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No longer should a fantasy owner frown upon a crowded backfield in the NFL. The gradual effect over the years of teams using their backs properly has led to better depth in fantasy football. Years ago fantasy teams could dominate by having one of the top five fantasy picks and getting a running back that carries the football 30 times a game.

It’s also alleviated the necessity to waste a pick handcuffing a running back. It was a norm to do so and essentially a waste of a pick if an injury did not occur.

Here are the best duo’s in the NFL this season that surely will bring relief instead of headaches to fantasy football owners.

Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount
They are in the news for the wrong reason right now, but Pittsburgh did themselves a solid job in bringing in Blount. He has only been in the league for a handful of years but has had better than expected seasons in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. Two years from now he may be out of the league, but I expect him to be a strong asset this season. Bell showcased his skills last year and is now considered a borderline top ten fantasy back.

Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman
Unlike most fantasy prognosticators I believe the Broncos will shift to more of a running team. This will be to protect the ever-aging Peyton Manning. Their ground game has been underrated even through the Tebow season. Look for this backfield to surprise some and have a strong aggregate total.

Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen
New England shifted to more of a running team a couple of seasons ago, and it has worked. Last year they had injuries and fumbling issues with Ridley that were offset with LeGarrette Blount. Having a healthy Shane Vereen should get this backfield to an even higher level than a year ago.

Others: McFadden/MJD, Reggie Bush/Joique Bell, Lamar Miller/Knowshown Moreno, Giovani Bernard/Green-Ellis, Lacy/Starks, Jackson/Spiller/Brown

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All the fantasy rankings in the world do not matter when it comes to busts. They’re going to happen. Whether it’s first round talent, rookies, veterans, and received fantasy trades. Putting together a full roster is never going to be perfect. Here is a top ten list of potential fantasy busts for 2014.

1. Peyton Manning
Yes I’m putting Peyton Manning atop my list of possible busts for 2014. Manning’s track record showcases that he’ll never hit a wall barring injury. Sooner or later though the body breaks down and halts even the greats. Manning just a few years ago in his first season with Denver looked rusty. His arm was stale and the zip gone. He managed to regain it and performed fine a year ago. Much like an aging pitcher though, can Manning do it game in and game out for sixteen games? I expect his numbers to dip for over zealous fantasy owners.

2. Brandon Marshall
Sometimes you see such a strong offense that you become numbed to an emerging star. Chicago has that in the younger Alshon Jeffreys. Marshall has the connection with Cutler intact but I think we will see Jeffreys overtake Marshall in the fantasy department.

3. Andre Ellington
I wrote a column about the Cardinals historical success at tailback dating back to 1999. They’ve only had three seasons of 1,000 yard rushers. Emmitt Smith in the twilight of his career and back to back years from Edgerrin James. Ellington showed the same flash we’ve seen before in Cardinal backs such as Beanie Wells, Tim Hightower, and Michael Pittman. None ever transpired to fantasy success. Ellington may be different but where he is situated to be drafted doesn’t sit well with me.

4. Sammy Watkins
Everyone knows the sky is the limit for Watkins. He has endless talent. The problem is the Bills direction offensively. EJ Manuel will still be playing like a rookie based on the amount of games he missed a year ago. Secondly, they haven’t solved what direction they want to go at tail back. Watkins will be one of those receivers that has two to three standout games, but is MIA in the rest.

5. Vincent Jackson
The tall target in Vincent Jackson was the lone bright spot for a Buccaneers team that fell apart a year ago. Many of the same question marks remain in Tampa Bay. McCown was brought in to aid if Glennon can’t get the job done. In all likelihood he will end up on the field. Jackson still has talent but I think we’ll see a similar drop off in his production like we have seen from Marques Colston.

Others
6. CJ Spiller
7. DeSean Jackson
8. Trent Richardson
9. TY Hilton
10. Michael Crabtree

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After last years fantastic all-purpose season by Jamaal Charles he has become the unanimous top back to get. Andy Reid has always ran a high velocity offense centered around the tailback. Success has been had in prior Eagles systems and running backs such as Duce Staley, Correll Buckhalter, Brian Westbrook, and LeSean McCoy.

A familiar link with all of those running backs is that there success was stymied eventually because of the heavy dosage they get. Duce Staley’s success started in 1998 and 1999 before injuries derailed him. He had a resurrection of sorts and become a capable fantasy backup with success out of the backfield in 2002 and 2003.

A similar pattern can be found in former star, Brian Westbrook. From quick memory you would of thought he had a great five year run as an Eagle. On the contrary he had two outstanding seasons followed up by a quick career burnout. In 2007 and 2008 he tallied career years with rushing yards of over 2500 combined and receiving yards of near 1200. Injuries quickly took their toll on Westbrook and he fell off quickly in a short stint with the 49ers.

