FANTASY FOOTBALL ARTICLES

First Round - The first round historically had always been rich in providing stud running backs for the NFL up until 2002 when a three year drought of sorts began.  No running back was selected in the first 16 picks in those three seasons and the results show their fall in the first round was warranted.  Both William Green and T.J. Duckett have failed to become even a primary rusher while Willis McGahee and Larry Johnson had to wait a season or two before getting into gear. What has been most troubling is the tendency of teams to draft early running backs when they already have a starter. A prudent move and one that has paid off well in the long term but one that has diminished what tailbacks can do in their rookie season. All four backs taken last year had significant playing time but none of them were considered the starter for their teams. What is even more interesting is that Maroney and Addai will be primary runners this year after a year of sharing and Jerious Norwood has a nice shot at getting more playing time.

Rounds Two through Four – These rounds have provided several players that became starting running backs for their team but other than Frank Gore, they all lost the starting nod (assuming Julius Jones is not considered a starter in Dallas). Maurice Drew had a monster rookie year and yet Fred Taylor is still the starter in Jacksonville - at least technically.

Round Five through Seven - For all the players taken here, none of them have become a starter at any point in their careers if in fact they are even still in the NFL. Final round gems sound great in theory but non-existent in reality.  This group has produced little more than some kick returners. Wally Lundy got a shot last year but did almost nothing with it and that was largely because there were no other decent runners in Houston. This is really little more than camp legs.

2007 - After a very productive year for rookie runners in 2006, this season is shaping up to be far less dynamic for first-year runners. Adrian Peterson will no doubt become a starter - and a good one - but he will have to contend with Chester Taylor. Marshawn Lynch appears to be the lone candidate for a week one starter. Chris Brown appeared to have a shot at a starting role but the re-signing of Chris Brown makes that less certain. For this year, it's just Peterson and Lynch and then a small group waiting for someone to get injured.

Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers