Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Normal fantasy football leagues have come to an end and what a great season it was. We hope that you did well in your league, or leagues, but if you’re still looking for some fantasy football action while the playoffs go on, and you’re looking for some help then look no further because the Bruno Boys will be here throughout the postseason. As such we’ll be releasing our normal weekly position rankings to help you best decide which players to go with in our Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge. To see where this round’s running backs rank continue reading the Divisional Round edition of the Bruno Boys Weekly Running Back Rankings.

1. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) @ Indianapolis

When you consider that the New England Patriots had given up just six rushing touchdowns all season it was amazing to see Ray Rice start the game with an 83-yard touchdown run on the very first play from scrimmage. It was also quite stunning to see the Patriots give up four rushing touchdowns on the game. Rice finished the game with 22 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He was very good to owners in the Bruno Boys Playoff Challenge last week and that should continue this week when he faces an Indianapolis defense that ranked No. 24 against the rush during the regular season.
Point Projection: 20 points

2. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Dallas

Any questions whether or not Adrian Peterson would live up to the preseason hype have been answered and the answer is yes. He finished 2009 with 315 carries for 1,389 and a league leading 18 touchdowns. He did have trouble holding onto to the ball this season, as he lost six fumbles over the 16 games, but Peterson did make up for them quite well adding a career high 43 receptions for 436 yards. He finished the season with six touchdowns over his last four games, but he will have to work for his touchdowns this week against the Dallas Cowboys, who only gave up seven rushing touchdowns during the season. 
Point Projection: 18 points

3. Joseph Addai (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Baltimore

Even with the pressure of the Colts adding rookie running back Donald Brown in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft, Joseph Addai managed to score 13 total touchdowns in 15 games played. He was coming off a sub-par 2008 season and rebounded nicely. He remains the No. 1 running back option in Indianapolis and he is a trusted outlet for Peyton Manning. He had 1,164 total yards to go with his 13 touchdowns during the regular season. Addai faced the Baltimore Ravens once this season and had a solid 19 carries for 74 yards with a touchdown. Look for a similar, if not better, performance this week as the stakes are much higher with a shot of getting into the conference championship round.
Point Projection: 15 points

4. LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) vs. New York Jets

The New York Jets finished the regular season No. 1 in total defense in the NFL. If you saw that coming, give yourself a gold star. As a matter of fact, if a month ago you thought the Jets would be heading into the divisional round of the playoffs give yourself two gold stars. This defense will be a tough test this week for former All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson, but he is still the top running back in San Diego and he still has a knack for finding the end zone, as evident by his 12 total touchdowns this year. Expect another good game from Tomlinson this week against a Jets defense that is very good, but did give up 11 rushing touchdowns this season. 
Point Projection: 14 points

5. Thomas Jones (New York Jets) @ San Diego

New York might be the surprise team of the AFC Playoffs, but they are doing it the old fashioned way with good defense and a strong running game. What might be a bigger surprise is the fact that it has been Thomas Jones leading the way in the running game. There might not have been a running back whose stock dropped more during the offseason in 2009 than Jones. He was not only feeling the pressure from backup Leon Washington, but the Jets were speaking highly of rookie running back Shonn Greene. Many people expected a big dip in production from Jones, but with 1,436 yards and 15 touchdowns that didn’t happen. He is a solid running back to use this week, even though he was outshined by Greene against the Cincinnati Bengals last week. Look for New York to one again run the ball close to 70 percent of the time and for the Jets to likely rely on their veteran back the deeper they get in the playoffs. Expect Greene to continue to receive additional touches but for Jones to have the better afternoon.
Point Projection: 14 points

6. Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) @ New Orleans

The main reason that Beanie Wells is even sitting this far down in these rankings is the fact that he will continue to share touches with Tim Hightower. Wells averaged a very respectable 4.7 yards per carry during the regular season, but he topped that with 6.5 yards per carry during the Cardinals first round playoff victory over the Green Bay Packers. He managed just 14 carries in a game that was dominated by the quarterbacks and the passing game. Wells should once again be Arizona’s top option in the running game, but Hightower will get his share of the carries and is solid option in the short yardage passing game. Look for another good playoff performance from Wells in what should be another high scoring playoff game for the Cardinals.
Point Projection: 13 points

7. Felix Jones (Dallas Cowboys) @ Minnesota  **CHECK INJURY STATUS OF M. BARBER**

The explosiveness appears to be back for Felix Jones. Injuries early this season seemed to slow him down most of the year, but finally he is showing the speed and ability it appeared he had last year during an injury shortened rookie season. He took advantage of being the featured running back last week as starter Marion Barber left the game in the first with a knee injury. Jones had 148 rushing yards on 16 carries that included a 73-yard touchdown run during the third quarter. Barber is expected to start at this point, but he could once again be limited with the knee injury and there is a good chance Jones will be the featured back. It is a tough match-up against the Minnesota Vikings who have the No. 2 ranked rush defense in the regular season, but if Jones gets 15-20 touches he should once again have double digit fantasy points.
Point Projection: 12 points

8. Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) vs. Arizona  **CHECK INJURY STATUS**

Pierre Thomas was the top-dog in what was a very crowded New Orleans Saints backfield during the regular season. He finished the season with 793 rushing yards with six touchdowns and he also added 39 receptions for 302 yards with two more touchdowns. Thomas did sit out Week 17 with three cracked ribs suffered a week prior. At this point it appears that he will likely play this week against the Arizona Cardinals, but how much he plays will likely depend on his pain tolerance. Since this is the playoffs we expect Thomas to work through the pain and once again be a factor in this offense, like he has been during all of the Saints success this season. He will continue to share touches with both Mike Bell and Reggie Bush this week, but Thomas should once again be the lead back for New Orleans if he is healthy enough to play.
Point Projection: 12 points

