Maurice Jones-Drew keeps on rolling

For the second time this season, Maurice Jones-Drew topped the 100-yard mark and rushed for 3 TD's in a game for the Jacksonville Jaguars. All in a day's work for the 5'7" and 208 lb. wrecking ball out of UCLA. Coming into his 4th NFL season, everyone expected MJD to be among the leagues best running backs, but he's proved to be one of the most explosive offensive weapons in the NFL. Even while splitting carries with Fred Taylor the last few years, he's managed to put up excellent yardage and TD totals, averaging over 1300 yards from scrimmage and 12 TD's a season.

His success this season is even more surprising given the fact that the Jaguars have underachieved to this point and have a record of just 3-3. But that's also the beauty of MJD's explosiveness. He doesn't need 20+ carries a game to make an impact. He's not a slow-and-steady RB that's going to wear down a defense over the course of a game. He's the type of guy that catches the ball in the flat, breaks a tackle and goes 60 yards for a TD. He's capable of turning any play into a big play. Then you put him down on the goal line and he's just as dangerous. His short, elusive, powerful frame is well-designed for penetrating even the smallest gaps to reach pay dirt.

His size, speed and big-play ability draw obvious comparisons to the great Barry Sanders, who played his entire 10-year career for the Detroit Lions and shredded opposing defenses like they were moving in slow motion. Although MJD's not quite in the same conversation as Barry yet, he'll be well on his way with a few more dynamic seasons. He's certainly got the tools to get there.

Fantasy Impact: MJD leads all running backs in TD's (8) and is sixth in rushing yards (463). Then throw in 165 receiving yards and you're talking about one of the top 3 fantasy RB's in the league. As long as he stays healthy, he should get 15-20 touches a game. Although most likely untouchable in your league, he's worth the investment if you're in a keeper league.

Preseason Rankings: Running Back

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

At the running back position the conversation starts and ends with Adrian Peterson. He's built for power and speed, and has stayed relatively healthy so far in his young career. After him, there's a group of really strong backs who all have something to prove. The guy who made the biggest jump last season was Michael Turner, who stepped in as the every-down back in Atlanta and simply ran wild. Known primarily for his speed, the versatile Turner held up all season under the grueling workload of being the every-down back for the first time in his career. Two rookies of a year ago, Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton, made the list due to their breakout seasons. I think they both have what it takes to stay there. I'm not as high on Maurice Jones-Drew as some of the "experts" because I don't think he can be an every-down back. Part of his strength the last few years has been returning kicks, working primarily in the red zone, and being the "change of pace" back. Now that it's just him in Jacksonville, he's got to prove that he's got the toughness to battle all season long. Pierre Thomas is my wildcard. After finishing strong last season, it'll be interesting to see how he fits in to the pass-happy New Orleans offense over the course of a full season.

1. Adrian Peterson (MIN)
2. Matt Forte (CHI)
3. Frank Gore (SF)
4. Chris Johnson (TEN)
5. Michael Turner (ATL)
6. LaDainian Tomlinson (SD)
7. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX)
8. Ronnie Brown (MIA)
9. Steve Slaton (HOU)
10. Pierre Thomas (NO)

Fantasy Impact: It's a widely held belief that running backs are what win fantasy championships, but I'm one of the few who disagree with this strategy. Depending on the format of your league, I would say that having a single top running back is all you need. I'd take any one of the top 10 backs and then not take another RB until at least the 4th round. With the way the running game is evolving in the NFL, more than half of the teams will be splitting carries between at least two backs this season, and in some cases three (i.e. Baltimore with McGahee, Rice, McClain and New York with Jacobs, Ward, Bradshaw last season). Avoid the pressure to draft RB's back-to-back in the first and second round and you'll find yourself with some amazing players on the board.