2011 Top RBs Fantasy Football

I'm curious what some of the fantasy gurus think about two guys:

Maurice Jones-Drew
Steven Jackson

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

:

Sorry to be harsh, but Foster and Peterson are 1a and 1b in my book. Can't imagine passing on either of them for another RB, especially in PPR leagues, which is all I play. He's about the #7-8 RB on my list.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

What would yall say if someone picked Michael Turner with the #2 pick in the draft?

You know, my initial reaction was "Are you serious? Michael Turner?"

But the more I think about it, the better he actually sounds as a high pick. I wouldn't have a problem with him as the #2 guy although I think it will probably raise some eyebrows.

[BetaV1]

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Chris Johnson
3. Jamaal Charles
4. Arian Foster
5. Ray Rice
6. Maurice Jones-Drew
7. Darren McFadden
8. Rashard Mendenhall
9. LeSean McCoy
10. Matt Forte

The bottom half could of this list is completely interchangeable. I'm real high on McFadden and think a lot of people are overlooking him, which is great for auction leagues. In snake drafts, I've seen him go as early as 5th overall and as late as the end of the 3rd round. He can usually be had in the early second. If he's there, I say grab him.

Now, most people feel the top four RB's (at least, the general consensus of such) is interchangeable as well. This is a fatal mistake, I say. If you have the first four picks overall, you need to play it smart and play it safe. Don't reach; you'll have plenty of other rounds to do that.

Adrian Peterson gets my vote as the absolute safest pick in any draft, and why wouldn't he? The guy has proven he can produce top numbers regardless of the offensive philosophy the Vikings go in. More important, he's been a 1,000+ yard rusher for the past four years that he's been in the league and no one is there to contest him for carries. This year, they seem to want to revert back to the run: all the more reason to take All Day. He's #1.

Chris Johnson, Jamaal Charles, and Arian Foster are next in line. I'm sure a lot of people here will facepalm at the though of Foster fourth overall, but again, in the top four picks, you need to play it safe rather than shoot for what seems to be the sexy pick of the year. Of the three, I don't think there's any question that Chris Johnson has proven that he too can carry your team. Also, much like AP, there is no question who will be carrying the rock 99% of the time. He's been a 1,000+ yard rusher for every year he's been in the league too (3). He's a safe pick and the uncontested #2.

Jamaal Charles and Aaron Foster now fall into the category of some risk. Sure, they've both put up top numbers last year (and Charles the year before as well), but honestly we still aren't sure what we have in Arian. The Texans may want to go to a running back-by-committee approach. Granted, the Chiefs do this as well, but at this point, we know what we're going to get out of Charles. Arian's performance last year will be hard to reproduce, and while he likely will have another great season, we aren't sure just "how great" it'll be. This is why I have Charles rated above Foster.

While Ray Rice also fits my bill for a "safe first round pick," his yards per touch are significantly lower than the others. He does, however, make up for by getting more touches than the other players. The addition of Leach also helps his case. You should be totally comfortable if you have to "settle" for Rice at #5, especially in PPR leagues.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by The Pencil Neck

You know, my initial reaction was "Are you serious? Michael Turner?"

But the more I think about it, the better he actually sounds as a high pick. I wouldn't have a problem with him as the #2 guy although I think it will probably raise some eyebrows.

I took Arian Foster.

Couldn't pass him up, I thought the other guy would take him with the #1 over all.

Foster
Hillis
Gore
Matthews
Spiller

I got CJ Spiller in the 9th... what do you think about that?

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I took Arian Foster.

Couldn't pass him up, I thought the other guy would take him with the #1 over all.

Foster
Hillis
Gore
Matthews
Spiller

I got CJ Spiller in the 9th... what do you think about that?

That's a pretty good stable of RBs, but I'm avoiding Ryan Matthews. I think he's going to be injury prone his whole career.

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I took Arian Foster.

Couldn't pass him up, I thought the other guy would take him with the #1 over all.

Foster
Hillis
Gore
Matthews
Spiller

I got CJ Spiller in the 9th... what do you think about that?

How in the hell did you get Foster, Hillis, & Gore?!? Did you draft RBs in the first 3 rounds or are you playing with idiots? Foster is unquestionably a top 5 back, Gore is at worst a 2nd round pick, and Hillis is at worse a 4th round pick.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Ckw

How in the hell did you get Foster, Hillis, & Gore?!? Did you draft RBs in the first 3 rounds or are you playing with idiots? Foster is unquestionably a top 5 back, Gore is at worst a 2nd round pick, and Hillis is at worse a 4th round pick.

I dont understand it either. We run a snake draft, & I couldn't believe Hillis was still there with my second pick (18th) so I took him. 3 picks later I took Gore. I wasn't ready to take a QB & they had a run on WR between my first & second picks.

I ended up with

Dez Bryant
Ocho Conco
Plaxico Burress
Michael Crabtree
Louis Murphy
Mohamed Massoquai

[BetaV1]

I've usually seen the opposite of thunder's situation: Frank goes 2nd round, Hillis goes 3rd. Hillis strikes me as a big time bust. If there's in the 3rd, yeah, I'll grab him, but no sooner. Frank Gore is getting up there in age and whatnot, but he's still a lock for a smidge over 1,000 yards and a few touchdowns each year.

Your wide receiving core is stable enough. You have a lock with Dez Bryant. Ocho Cinco and Plaxico Burress provide plenty of boom potential, and one of them will pay off.

Who are your quarterbacks and defenses?

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by BetaV1

I've usually seen the opposite of thunder's situation: Frank goes 2nd round, Hillis goes 3rd. Hillis strikes me as a big time bust. If there's in the 3rd, yeah, I'll grab him, but no sooner. Frank Gore is getting up there in age and whatnot, but he's still a lock for a smidge over 1,000 yards and a few touchdowns each year.

Your wide receiving core is stable enough. You have a lock with Dez Bryant. Ocho Cinco and Plaxico Burress provide plenty of boom potential, and one of them will pay off.

Who are your quarterbacks and defenses?

I thought most of the good WRs were gone by the time I took Ocho (5) & Buress (8th), Like you're saying, I think one of them will explode & pay off.

I've got Cutler & McNabb as my QBs.... I think Cutler might not be a lock, but he'll at least keep me competitive. McNabb is hurting for receivers, but he's done well in that situation before (Philly). I'm hoping he has a bounce back season.

I've got one kicker & one defense, Tynes & Pittsburgh. I don't really value kickers, so I don't pick a backup. I'll play Tynes until week 7, his bye week, then drop him & pick up another.

Pittsburgh D.. I've got till week 11 before I need another, so they'll pretty much be a lock to start till then.

[BetaV1]

Not a bad team. Cutler is sufficient as you've said. McNabb is a huge gamble. He'll likely have a better year than last year, but considering how bad he was last year, that's not saying a lot.

Kickers aren't that big a deal as you've said. Defenses, however, are very underrated in fantasy football and are often grossly overlooked. There are plenty of weeks where a defense is in the top five of total points scored. You got a good one in Pittsburgh. If there's another decent defense out there, I'd pick them up now just to keep someone else from getting it.

Overall, it sounds like you have a good shot at making the playoffs. Cutler is clearly the weak link, but eh, could be worse.

By the way, how many teams are in this league?

[thunderkyss]

Ten.

[Dutchrudder]

Are Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford available on the wire? Both may be good sleepers this year and I would take Colt over McNabb.