___________________________________________________
In the interest of bringing the updates back to the topic of fantasy football (don't worry, I won't be discussing my political views anytime soon), I decided to talk about who I think are the top five fantasy running backs since 1998. Why 1998? Because that's when I first began playing fantasy football.
Just a caveat, this list is based on my opinion, and by no means am I trying to pretend that this is the final word on who was the greatest during that time.
My criteria is based on touchdowns, point output, and longevity. So without further ado, I give you... the candy lineup (Seinfeld reference only Don will probably get).
___________________________________________________
5. Clinton Portis
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
When our league first began, he was one of the top two backs to be drafted. His best years were easily the two seasons he spent in Denver. Things kind of slowed down for him once he got traded to the Redskins, but he manages to get the #5 spot simply because he was one of the steadier backs of the 2000's. He finished no worse than eleventh six times from 2002-2008, including No. 4 finishes at the position in 2002 and 2007.
___________________________________________________
4. Shaun Alexander
___________________________________________________
Timmy's boy. Yes B-Shorts, your roster once had the biggest running back as a mainstay. Alexander averaged almost 20 touchdowns-per-season over a five-year stretch between 2001 & 2005, including 48 TD's between 2004 & 2005. He wasn't much of a threat for catching the ball, but this was before PPR came into play.
He also finished in the top six among running backs between 2001-2005, including 2 No. 1 finishes at the position in 2004 and 2005. He also finished with 1,880 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in 2005, before his production declined.
___________________________________________________
3. Adrian Peterson
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Maybe I'm a little biased here, but my boy is the only running back who has finished the season in the top three in each of his first four seasons. He's never had less than 10 touchdowns in a season (aside from 2014 when he was suspended after one game).
Despite suffering a serious knee injury in 2011, he was able to come back and rush for 2,097 yards the following year. In an era where running back by committee has become the standard, Peterson is still getting all the carries.
___________________________________________________
2. LaDanian Tomlinson
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Vic's boy. Between rushing & receiving, Tomlinson averaged 2,003 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns in his first seven seasons in the league. That’s just insane. At a position where it is tough to maintain longevity, LT was consistent every single year until he hit 30.
He finished as a top-seven running back every year from 2001-2008, finishing in the top three in six of those eight years. He was the No. 1 overall player in 2006 with 1,815 rushing yards, and 33 touchdowns (28 rushing, 3 receiving, and 2 passing) to go along with his 508 receiving yards.
___________________________________________________
1. Marshall Faulk
___________________________________________________
Nobody did it better. LaDainian Tomlinson was close, but Faulk’s prime was untouchable.
Owning Faulk was like having two top players jammed into one fantasy position. He gave you top-five running back numbers, and then threw in 80-90 catches on top. Simply the best of his era.
He finished no worse than 17th at the position from 1995-2003. Finished in the top seven in six of his first seven years, with No. 1 overall finishes in 2000 and 2001, seasons where he averaged 1,371 rushing yards, 798 receiving yards.
In 2000, I was in the championship game with Kurt Warner & Isaac Bruce on my roster. But even those two were no match for the guy who beat me with Marshall Faulk leading the way.
0 comments:
Post a Comment