fumbles made him as much a liability as an asset over the last seven weeks of the season.
Now, some of his drop off in numbers can of course be blamed on Brett Favre’s career year, but Brad Childress leaned more on the passing game than running game down the final stretch of the season… and a lot of that was due to the fumbles.
Overall he still came in 2nd with 269 fantasy points.
So who will be the top fantasy RB in 2010?
The answer is easy: Chris Johnson.
He’s the main offensive weapon for the Tennessee Titans and aside from being the most electric runner in the game, provides great value as a receiver out of the backfield.
Another key to his success is he holds onto the ball.
The Titans offensive line is a strength and the AFC South is hardly littered with top tier run defenses; The Colts, Texans and Jaguars can – and will – be run on.
Look for Johnson to top 1,750 rushing yards and score between 14-17 TDs.
Peterson on the other hand, while certainly talented enough to match or top those numbers, will have to contend with a host of talented skill players (WR Sidney Rice, WR Percy Harvin, etc) who will see the ball go their way, but also fumbles, and in fantasy football, 2 points in the other direction (per fumble) can be enough to drop you to No. 2.
Either way, these two players are coming off the board one and two, but Johnson’s the guy at one and his production will certainly justify the selection.
Pro Football 101 » 2010 Fantasy Football RB Rankings:1-10
June 4th, 2010 at 09:27
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