By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Two weeks are completed officially in the preseason. Fantasy drafts done before now were pretty much tune ups for the ones forthcoming. Throw your outdated fantasy magazine away, and keep coming here for weekly rankings and daily fantasy updates.

1. Arian Foster- A couple of seasons ago, Foster was undrafted in most leagues just as he was by NFL executives. Now he is at the top of the list for fantasy running backs.

2. Chris Johnson- One year as Johnson had last year is going to make too many fantasy owners shy away from drafting him above a couple other backs. He has looked like the Chris Johnson we have come to know. Resembling that Chris Johnson would push even Arian Foster off the top spot.

3. LeSean McCoy- McCoy is durable and a safe bet to continue thrashing opposing defenses. He is right up there with Ray Rice in terms of what he can do out of the backfield.

4. MJD- MJD needs to get himself back in the Jaguars team facility. I’m sure he is keeping himself in shape but holdouts have typically been detrimental to running backs. With an improved Gabbert, MJD should even be more of a threat.

5. Ray Rice- Look for Rice’s numbers to dip slightly. The Ravens defense is not as sharp as it’s been, which means the offense will throw the football more. It’s good for the long term protection of Rice, but not what fantasy owners want to hear.

6. DeMarco Murray- Since when has a third round pick stormed the NFL quite like Murray? He was a true surprise. Now at full speed, Murray should continue his destruction.

7. Darren McFadden- Health is a big question mark with McFadden or he could easily be right up there with Foster and Chris Johnson. Having not stayed healthy for an entire season yet, he has to remain a bottom first round pick.

8. Ryan Mathews- Mathews is the back now that people like to put the most uncertainty on. Why? He is a young back with fresh legs, that is coming off a solid year. Young backs with talent such as Mathews usually break in even higher following a year like Mathews had.

9. Michael Turner- Atlanta seems ready to not only take over the NFC South but erase the memory of their wild card loss to the New York Giants. With New Orleans hit with question marks, Atlanta has their foot on the gas to storm by. Turner does not have to be a weekly force with yardage. With the explosiveness of the Falcons offense he is a lock for double digit touchdowns.

10. Matt Forte- He now has his contract, which should have been restructured a few seasons ago. Forte does not seem like the type of back that would decline after getting a paycheck. He has been the Bears offense the last two seasons. Additions of Alshon Jeffries, Brandon Marshall, and Mike Bush should be more to the benefit of Forte than hurting his stats. The offense will be more in sync and lead to bigger plays for Forte.

11. Steven Jackson

12. Reggie Bush

13. Ahmad Bradshaw

14. Frank Gore

15. Adrian Peterson

16. Shonn Greene

17. Marshawn Lynch

18. Jamaal Charles

19. Isaac Redman

20. Donald Brown

21. Doug Martin

22. Ryan Williams

23. Fred Jackson

24. Trent Richardson

25. Jonathan Stewart

26. Darren Sproles

27. Beanie Wells

28. Willis McGahee

29. BenJarvus Green-Ellis

30. Mark Ingram

31. DeAngelo Williams

32. Roy Helu

33. Stevan Ridley

34. CJ Spiller

35. James Starks

36. Kevin Smith

37. LeGarrette Blount

38. Michael Bush

39. Cedric Benson

40. Peyton Hillis

41. Toby Gerhart

42. Keiland Williams

43. Rashad Jennings

44. Ben Tate

45. Daniel Thomas

46. Jason Snelling

47. Robert Turbin

48. David Wilson

49. Kendall Hunter

50. Taiwan Jones

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Thin or deep at running back, you’ll still need to make key moves each week on the right guys. Having depth is always a good thing, to be able to maneuver around the constant injury bug that plagues every owner at some point during the season. Don’t get to cute with who you start though. Plug in the guys you drafted highly. Don’t over react and bench a sure starter just because of a poor week one. If you’re in a catastrophic situation at running back, swapping guys constantly isn’t going to help. Reach out and seek a trade.

Here’s a look at week two fantasy running back rankings.

