Follow@cimini

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

Follow@cimini

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