In the second of many of my 2009 Fantasy Football articles, here is my post-draft top 10. There will be many more 2009 Fantasy Football features in the late spring and summer, including tons of 2009 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts, Player Rankings, Sleepers and Busts. I’ll also have an extensive 2009 NFL Fantasy Football Preseason Stock Report.
2009 Fantasy Football Rankings – Top 10 (May 2):
1.
Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings There’s nothing more frustrating (or flustrating, if you’re Mike McCarthy) than having Brad Clueless debacle you in fantasy football. I thought Adrian Peterson was a bit overrated in fantasy football last year because of his injury history. Peterson played all 16 games, but scored only 10 touchdowns. Why? Because in his infinite wisdom, Clueless sometimes took Peterson out of goal-line situations, opting to go with Chester Taylor instead. Very flustrating indeed.
However, despite Clueless’ best efforts, Peterson still managed 1,760 rushing yards on a 4.8 YPC. The latter number should be even higher this year with Phil Loadholt at right tackle.
2.
Matt Forte, RB, Bears 
As I mentioned in my 2009 Fantasy Football: Free Agency Stock Up page, Matt Forte’s stock has greatly improved with Jay Cutler, Orlando Pace and Kevin Shaffer on the roster.
Forte rushed for 1,238 yards and 12 total touchdowns in 2008. Making him the No. 1 back in PPR leagues, Forte also caught 63 balls for 477 receiving yards. Forte’s YPC (3.9) will skyrocket now that opposing defenses will have to respect Chicago’s passing game.
My only concern about Forte? If you have him as your RB1, you won’t get as much rushing production out of him come playoff time. In Weeks 15 and 16, the Bears battle Baltimore and Minnesota, two of the best teams against the run. Luckily, Forte will still produce in the passing game.
3.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars For the first time in his career, Maurice Jones-Drew won’t have to share carries with Fred Taylor. Jones-Drew has never received more than 200 carries in a single season, but you know he can shoulder the load because in addition to his 197 rushes in 2008, he also caught 62 balls.
Jones-Drew is a good bet to receive 300 carries this season, easily putting him in the top five. He’s also a touchdown machine; in his three NFL campaigns, he’s scored 15, 9 and 14 times.
Jones-Drew will also benefit from Jacksonville’s new “Andre Smith Man-Boob” formation. The team spent its first two selections in the 2009 NFL Draft on offensive tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton, who join William Tra Thomas and Tony Pashos to form an amazingly deep front – something Jacksonville didn’t have last year.
4.
Michael Turner, RB, Falcons 
A case can be made for Michael Turner to be atop this list; Turner carried the ball 376 times in the regular season for 1,699 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns. The addition of Tony Gonzalez and an improved defense can only help Turner’s YPC (4.5).
However, if you take his 376 attempts and add on 18 from the playoff loss to Philadelphia, you get 394 carries.
Why is this important? Check out this 2009 fantasy football article chronicling the history of running backs with high carry totals and how they performed the following year. Believe me, it’s not pretty. Stay tuned.
5.
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Chargers 
LaDainian Tomlinson is incredibly underrated. Last year, he was coming off an MCL tear. He also suffered a toe injury during the season and had to endure San Diego’s mediocre offensive line. Despite all that, Tomlinson still rushed for 1,110 yards, caught 52 passes for 426 receiving yards, and scored 12 touchdowns. How awful!
I don’t know if Tomlinson is ever going to revert back to 2002-2007 form again, but he’s certainly healthier than he was in 2008. The Chargers didn’t draft a running back until the middle rounds, so they don’t seem too concerned either. And to top it off, A.J. Smith and Tomlinson are friends on Facebook again despite all of that offseason drama.
By the way, it should be noted that Norv Turner predicted that Tomlinson would win the rushing title in 2009. He also said Tomlinson is expected to garner 320 carries this season. Tomlinson had 290 in 2008.
Tomlinson won’t go until the bottom of the first round (or maybe even the second round) of most leagues. If I’m drafting in the middle of Round 1, I’m going with him.
6.
Brian Westbrook, RB, Eagles 
Brian Westbrook’s always a risky proposition because he’s always banged up. Though he has missed just four games in the past three years, he’s always questionable or doubtful on the injury report. Westbrook turns 30 on Sept. 2, so some of those questionables and doubtfuls could turn into “outs” this season.
Nevertheless, if Westbrook plays, he’s going to debacle the opposing defense. He compiled 1,338 total yards and 14 touchdowns in 2008 in 14 contests. This was actually a huge dropoff from what he did in 2007 (2,110 total yards, 12 TDs).
Though his age and durability are both concerns, you have to like Westbrook because of the additions the Eagles made to their roster. Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews, despite their deficiencies in pass protection, are very good run-blockers. Leonard Weaver is a huge upgrade at fullback. And don’t forget that Shawn Andrews will be back in the lineup.
With all of this in mind, Westbrook’s YPC should bounce back to 4.8 (2007) or 5.1 (2006) instead of 4.0 (2008). Whether he plays or not will be your greatest concern.
7.
Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins The addition of Albert Haynesworth really helped Clinton Portis. As I wrote on my 2009 Fantasy Football: Free Agency Stock Up page, with Haynesworth on board, Washington’s defense has suddenly become very potent. They already ranked sixth in points allowed in 2008, so Haynesworth’s presence will mean even more three-and-outs for the opposition.
