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2011 Fantasy Football: Ranking the Top Running Backs
2011 Fantasy Football: Ranking the Top Running Backs
As of: July 29, 2011
These rankings will continue to be fluid as the NFL's recent flurry of activity continues and as training camps open and position battles begin.
Top 15 Fantasy Football Running Backs for 2011
1. Adrian Peterson
 Vikings stud has reached double digits in TDs each of his four NFL seasons, and is coming off a 1,298-yard, 12-TD campaign.
2. Arian Foster (notes)
 back broke out in 2010 with 1,616 yards and 16 TDs on the ground, plus another 604 yards and 2 TDs receiving.
3. [Chris Johnson]e|/nfl/players/8801
Titans star is set to hold out until he gets a better contract. [Tennessee]e|Titans can't afford to balk, as Johnson has 4,598 yards and 34 TDs in just three seasons.
4. Jamaal Charles (notes)
Charles rushed for 1,467 yards and five TDs, and caught 45 passes for 468 yards and three TDs in '10, but recent release of Pro Bowl left guard Brian Waters (notes) could negatively affect [Kansas City]e|Chiefs 's running game in '11. Stay tuned.
5. Ray Rice (notes)
Back-to-back seasons over the 1,200-yard mark, plus his involvement in the passing game, make him a worthy RB1. Hoping for more than the six total TDs from 2010, though.
6. Michael Turner (notes)
After battling injuries in 2009, Turner bounced back in 2010 with 1,371 yards and 12 TDs while playing all 16 games.
7. LeSean McCoy (notes)
Dual-threat back topped 1,000 yards (1,080) in his second NFL season, scoring nine total TDs and catching 78 passes for 592 yards.
8. Rashard Mendenhall (notes)
Big 2010 season included 1,273 yards and 13 touchdowns, his second consecutive season topping the 1,000-yard mark.
9. Darren McFadden (notes)
DMC totaled 10 TDs during his breakout season in 2010, when he rushed for 1,157 yards and caught 47 passes for 507 more.
10. Maurice Jones-Drew (notes)
There are concerns about a balky knee, but MJD says he's fine heading into 2011. He's topped 1,300 yards the past two seasons, but just five TDs in 2010 after scoring 15 in 2009.
11. Matt Forte (notes)
Potential training camp holdout isn't happy to be making less this season ($550,000) than backup Chester Taylor (notes) . [Chicago]e|Bears should give him a raise after he's gone for 3,236 yards and 18 TDs on the ground in his first three seasons.
12. Steven Jackson
Rams star went for 1,241 yards and six TDs in 2010, and with Bradford more comfortable under center, S-Jax should find the going a little easier in the run game.
13. Peyton Hillis (notes)
New addition Brandon Jackson (notes) and second-year back Montario Hardesty (notes) could compete for carries with Hillis, who scored 11 rushing TDs and totaled 1,654 yards rushing and receiving in 2010.
14. LeGarrette Blount (notes)
Former Oregon Duck showed a ton of promise as a rookie in 2010, rushing for 1,007 yards and six TDs despite not playing at all in Weeks 1, 2 and 6. He'll enter 2011 as the man in [Tampa Bay]e|Buccaneers .
15. Frank Gore (notes)
Contract issues could keep him out of camp, and he's coming off a hip injury, so there's reason for concern. But Gore's pretty much the only real option in SF, and as long as he's healthy and doesn't hold out long, he should be fine.
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