Not only are running backs the most predictable and heaviest relied on player for an offense, their role comes into sharper focus later in the year when weather and wind force teams to run more. By now we think we know who the bad and good running backs are but the schedule has a huge impact on their production.

There are always a few guys who open their season facing an easier slate of defenses only to see far tougher challenges for the final two months of the years. These are the guys whose expectations need to be lowered and selling high in a trade is always a good idea.

There are also a few running backs that start their season going against a rough stretch of defenses only to see their schedule get significantly lighter starting in November. These players should outperform their season to date numbers and become much more attractive in a trade. These are the guys you need to know.

The biggest schedule swings for running backs:

Cleveland Browns – The season started with a brutal stretch of road games in Denver, Baltimore and Pittsburgh and also hosted the Vikings, Bengals and Packers – all top defenses against running backs. The only game where they did not face a top defense was in Buffalo when Jamal Lewis rushed for 117 yards. Their remaining schedule still has home stands against the Steelers and Ravens but they also play against the Bears, Lion, Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders. The Browns don’t have the talent for a big bang to end the year but the fantasy stats will be improved for the running backs.

Cincinnati Bengals – Cedric Benson has already seen a spike upwards in his production this year and better games should be yet to play. Consider that Benson started out playing the Broncos, Packers, Steelers and Ravens and yet he’s been one of the most productive runners this season. And after facing the Ravens and Steelers again in weeks nine and ten, his schedule turns delightful with games against the Raiders, Browns, Lions Chargers and Chiefs. As long as his heavy workload doesn’t tire him out later in the year, Benson could be ending with even bigger stats.

Tennessee Titans – Chris Johnson has been inconsistent at best and LenDale White has disappeared against a schedule that opened by facing the defenses of the Steelers, Jets, Colts, Jaguars and Patriots. The only time they did not face a great rushing defense was against the visiting Texans when Johnson gamed 197 rushing yards, 87 receiving yards and scored three times. There are still a few tough weeks left – Jaguars, Cardinals Colts and Dolphins but games against the 49ers, Bills, Texans, Rams and Chargers will make the second half of the year much better than the first.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Maurice Jones-Drew has certainly played mostly well so far and he’s done that despite facing defenses of the Colts, Cardinals, Seahawks and Titans. After facing the Titans again on Sunday, Jones-Drew should see an uptick in stats that could be considerable as he runs against the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers and Texans over the next six weeks. Fantasy playoff weeks go against the Dolphins, Colts and Patriots that will be no fun but Jones-Drew will make some noise before those weeks.

Arizona Cardinals – Tim Hightower and Chris Wells have not exactly been top runners and the offensive scheme will ensure that neither will ever be a 320+ carry player but they can score the short touchdowns as Hightower did last year. And the lower results of this season are related to an opening stretch that proved more challenging than was expected with games against the 49ers, Jaguars, Seahawks and Giants. The remaining schedule takes a big slant upwards though with match-ups against the Panthers, Bears, Rams, Lions and Rams. Wells started to get a bigger share of the workload last week though Hightower remains the named starter. Wells might be a nice calculated risk since he could progress into a bigger role and by the fantasy playoffs weeks wind up against the Lions and Rams.

The schedule has a big impact on your running backs but for a few teams there are two distinctly different parts to the season. Now is the time to acquire those players with the rising value and if you already own them – enjoy the ride.