With more leads and possessions, Clinton Portis will have more opportunities to touch the ball. And when he does, he’ll have more running room with newly signed Derrick Dockery back at left guard.
Portis carried the ball 342 times for 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008. With a better defense behind him, there’s no reason to think Portis can’t at least match those numbers.
8.
Chris Johnson, RB, Titans Chris Johnson spent the offseason down in Florida, pushing around golf carts four days a week. This was better than LenDale White’s strategy of cutting down from 75 to 50 pancakes every morning. White has somehow dropped down to 238 pounds this offseason. Any more weight loss, and I’ll have to cut out the fat jokes, which will be a dark day for me.
Johnson rushed for 1,228 yards and 10 total touchdowns on 251 carries. He also caught 43 balls for 260 receiving yards. Note that this took place in 15 games; Johnson sat out the season finale because the Titans had homefield advantage wrapped up.
Those aren’t great numbers, but consider this quote from Jeff Fisher, “We didn’t get as much done with [Johnson] as we wanted because it was his first year and he was learning. We’re going to expand on what we did with him. Any time you get someone with his ability, you want to create mismatches and move him around.”
9.
Steven Jackson, RB, Rams Steve Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur plan to install a run-heavy offense. That’s great news for Steven Jackson owners.
Even better news is that the Rams acquired left tackle Jason Smith and center Jason Brown this offseason, both of whom will open up large running lanes for Jackson. Jackson’s YPC, which was 4.1 in 2008, can only increase.
Though Jackson has caught a combined 78 passes for 650 yards the past two seasons, he hasn’t topped 1,050 rushing yards or seven touchdowns since 2006. His biggest problem has been his durability; Jackson has missed eight games the last two years. If you draft Jackson, make sure you have a deep running back stable.
10.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers Everything went right for the Panthers last year, as DeAngelo Williams rushed for 1,518 yards and 20 total touchdowns behind a healthy, dominant offensive line and a solid defense. Williams became a fantasy MVP with a four-touchdown performance against the Giants in Week 16.
I can’t see Williams matching those numbers again. Jonathan Stewart will get more carries. And odds are everything won’t go right this year. There could be a huge injury on the offensive front. Maybe the defense disappoints. I feel as though Williams’ 2008 numbers happened as a best-case scenario. He could be overvalued.
More 2010 Fantasy Football Articles:
2010 Fantasy Football: Home
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings:
2010 Fantasy Football Playoff Rankings - 1/5 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Week 17 Fantasy Rankings - 1/2 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 8/31 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks - 6/6 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 9/6 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs - 7/3 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 9/7 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers - 7/14 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 8/31 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends - 7/20 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers - 6/10 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defenses - 6/11 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Auction Values - 9/2 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: IDP Defensive Linemen - 8/3 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: IDP Linebackers - 8/7 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: IDP Defensive Backs - 8/14 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Team-by-Team - 6/7 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Dynasty Rookie Rankings - 4/30 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Rookie Rankings - 4/29 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets:
2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 150 Traditional - 9/6 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 150 PPR - 9/6 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Top 150 Touchdown League - 9/6 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Downloadable Spreadsheets - 9/7 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts:
2010 Fantasy Football Draft: WF.com Free League - 9/7 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Draft: Real Traditional Draft - 9/1 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Draft: Real PPR Draft - 8/26 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Draft: Real PPR Draft - 8/18 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Draft: Real Experts PPR Draft - 8/12 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Experts Mock Draft - 8/12 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Draft: Pros vs. Joes - 7/28 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: PPR Draft with AKA - 7/20 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Mocking ESPN's Fantasy Mock Draft - 7/7 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: The Four-Man PPR Fantasy Draft - 7/1 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Articles:
2010 Fantasy Football Injury Reports: Week 17 - 1/2 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Start Em, Sit Em - 12/29 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Add/Drop - 12/20 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Stock Index - Week 8 - 10/29 (John)
2010 Fantasy Football Buffet: Week 8 - 10/28 (Steve)
2010 Fantasy Football Stock - 9/7 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Preseason Stock - 9/3 (Walt)
2010 NFL Preseason Recap, Fantasy Football Notes - 9/3 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: High-Upside Late-Round Sleepers - 8/25 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Top 12 Players to Avoid - 8/25 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Undervalued Players - 8/13 (John)
2010 Fantasy Football: Buy Low - 8/6 (Walt)
ESPN's 2010 Fantasy Football Magazine Errors - 8/3 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Defense Strategy - 8/2 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: My Round-by-Round Strategy - 7/27 (Walt)
Lack of 2010 Fantasy Depth: Blame the 2008 NFL Draft Class - 7/26 (John)
2010 Fantasy Football: Why You Should Pass on Chris Johnson - 7/14 (John)
2010 Fantasy Football: Draft Strategies - 7/13 (John)
2010 Fantasy Football: Wide Receiver Scarcity - 6/30 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Sleepers (Late-Round) - 6/2 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Sleepers (Mid-Round) - 6/1 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Busts - 5/31 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football Mailbag - 5/29 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Quarterbacks with New Receivers - 5/1 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: 2010 NFL Draft Stock Up - 4/29 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: 2010 NFL Draft Stock Down - 4/29 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Free Agency Stock Up - 4/15 (Walt)
2010 Fantasy Football: Free Agency Stock Down - 4/12 (Walt)
Running Backs with Most Carries - 4/10 (Walt)
NFL Picks - Nov. 22
2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 20
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 19
Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4
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Rank higher in PPR (points per reception) leagues
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