We love the competition. We love the excitement of draft day. We love to prove to eleven other owners we know more about fantasy football. There are also just some of us that are Statistic freaks like myself. I love going through the Stats Handbook over and over again. This is not because I have some great-complicated formula to win at fantasy football (like those articles you will see with VBD or the Stud Running back theory) but because I love statistics. Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, I am an addict.

Running back is the most valued position in a fantasy draft. Other fantasy owners may tell you differently, but they are wrong (I thought I would be like one of those many experts and make my opinion the LAW). Seriously though, how many running backs do you see go in the first couple rounds of a draft? A lot more than wide receivers or quarterbacks if the owners know what they are doing. I did not come here to debate running backs versus the other positions in a fantasy draft. I came here to lend you a hand and give a few thoughts on some of the more interesting running backs for this year's draft.

Priest Holmes Kansas City
I have seen numerous of the experts state Holmes is a fluke. Most believe that last year was a career year for him. I believe this not to be the case. Holmes has always looked good when called upon in Baltimore. His one problem was inconsistency. Vermeil has found the perfect system for Holmes. Kansas City spreads the offense out and this fits perfectly with Holmes' Talents. He has nice speed and great hands. Holmes could be even better after a full year in the new system. Definitely a poor man's Marshall Faulk.

Edgerrin James Indianapolis
There is no way I am drafting him. I feel the early rounds in a fantasy draft should be the safest picks. James is definitely not a safe pick. James could be the type of pick that ruins a whole draft. History has shown us that running backs coming off an ACL injury are not the same player. They generally take 18-24 months to recover from such an injury and James is trying to do it in ten months. You may hear that James looks great in training camp. You may hear James is a special player. Consider this, Terrell Davis was also a special player before his torn ACL.

Anthony Thomas Chicago
I love this kid. He is one the verge of stud status. Chicago has one of the better offensive lines in the league. They have an offense that is built around the power running game. Chicago's coaching staff has been quoted as saying they plan on getting Thomas even more time on the field. They want him in there for passing situations as well as first and second downs. The addition of Chris Chandler will be huge for Thomas. If Jim Miller slumps or gets injured, their starting quarterback is improved with Chandler. Thomas had about 900 total yards in his last eight starts. The scary thought is he will only get better.

Fred Taylor Jacksonville
I stated earlier not to take risks in your first couple of picks. I do believe Taylor would be an acceptable risk at the late second or early third round pick. You will hear that is he is injury prone. The one factor is he has never had that injury that has taken away his ability to cut or his straight-line speed. This allows Taylor to still be a top five back when healthy. When deciding between Michael Bennett, William Green or Fred Taylor it is a no-brainer. Remember this, Isaac Bruce and Robert Smith were both labeled as injury prone while James and Terrell Davis were both considered guarantees. You just never know.

Travis Henry Buffalo
I have seen Travis Henry compared to Errict Rhett in several articles. This shows the lack of knowledge when it comes to Travis Henry. You cannot judge him by watching him play last season. Two or three defenders met him in the backfield on 70% of his carries. One fact that most fantasy owners are unaware of is Travis Henry runs a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash. You could not see it in his rookie season because of the lack of running room. He is anything but an Errict Rhett clone (who ran a 4.6 on his best days). Another point made against Henry is the fact that Shawn Bryson ran 16 times for 130 yards and 28 times for 107 yards in his only two starts of the year. The real issue is not the yards but the fact they were against Atlanta and the Jets. Henry also ran 10 less times for 6 more yards against the same Jets defense. I expect the improvement at Offensive line and quarterback to help Henry run for over 1000 yards in 2002.

Michael Pittman Tampa Bay
I have always liked Pittman. He has always been the running back expected to sit on the bench while the high first round draft pick in Thomas Jones runs to stardom. Unfortunately, nobody told this to Pittman. Arizona kept giving the job to Thomas Jones, but Pittman kept taking it away. Pittman is now in Tampa Bay, a place where they want him to be their starting running back. Pittman is exactly what Jon Gruden wants in a running back. He has speed, power and nice hands to boot. I expect Pittman to do quite well in Tampa Bay. He may not get 25-30 carries a game with Alstott in Tampa Bay, but should touch the ball about 20-25 times a game (including catches). Pittman will finally have a coach that wants him to succeed. Isn't that the way it should always be?

Thomas Jones Arizona
Speak of the Devil. There are some that think that opportunity means success. However, I am not one of them. I like to believe if a player is talented, the coaches will find a way to get him on the field. On the other hand, just because a player is the starter, this does not mean he will stay the starter if he does not perform. Thomas Jones had every opportunity to sew up the Arizona starting job the last two years and failed miserably. If Jones could not thrive with the healthy competition of Michael Pittman, I highly doubt he will succeed with no competition. Jones has his last opportunity with the Cardinals and do not see him taking advantage of it. Running backs generally do not take until their third year to break out. There are exceptions to this rule, but I doubt Jones is one of them.

Duce Staley Philadelphia
One of the biggest reasons for a great year from a running back is motivation. Some players are always motivated by nature and others need a reason. Thurman Thomas was quoted many times as saying his motivation was the fact that every team passed on him on draft day (he was drafted in round two). Duce Staley has a motivation of his own. Philadelphia looked at every option to upgrade running back position. They brought in free agents. They discussed trades with other teams. They even drafted Brian Westbrook from Villanova. In the end, Duce Staley is still the starter. He has had a full year to recover from his season ending injury in 2000. He is out to prove he deserves to be the starter in Philadelphia. There is no greater motivational factor than proving people who doubted you wrong. Staley has looked like the Staley of old this offseason and I expect it to show on the field this year.

I hope you enjoyed my insights on a few of the running backs. The position seems to be more confusing than ever this season. After the top three (Faulk, Green and Alexander), there are about seven or eight players that can be ranked as the fourth running back. If you have any fantasy questions or comments just email me and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

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