1. Adrian Peterson
The Vikings offense barely managed 30 plays. Everyone knows how poorly Donovan McNabb was in week one. I’ll need to see another abysmal outing from McNabb before Peterson shifts down any spots. Look for Peterson to be fueled to pickup his veteran quarterback, and get the offense cranked up via his shoulders.

2. Ray Rice
It was never a question for Ray Rice if the yardage would be there. It was if he can/would be the go to guy to get Ravens touchdowns. Rice annihilated the Steelers defense tallying monster yards via the ground and pass catching. Expect things to continue vs. the Tennessee Titans.

3. Matt Forte
Forte might have the highest use per play of any high caliber fantasy back in the NFL. He is used so much out of the backfield. Unlike a few years ago, the Bears have figured out how to break him loose almost every game. They just know when to call the appropriate play in their simplistic offense. Look for the Saints to get caught a few times, when they try to blitz Cutler.

4. Rashard Mendenhall
It’s only week two, but Seattle is so hopeless that this game is going to look like a team in week seventeen playing with no effort. With how shaky Roethlisberger was in week one, the Steelers will tone back his throws. Mendenhall should get twenty plus carries and well over a hundred and twenty yards.

5. Darren McFadden
Give McFadden credit. He was being tabbed with the injury prone label, but thwarted that last season. Now if he can keep his Denver Bronco type numbers going against other teams, he will shoot up officially as a top seven fantasy back.

6. LeSean McCoy
Vick has been being put on his back and pressured relentlessly throughout the preseason and week one. Just a few years ago that was a welcomed occurrence by Andy Reid. The Eagles still are one of the best screen and short dump teams in the NFL. Look for McCoy to put up equal numbers receiving as he does rushing, with around sixty to seventy yards in both categories.

7. Cedric Benson
He just continues to bull over defenses and produce numbers. One of the few backs that gets near all the carries for his team, and still gets overlooked when fantasy drafts are being conducted. If you grabbed him as your second back, you’ll reap the rewards once again. A favorable matchup for Benson this week shoots him up into the top ten for week two.

8. Tim Hightower
Washington seems to have found a proper balance with their offense. Hightower didn’t break a long gainer week one like he did in preseason, but still managed a touchdown. They’ll feed him the ball plenty of times against his ex-teammates. Rocket Hightower up not just for this week, but for the season. This will easily be his most productive season, now that he is getting the bulk of the carries. Another revengeful thing Hightower will have on his mind this week.

9. Maurice Jones-Drew
The bowling ball finds a way to get it done. He faces the toughest matchup of top fantasy backs, but do not let that stray you from inserting him in your lineup. If you drafted solidly, your running back two option should be able to pick up an extra five to eight points to make up for Jones-Drew’s slight dip this week.

10. Jahvid Best
Crank out the oldies. Best is humming and voicing, “Kansas City, Kansas City here comes a monster day”. Detroit’s offense is going to soar weekly just like their defense is coming together. Best is the type of guy that when he has an impressive game, it comes in the range of multiple touchdowns and tons of yards. Don’t forget Best played the majority of the season last year with an injury, but to start of the 2010 season he was a beast.

11. Frank Gore
12. Jamaal Charles
13. Ahmad Bradshaw
14. Michael Turner
15. Arian Foster
16. Fred Jackson
17. Chris Johnson
18. Peyton Hillis
19. Beanie Wells
20. Reggie Bush
21. Felix Jones
22. Shonn Greene
23. LeGarrette Blount
24. Mike Tolbert
25. Darren Sproles
26. James Starks
27. DeAngelo Williams
28. Willis McGahee
29. Ben Tate
30. Mark Ingram
31. Danny Woodhead
32. Cadillac Williams
33. Ryan Matthews
34. Joseph Addai
35. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
36. MarShawn Lynch
37. Jonathan Stewart
38. Ricky Williams
39. DeLone Carter
40. Brandon Jacobs
41. LT
42. Ryan Grant
43. Pierre Thomas
44. Mike Bush
45. Knowshown Moreno (Likely Out or Limited)
46. Thomas Jones
47. Jerome Harrison
48. DejI Karim
49. Marion Barber
50. CJ Spiller