Dynasty Diaries: Adrian Peterson Owns Keeper Running Back Rankings

As opposed to quarterbacks, I'm definitely in favor of keeping running backs. In fact, I highly recommend keeping two runners instead of a quarterback, if you have two of my top 20. Running backs are the life-blood of your fantasy team, much like the oil in your car. Two consistent runners on your fantasy team make life so much easier, which is why it's your starting point.

As I said, I'm recommending you keep two from the list, which is why I'm ranking more than I did for quarterbacks or wide receivers.

Ladies and Gents, your top 20 keeper running backs ...

1. Adrian Peterson - He'll learn to stop fumbling the ball. In the meantime, 1,760 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground were a nice encore to his insane rookie season. He's only going to be 24 in 2009, by the way.

2. Michael Turner - I'd like for him to be more consistent, but this whole year was a learning process for the Falcons. Not too shabby, huh? His consistency will improve, as the Falcons offense becomes one of the top-notch units in the NFL. He'll be turning 27 this year, but he's only amassed 604 career carries.

3. Chris Johnson - He's only going to get better, and the Titans will likely begin to lean more on him as he matures into a superstar. He's much too explosive to put any lower on this list.

4. DeAngelo Williams - He was easily the top scoring running back in fantasy football this past season. So, why number four? I'm just a tad bit worried about where this came from. He couldn't completely overtake DeShaun Foster for two years. It's not like I'm incredibly worried, however, because he's still only turning 26 this year and he did average five yards per carry in 2007.

5. Matt Forte - We know he's going to get a massive amount of touches, we know he's a game-breaker, and we know he can handle the workload without slowing down. The question, though, lies with the entire Bears offense. Can the passing game keep enough attention off Forte, and can the line continue to improve?

6. Steven Jackson - Say what you must about the holdout and his injury woes in the wake of it. This guy is a flat-out stud when he plays. He'll have a full training camp next season, and he's sure to be motivated to stay strong and healthy. Jackson will be turning 26 this summer, so there's still plenty of gas left in his tank. Also remember, with a new coach in town, he's sure to be featured heavily in the offense.

7. Marion Barber - He's the Cowboys' horse, so don't let the late-season injury woes deter you. I might be a little worried about his punishing style of running the football, but he's still young enough to handle it for a bit.

8. Frank Gore - Through Week 11, Gore was an elite option in fantasy football, and then everything fell apart as he dealt with injuries and ineffectiveness. Still, the Niners were looking like a strong team towards the end of the season, and the overall improvements will help Gore. Let others be fearful of Mike Martz's departure.

9. Clinton Portis - He's gone over 2,000 carries and will turn 29 this season, so his shelf life is starting to become limited. Still, I'd take three more years of nearly 1,500 yards rushing and nine scores.

10. Marshawn Lynch - We were really hoping for more from "Beast Mode" in his second season. You can attribute much of his second half woes to the fact that the Bills were one of the worst teams in football (2-8 in their last 10 games). He's got the potential, though, and he's only going to turn 23 this year.

11. Steve Slaton - We just kept waiting and waiting for the little guy to shut down, but he wouldn't. He's 23, playing in an explosive offense, and he just proved he could handle the load for an entire season. The diminutive frame does cause some concerns about long-term durability, but he hasn't given us any reason for concern just yet.

12. Maurice Jones-Drew (MJD) - Fred Taylor is going to be gone, and I'm fully confident MJD can carry the load as the featured back in Jacksonville. The only downside is the Jags line was horrible this past season -- and yes, injuries played a role. If they can patch things up in the offseason, there is no reason to believe MJD won't be an elite fantasy option.

13. Brian Westbrook - He's coming off of what can be considered a mild disappointment, judging by the lofty standards he has set for himself -- when you look at the only the season-ending totals. The problem is, the totals are skewed by three absurd performances in which Westbrook went for 30+ fantasy points. He actually had seven games with less than 10 points and sat out two due to injury. So, he was only usable in seven games. That's not a first-rounder, and it means he was a colossal bust. You still have to consider him as a keeper due to his history and the fact that he shouldn't be breaking down just yet (he's turning 30 and has less than 1,700 career touches).