LeSean McCoy was on his way to the same pattern in Philadelphia. His breakout seasons were in 2010 and 2011 before injuries took away a full season from him in 2012—-Andy Reid’s last year. Chip Kelly runs a high amount of plays but keeps has his players prepared for the volume and rotates them properly.

Now we turn to Jamaal Charles. In Charles first year under Andy Reid he saw a dramatic rise in his role as a Chief. His rushing numbers did come down a bit from the prior year but he caught 70 passes totaling nearly 700 yards.

This is looked on by fantasy football participants as gold. The old school workload that produces a gluttony amount of points in PPR leagues. Charles already had a serious injury that caused him to miss the 2011 season. A freak dorm exit injury has Charles currently with a bum foot.

That’s not alarming enough but I would have strong caution with everyone’s unanimous top fantasy pick. His utilization is bound to cause another Andy Reid overused running back to suffer during the season.

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Yesterday I updated my fantasy football quarterback rankings and today I update the running back rankings. With the platoon back system setup with every team there is no shortage of quality running backs to draft. Years ago if you were at the bottom of the order in your fantasy football drafts you had a sick knot in your stomach. That’s how coveted getting a top running back use to be.

Now you can thrive by intermixing how you draft a running back. You’re bound to get a steal late if you seek out a good system backfield. Injuries are bound to happen and an increase in carries even for a stretch of games can be a big boost to your team.

1. Adrian Peterson
I’ll stay with everyones consensus in AP. Though the Barry Sanders effect of continually playing with poor quarterbacks may start to take its toll. Most running backs that come back from a blown out knee adjust their running styles. AP hasn’t, and the Vikings have not scaled back his carries either. His ride to the top may come to an abrupt ending like LT’s did in San Diego.

2. Matt Forte
I believe the synergy offensively for the Bears may be at the peak of any team in the NFL. The way Jay Cutler and McCown moved the football with ease last year was something special. Forte doesn’t get the hype of other top five fantasy backs but has been a top producer year after year.

3. Jamaal Charles
One thing we know about Andy Reid teams is sooner or later the star running back tumbles a bit. It happened with Brian Westbrook, Duce Staley, and even a younger LeSean McCoy. He puts a lot of stress on the running back to help burden the offense. Charles isn’t going to fall off the fantasy map but he’ll take a dip in 2014.

4. Marshawn Lych
Whatever he is planning as far as retirement won’t happen this season in my eyes. The Seahawks need him to be a part of their plan to extend at another chance at getting to the Super Bowl. Based on the ESPN Magazine body issue, Lynch isn’t the workaholic in the gym, but he is a bruiser that has the might to go strong in 2014.

5. Eddie Lacy
If Green Bay wants to shift back to the success they had a few years ago they need to go back to being a power running team. It’s a huge advantage to them in their divisional games in November and December, and continues for any hosted playoff games. It allows for Rodgers to use his pinpoint accuracy even more.

6. Arian Foster
7. Montee Ball
8. DeMarco Murray
9. Alfred Morris
10.Zac Stacy
11.Le’Veon Bell
12.Rashad Jennings
13.Reggie Bush
14.Giovanni Bernard
15.Bishop Sankey
16.Chris Johnson
17.CJ Spiller
18.Toby Gerhart
19.Shane Vereen
20.Andre Ellington
21.Frank Gore
22.Ben Tate
23.Ray Rice
24.Ryan Matthews
25.Steven Jackson
26.DeAngelo Williams
27.Trent Richardson
28.Fred Jackson
29.Mark Ingram
30.Lamar Miller
31Darren Sproles
32Stevan Ridley
33MJD
34.Bernard Pierce
35.Joique Bell
36.Pierre Thomas
37.Ronnie Hillman
38Knowshown Moreno
39.Terrance WEst
40.Andre Williams
41.Shonn Greene
42.Donald Brown
43.Bobby Rainey
44.Carlos Hyde
45.Knile Davis
46.LaTavius Murray
47.Mike Tolbert
48.Stepfan Taylor
49.Bryce Brown
50.Ahmad Bradshaw

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Last July in Cardinals training camp in Glendale, Arizona, Cardinals running back Andre Ellington was already a standout amongst his teammates. Ellington is exactly who the Cardinals have been seeking after years of frustrating draft picks and veteran misses in free agency at the running back position.

With an improved passing offense with Carson Palmer the offense finally paced at the same level as the defense. The team went 10-6 on the season and still did not make the playoffs. There were plenty of positives from the season though and Ellington was one.

