Top 5 RB's for 2015
I have had my rankings out for a while now but I wanted to explain my top 5 RB's for 2015 in standard leagues. Let these 5 RB's guide your team to a championship.
1. Adrian Peterson
Coming into last season Adrian Peterson was a consensus top 3 pick. He disappointed all fantasy owners with off field problems that nobody could predict and only played in one game. This year once again I have no hesitations taking him in the top 3 picks of any fantasy draft. Since his rookie year, he has averaged 5.2 yards per carry and has dominated the NFL. In 2015 he will be in a very RB friendly system with Norv Turner as the OC, heck Norv made Matt Asiata and Jerick Mckinnon look like studs last year. I am excited to see what Norv and Peterson can do together this year. Also, This will also be the first time in a while that the Vikings have a good supporting cast around Peterson. If Bridgewater can continue to take steps forward with the trade for Mike Wallace, the growth of Charles Johnson and the return of Kyle Rudolph then the Vikings could have a very solid offense.
The biggest problem people point to with taking Peterson is the history of RB’s and the decline they have when they reach the age of 30. If you haven’t noticed though, Adrian Peterson hasn’t exactly followed the trends of history. After tearing his ACL in late 2011 everyone started freaking out about his value in 2012 or even if he would ever fully return. Peterson not only recovered in time for the season, 3 months sooner than expected, but then also went on to run for 2,097 yards, coming just shy of the NFL single season rushing record. So after sitting out a full season and reports saying that he looks like he lived in the gym, I am very willing to bet that 2015 will be a fantastic season from “All-Day”
2. Marshawn Lynch
Everyone saw that BeastMode was denied the chance to bring Seattle a Superbowl. Pete Carrol blew it by deciding to pass the ball at the goal line instead of attempting to run it in with Marshawn, the core of his offense. After the Superbowl, many reports said that Lynch was considering retirement as he was clearly pissed from that one play and he is nearing the end of his time. As we all know he signed a 3 year contract with them. This year now presents a great opportunity for Lynch and I expect him to take full advantage of it. Opposing defenses have been able to focus in on lynch and only lynch because of the lack of playmakers on the Seattle offense. Don’t get me wrong, Russell Wilson is starting to become a handful for opposing defenses, but the Seahawks have definitely eased him into that role, allowing for little creativity up until recently.
Enter Jimmy Graham. The Seahawks made a trade with the Saints to attain him this offseason and he should make a huge difference for this offense. He is now their most reliable receiving option and will open up the field for Lynch. I really don’t think opposing defenses will have an easy time controlling Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Beastmode.
Did you know: Every time lynch received more than 20 carries in a game, he had either over 100 yards or a touchdown? This happened 8 times last year. So when the Seahawks are dominating again this year, look for them to chew up the clock with lynch. Even though lynch just signed a 3 year deal, I don’t expect him to play that out entirely, retiring after this year or next year. Look for him to be used early and often producing elite RB numbers in 2015.
3. Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles could easily be the #1 running back if we knew he was going to get close to 300 carries this year. My guess is that he won’t. Andy Reid hasn’t been higher than 12th in the league in the amount of rushing attempts dating back to 2003. So there really isn’t much reason to be optimistic about Jamaal Charles usage and him coming close to 300 carries. Now that being said, why is Charles so high on my rankings and everyone else’s? He hasn’t averaged less than 5.0 YPC in a season. Ever. That’s absolutely insane and I don’t see that declining this year. The Chiefs added Jeremy Maclin from the Eagles, hopefully giving them a true #1 WR. This should help open the field up for Charles a bit and help the offense in general. The full emergence of Travis Kelce this year should also be able to open up more space for Charles. Charles is pretty much a lock for 1000 yards and 8 TD’s with the sky being the limit if the Chiefs decide to give him the ball more often.
4. Eddie Lacy
Eddie Lacy is one of the safest RB’s you can draft for two main reasons. Volume, and the Packers Offense. Lacy struggled mightily the first 3 games last year because of who he played. The Jets, Lions and Seahawks boast 3 of the top run defenses in the NFL. However he started to ramp things up and in his last 7 games of the regular season he averaged over 94 yards per game and 18 carries. The Packers will consistently feed him the ball so the amount of touches he receives shouldn’t be a problem. They also have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL. Jordy, Cobb and Rodgers consistently tear secondary’s apart. This leaves huge opportunities for Lacy to pound the ball when defenses are so worried about the pass. Lacy has a nice safety net due to his situation and should be drafted comfortably as a top 5 pick in your drafts reaching 1,000 yards with ease with the upside to score a ridiculous amount of TD's
5. Arian Foster
I wrote an article way earlier in the year about how everyone is sleeping on Foster. His ADP his risen a little bit since that article, but I still see him falling very far in some drafts for little reason. When he plays he is a monster. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry last year and puts the Texans on his back. There should be more of that this year as the Texans did nothing to address their glaring need at QB. Foster will probably handle a large workload again. Which brings me to everyone’s concern, why would you draft him when you know he has a good chance at missing a game or two? Drafting his handcuff is the easy solution to that. Right now it seems to be Alfred blue, but I expect Chris Polk to make a run in training camp at being the backup. This backfield is so valuable to own because they play in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. The defenses in this division make average players look good and good players look great. Not only do the Texans play in an easy division, they have a very easy schedule that is friendly for RB’s. I expect Foster to still be a force and worth a late first round pick. As long as you draft his handcuffs Foster is worth the risk.
Notice one big name missing (Le’veon Bell). Refer to my article to understand why I am less excited about him this year than others.
