RB - Top 10 & The Year After - '04-'09
We take a look back at the Top Ten RB finishers and how they fared the next year...
This piece was done for my boy Squeeze. See, Squeeze pulled himself the 10th pick this season in the main league I play in, and as we sipped our drinks at our favorite watering hole last week, he was lamenting, rather loudly, how unfair it was and what an advantage it is to have a pick in the top 5 this year. I've been hearing the same complaint for over a decade.
The below chart starts to debunk this notion. Have a quick look see at the top ten RBs and their follow-up years over the last 6 seasons. If you needed an argument to take AP28 over CJ28, this might help you as you anguish. The allure of CJ's explosiveness remains, but consistency means a lot in the first 3-4 rounds. Fantasy championship teams are designed in rounds 4-20 in drafts, not rounds 1-4. It's not like Squeeze just started fantasy ballin' - but he's never won a title, and is looking for excuses as to why. It's not because of his draft spot, though. Squeeze, here's to ya, pal...
| Running Back - 2004 thru 2009 | ||||
| Name | Year | Ranking | Year | Ranking |
| Chris Johnson | 2009 | 1 | 2010 | ? |
| Adrian Peterson | 2009 | 2 | 2010 | ? |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | 2009 | 3 | 2010 | ? |
| Ray Rice | 2009 | 4 | 2010 | ? |
| Frank Gore | 2009 | 5 | 2010 | ? |
| Thomas Jones | 2009 | 6 | 2010 | ? |
| Ricky Williams | 2009 | 7 | 2010 | ? |
| Ryan Grant | 2009 | 8 | 2010 | ? |
| Steven Jackson | 2009 | 9 | 2010 | ? |
| Joseph Addai | 2009 | 10 | 2010 | ? |
| Name | Year | Ranking | Year | Ranking |
| DeAngelo Williams | 2008 | 1 | 2009 | 14 |
| Michael Turner | 2008 | 2 | 2009 | 23 |
| Adrian Peterson | 2008 | 3 | 2009 | 2 |
| Matt Forte | 2008 | 4 | 2009 | 18 |
| Thomas Jones | 2008 | 5 | 2009 | 6 |
| Steve Slaton | 2008 | 6 | 2009 | 32 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 2008 | 7 | 2009 | 17 |
| Clinton Portis | 2008 | 8 | 2009 | 52 |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | 2008 | 9 | 2009 | 3 |
| Brian Westbrook | 2008 | 10 | 2009 | 61 |
| Name | Year | Ranking | year | Ranking |
| LT | 2007 | 1 | 2008 | 7 |
| Brian Westbrook | 2007 | 2 | 2008 | 10 |
| Adrian Peterson | 2007 | 3 | 2008 | 3 |
| Joseph Addai | 2007 | 4 | 2008 | 37 |
| Clinton Portis | 2007 | 5 | 2008 | 8 |
| Jamal Lewis | 2007 | 6 | 2008 | 25 |
| Marion Barber | 2007 | 7 | 2008 | 16 |
| Willis McGahee | 2007 | 8 | 2008 | 31 |
| Frank Gore | 2007 | 9 | 2008 | 14 |
| Edgerrin James | 2007 | 10 | 2008 | 52 |
| Name | Year | Ranking | Year | Ranking |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 2006 | 1 | 2007 | 1 |
| Larry Johnson | 2006 | 2 | 2007 | 40 |
| Steven Jackson | 2006 | 3 | 2007 | 15 |
| Frank Gore | 2006 | 4 | 2007 | 9 |
| Willie Parker | 2006 | 5 | 2007 | 16 |
| Brian Westbrook | 2006 | 6 | 2007 | 2 |
| Tiki Barber | 2006 | 7 | 2007 | Retired |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | 2006 | 8 | 2007 | 13 |
| Rudi Johnson | 2006 | 9 | 2007 | 47 |
| Ladell Betts | 2006 | 10 | 2007 | 54 |
| Name | Year | Ranking | Year | Ranking |
| Shaun Alexander | 2005 | 1 | 2006 | 28 |
| Larry Johnson | 2005 | 2 | 2006 | 2 |
| Tiki Barber | 2005 | 3 | 2006 | 7 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 2005 | 4 | 2006 | 1 |
| Edgerrin James | 2005 | 5 | 2006 | 20 |
| Clinton Portis | 2005 | 6 | 2006 | 36 |
| Rudi Johnson | 2005 | 7 | 2006 | 9 |
| LaMont Jordan | 2005 | 8 | 2006 | 55 |
| Thomas Jones | 2005 | 9 | 2006 | 21 |
| Mike Anderson | 2005 | 10 | 2006 | 73 |
| Name | Year | Ranking | Year | Ranking |
| Shaun Alexander | 2004 | 1 | 2005 | 1 |
| Tiki Barber | 2004 | 2 | 2005 | 3 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 2004 | 3 | 2005 | 4 |
| Curtis Martin | 2004 | 4 | 2005 | 29 |
| Domanick Williams | 2004 | 5 | 2005 | 17 |
| Edgerrin James | 2004 | 6 | 2005 | 5 |
| Corey Dillon | 2004 | 7 | 2005 | 16 |
| Rudi Johnson | 2004 | 8 | 2005 | 6 |
| Willis McGahee | 2004 | 9 | 2005 | 13 |
| Brian Westbrook | 2004 | 10 | 2005 | 18 |