14. LaDanian Tomlinson - Last year he would have landed number two on this list. That's the thing with running backs: Sometimes their tanks go empty without tons of notice. While he's been hurt all season, I believe we've already seen his best. He's got enough talent and desire for me to confidently place him here in the rankings, though, because LdT-Lite is still a stud.

15. Joseph Addai - What an absolute disaster of a fantasy season from Addai in 2008. If not for Braylon Edwards, he would be the most hated man in fantasy right now. We do know a few things, though. First of all, the Colts offensive line was banged up. Secondly, Peyton Manning's knee was injured early in the season, which didn't enable him to disguise whether or not a play was a run or pass on the stretch play -- he had to pitch it on a run, which gives the defense an extra few seconds to adjust -- and Addai was never really completely healthy. While I don't think we should expect him to jump back up to top five status, he's young enough -- especially in this explosive offense -- to keep in larger leagues.

16. Thomas Jones - Just as we at FanHouse knew he would, Jones emerged as an elite fantasy back in 2008. Entering 2009, however, there are questions. Who is going to quarterback? Will the new administration give a heavier role to the more-explosive Leon Washington? Is Jones seriously going to score 15 total touchdowns again, even though he never had more than nine in a previous season? At 31, when will he start slowing down?

17. Ryan Grant - After an abysmal start, Grant began piling up the yardage late in the season and broke the 1,000 yard mark. It was only his second season, and I don't expect him to continue being afraid of the end-zone (only four rushing touchdowns). I like his potential moving forward.

18. Darren McFadden - Coming off an incredibly disappointing rookie season, McFadden is primed to be drastically undervalued heading into drafts for 2009. We didn't see many flashes of what he showed he could do in college, but I still believe. He's only going to be 22, and the Raiders looked better towards the end of the season. He has far too much talent to dismiss in keeper leagues.

19. Kevin Smith - More reliable than McFadden, just a bit less upside. The Lions have to get better, obviously, and the offensive center-pieces will be Calvin Johnson and Smith. He compiled a pretty solid rookie season. He just had the misfortune of being in the most stacked rookie running back class ever, so he was overshadowed. He's a very viable keep here, considering the new Lions regime is taking over and Smith is only 22 years-old.

20. Pierre Thomas - From Week 11 through Week 16, there weren't many better fantasy backs than Thomas. He's definitely squeezed Deuce McAllister out of a job, and he's shown he can do it all in the backfield. This could spark a change in how the Saints use Reggie Bush. I really like the upside of Thomas in New Orleans.

Barely Missed the Cut

LeRon McClain - I'm encouraged by the fact that this 24 year-old received an average of 22 carries per game in the Ravens' last six contests this season. I'm discouraged by the fact that he wasn't routinely averaging over four yards a carry. Still, he found the end-zone 10 times this year. I'm betting he takes over the lead role in Baltimore with Ray Rice as the change of pace back and Willis McGahee being shown the door.

Jonathan Stewart - He showed us flashes of brilliance in his rookie season. Still, he's going to be relegated to short-yardage and pace-changing duties as long as DeAngelo is running the way he did this season. I feel like a repeat of 833 yards and 10 touchdowns is doable. Is that really worth keeping?

Ronnie Brown - It seems as though the Dolphins aren't serious about giving Brown enough carries to justify him as a fantasy starter on a weekly basis. Too bad, because he most certainly has the talent.

Reggie Bush - As I said with Thomas, it's evident the Saints have a do-everything back on their hands. Bush is a game-changer, though, so you shouldn't discount him. He'll likely be used in the slot often, and still get a ton of touches. In PPR leagues, he's a keeper over some of the above guys on this list. Of course, there are talks he'll never be the same again after his knee injury this year. Proceed with serious caution.

All the sleepers about whom I already wrote - Especially Derrick Ward. If he leaves New York and joins a team with any sort of promise -- in terms of being able to run the football -- he's definitely ahead of the above names and could up to as high as 15th on the list.

As always, feel free to leave specific keeper questions in the comments section, and we'll answer every single one of them.