But there have been positives before from the likes of Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower in years past. Both never could muster another successful year as a Cardinal.

The fact of the matter is, Arizona has failed to produce a 1,000 yard running back in eleven of the last fourteen years. Edgerrin James did it twice in 2006 and 2007, and Beanie Wells barely surpassed 1,000 yards in 2011.

Too see Andre Ellington ranked as high as a top ten fantasy running back is a bit shocking. I could see a fairer range from 13th to 16th. That’s expecting quite a leap from Ellington and the Cardinals utilization of a running back. After all, Bruce Arians comes from Indianapolis where they didn’t involve the running back consistently.

Though Rashard Mendenhall is out of the picture with retirement, it remains to be seen if the Cardinals will platoon Mendenhall’s carries. There’s no doubt that Ellington will play a larger role but does an increase translate to the same deadly average per catch or rush as a year ago?

We’ve seen running backs with big play ability stem that ability with an increased role. Running backs like Reggie Bush actually had their value diminished with more plays on the field. It’s similar to a sixth man in the NBA. Some players just don’t shine as starters but excel with 20-25 minutes a game as a sixth man.

A player like Patty Mills for the Spurs showcased this last year. As a starter he surely would not have the flash and quick scoring ability he showcased against the Miami Heat.

Another alarming consideration for Arizona is their quarterback. Carson Palmer went unscathed from an injury last year. But his track record in Oakland and Cincinnati is littered with injury history. It’s no secret that he is not the most mobile quarterback and is susceptible to big hits.

If an injury were to occur, the Cardinals do not have the best fill in options at quarterback. Their depth consists of rookie Logan Thomas and journeyman Drew Stanton.

For those that have owned Larry Fitzgerald over the years, know how well the Arizona Cardinals have planned at the backup quarterback position. Quarterbacks such as John Skelton, Max Hall, Kevin Kolb, Ryan Lindley, and a few others have dragged down the Cardinals fantasy football weapons in the past.

Ellington can certainly reach top ten fantasy status, I just don’t believe that it’ll happen this season. Ellington was not a known threat going into a season ago, but now he is. Look for defenses to plan to swarm him and force Palmer to make the necessary over the top throws.

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Every year there are a crop of players from each respective NFL position that skies to a two-fold increase from their preseason rankings. Who will be the names we see do that from the running back position this year? Notjustagame.com profiles a few running backs to watch for a major leap in 2014.

Rashad Jennings
Sometimes veteran backs can finally get that major role and flourish for a couple of seasons. Jennings has caught the fantasy radar a few times before in starting roles for Jacksonville and Oakland. Those instances were only for a bundle of games while the starter was out with injury. In New York, Jennings should finally have an increased role especially with the retirement of David Wilson.

Lamar Miller
I’m happy that the Dolphins did not cast away Miller and write off the running back. His play on the field has shown that maybe he should not be given another chance. Miller has been far too inconsistent for a team with an inexperienced quarterback. In his first two seasons his competition was Daniel Thomas. Now he has a heralded back in Knowshown Moreno who will be emphasized in the Dolphins ground attack. It’s still Miller’s job though and he offers the better big play ability. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Thomas Jones type of resurrection from Miller. Jones took awhile to mature on the field and ultimately the Cardinals let him go. It took joining the Bears for Jones to develop. Look for Miller to turn heads this season in a much improved Dolphins offense.

LeGarrette Blount
For some reason Blount can not latch onto a team properly. Three seasons in Tampa Bay weren’t enough to for the Bucs to keep him longer. New England utilized him a year ago as a platoon back that panned out when injuries occurred. Now he is in Pittsburgh where he seemingly will be behind workmanlike back Leveon Bell. Remember Bell isn’t the most durable back and carried the football in college at a higher rate than some professional backs do these days.

Bishop Sankey
Tennessee has always been a team that has been able to produce quality fantasy running backs. Fantasy owners may be hesitant on picking up Sankey because of Shonne Greene and the new coaching staff. Sankey slipped in the NFL draft as far as I’m concerned. In the Pac-12 he was an unstoppable machine. Look for him to be a surprise and catch fire on fantasy radars.

Bryce Brown
Out in Buffalo something just did not seem right with the way the Bills used CJ Spiller last year. It seemed like he was underutilized purposely. For how he played the year prior there really was no reason to see the production drop off mandated by the coaching staff. Look for Brown to sneak in and grab ahold of a percentage from either Jackson or Spiller.

Others: Jeremy Hill, Mark Ingram, Carlos Hyde, and Donald Brown