Yahoo! Sports

Preseason Ranks: Running Back

By Yahoo! Sports Staff Wednesday, Aug 31, 2011

Questions at the top: Foster and Johnson
(US Presswire)

Rankings: Top 100 | QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D

What to make of Arian Foster’s (notes) hamstring injury? The Y! fantasy experts took reports of a potential 3-4-week layoff with a grain of salt and showed only mild pessimism for the Texans back in the updated rankings, dropping him to No. 2 at RB (tied for No. 1 in the previous rankings). … The recent contract resolution between Chris Johnson and Tennessee elevated Johnson’s stock back towards the top of the RB rankings. … Where it once looked like Ryan Grant (notes) was going to return to a featured role in Green Bay, now things don’t appear so certain. With the threat of a shared workload, Grant’s stock drops significantly in the latest rankings, while backfield partner James Starks (notes) gets a bump up. … Felix Jones (notes) and Tim Hightower (notes) continue to make all the right moves for their respective NFC East squads, and both enjoyed another healthy jump up the RB board.

Note: The following list comprises the top 60 running back rankings for 2011 of each Yahoo! Sports fantasy expert. The list is ordered by the overall top 60 composite ranking of the four experts, with the remaining running backs that received votes rounding out the bottom of the list.

2011 Running Back Rankings
	Brandon Funston	Andy Behrens	Brad Evans	Scott Pianowski	Composite Ranking

Adrian Peterson	1	1	2	1	1
Arian Foster	2	3	1	3	2
Ray Rice (notes)	3	2	3	2	3
Chris Johnson	4	4	5	4	4
Jamaal Charles (notes)	5	5	7	6	5
Rashard Mendenhall (notes)	7	7	6	5	6
Darren McFadden (notes)	10	6	4	12	7
LeSean McCoy (notes)	6	10	12	7	8
Maurice Jones-Drew (notes)	9	9	9	11	9
Michael Turner (notes)	8	8	15	8	10
Frank Gore (notes)	12	12	13	10	11
Peyton Hillis (notes)	13	19	8	9	12
Shonn Greene (notes)	14	11	11	18	13
Steven Jackson	15	13	14	14	14
Matt Forte (notes)	11	16	17	13	15
Felix Jones	16	17	10	16	16
LeGarrette Blount (notes)	17	20	16	17	17
Ahmad Bradshaw (notes)	18	15	23	15	18
DeAngelo Williams (notes)	19	14	20	19	19
Mark Ingram (notes)	20	18	21	20	20
Beanie Wells (notes)	21	21	19	24	21
Mike Tolbert (notes)	23	24	24	21	22
Tim Hightower	22	31	18	25	23
Jahvid Best (notes)	29	23	25	22	24
BenJarvus Green-Ellis (notes)	27	25	22	28	25
Cedric Benson (notes)	25	30	27	27	26
Marshawn Lynch (notes)	26	27	29	30	27
Ryan Mathews (notes)	24	28	31	29	28
Knowshon Moreno (notes)	33	22	35	23	29
Reggie Bush (notes)	31	32	28	32	30
Joseph Addai (notes)	30	26	36	31	31
Fred Jackson (notes)	28	38	33	26	32
Brandon Jacobs (notes)	32	29	30	35	33
Ryan Grant	34	34	32	37	34
Willis McGahee (notes)	36	35	26	41	35
Pierre Thomas (notes)	39	33	34	34	36
Jonathan Stewart (notes)	35	36	41	36	37
Michael Bush (notes)	38	41	39	33	38
James Starks	40	39	37	38	39
Daniel Thomas (notes)	42	40	46	39	40
Jerome Harrison (notes)	37	54	40	40	41
C.J. Spiller (notes)	44	43	44	45	42
Darren Sproles (notes)	51	37	43	46	43
LaDainian Tomlinson (notes)	43	46	48	43	44
Roy Helu (notes)	47	45	42	47	45
Danny Woodhead (notes)	45	49	50	42	46
Ben Tate (notes)	41	55	45	49	47
Thomas Jones (notes)	48	44	51	50	48
Rashad Jennings (notes)	46	47	47	53	49
Delone Carter (notes)	49	56	38	55	50
Marion Barber (notes)	60	42	49	48	51
Ronnie Brown (notes)	52	52	53	44	52
Jason Snelling (notes)	55	50	54	58	53
Kendall Hunter (notes)	53	59	57	59	54
Montario Hardesty (notes)	59	60	56	54	55
Ryan Torain (notes)	54	53	–	51	56
Ricky Williams (notes)	57	48	58	–	57
Javon Ringer (notes)	56	–	55	56	58
Jacquizz Rodgers (notes)	50	57	–	60	59
DeMarco Murray (notes)	–	58	–	57	60
Stevan Ridley (notes)	–	51	–	–	–
Carnell Williams (notes)	–	–	–	52	–
Jamie Harper (notes)	–	–	52	–	–
Dexter McCluster (notes)	58	–	–	–	–
Deji Karim (notes)	–	–	59	–	–
Tashard Choice (notes)	–	–	60	–	–