9. Tim Hightower (Arizona Cardinals) @ New Orleans

Even while Tim Hightower has remained the Cardinals starting running back, he has given way to rookie Beanie Wells as the team’s top running back. Wells has consistently gotten more carries than Hightower over the past two months, but Hightower has still managed to score nine fantasy football points in each of the last three games; including last week. He had over 1,000 total yards with nine touchdowns during the regular season. The second year running back should see around 15 touches in this game and has excellent hands out of the backfield. Hightower has the match-up to post a solid outing against the Saints, who gave up more than 120 rushing yards per game and 19 rushing touchdowns during the 2009 season. 
Point Projection: 10 points

10. Shonn Greene (New York Jets) @ San Diego

A strong training camp and preseason left some fantasy owners expecting rookie Shonn Greene to significantly cut into the work load of starter Thomas Jones. As we now know, this never actually happened. Jones was the team’s top running back and even after New York lost Leon Washington for the season, Greene only managed one 100-yard rushing performance during the regular season. Over the last few weeks the Jets’ coaching staff has started to show a little confidence in the rookie and it paid off against Cincinnati Bengals last week. He will look to build off of the 21 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown he had last week against Cincinnati. Jones will likely remain the primary back for the Jets, but Greene should see significant touches and he has fantasy football value this week if the price is right. 
Point Projection: 9 points

11. Willis McGahee (Baltimore Ravens) @ Indianapolis

It was extremely hard to figure out what to expect from Willis McGahee from week to week this season. One thing that is very clear is that he is second on the depth chart at running back in Baltimore behind Ray Rice. In last week’s playoff victory over the New England Patriots, McGahee had 13 fantasy points and it marked the fourth time this season that he had more than 10 fantasy points in a game. Conversely he scored three fantasy football points or less eight times. With the way the Ravens have been running the ball look for McGahee to continue to see some additional touches this week, especially in short yardage and goal line situations.
Point Projection: 8 points

12. Darren Sproles (San Diego Chargers) vs. New York Jets

Darren Sproles most significant value to fantasy football owners this season was as a handcuff to LaDainian Tomlinson. He did set career high’s in carries (93), rushing yards (343), receptions (45), receiving yards (497) and total touchdowns (seven). He is a good change of pace option to Tomlinson and he catches the ball very well from the running back position. Sproles is explosive and a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Sproles may not be your prototypical every down NFL running back, but he is a very effective backup and third down back on top of being very good in the return game. His ability to score at anytime makes him a tempting play but it also requires a lot of risk when plugging him into your lineup.
Point Projection: 8 points

13. Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints) vs. Arizona

In 2009, Reggie Bush did not put together the season many fantasy football owners were hoping for. Whether it had to do with his on-again/off-again relationship with Kim Kardashian or a slew of nagging injuries, Bush put forth the worst statistical season of his four-year career. He had 725 total yards with eight touchdowns and he did not show the explosiveness he showed flashes of during his first three seasons in the NFL. He is a very good pass catcher though and in a showdown that should feature a lot of passing this appears to be a game that fits into his strengths. Bush should put together a solid performance against the Arizona Cardinals this week but only use him as a RB2 if you are strapped for cash.
Point Projection: 7 points

14. Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys) @ Minnesota  **CHECK INJURY STATUS**

Marion Barber was forced to leave the Cowboys’ playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with an injured knee in the first quarter. He finished the game with just three carries for four yards. It is being reported that he is expected to remain the team’s starting running back this week against the Minnesota Vikings. He should still be considered an injury risk and Felix Jones could very well receive a bulk of the load at running back this week. Keep an eye on Barber’s injury status during the week, but he should be considered a risky play against one of the NFL’s premier run stopping defenses.
Point Projection: 6 points

15. Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) vs. Baltimore

During a rookie season in which injuries limited him to just 11 games played, Donald Brown showed signs of why he was the Colts’ first round draft pick in 2009. He finished the season with 78 carries for 281 yards and three touchdowns. He did score nine or more fantasy points four times during the year, but he is clearly the team’s No. 2 rushing option behind starter Joseph Addai. Brown will continue to get some carries this week, but Addai should see a bulk of the workload at running back against a very good Baltimore Ravens rush defense. Brown will have a low price tag in the playoff challenge this week, but you shouldn’t expect too much from him in this match-up.
Point Projection: 5 points

16. Mike Bell (New Orleans Saints) vs. Arizona

Having played well early in the season when Pierre Thomas was injured, Mike Bell had earned a share of the touches in the Saints running game along with Thomas and Reggie Bush. He put together a few solid games during the year, but Bell has managed less than four fantasy points per game on average over his last five games played. Thomas has solidified his role as the team’s lead back and unless Thomas is bothered by his injured ribs, Bell will likely be the third running back option during the Saints playoff run. Bell is not a recommended fantasy football option for this week.
Point Projection: 5 points

17. Tashard Choice (Dallas Cowboys) @ Minnesota  **CHECK INJURY STATUS**

Before being knocked out of last week’s playoff victory with concussion like symptoms, Tashard Choice was having a serviceable game while getting a few extra carries with Marion Barber leaving in the first half with an apparent knee injury. ESPN has reported that Choice did not suffer a concussion last week and he is not expected to miss any practice time this week. There is a possibility that Barber could be limited this week with the injured knee and Choice could receive some additional touches. Although, with Felix Jones likely being the featured back you can’t expect much from Choice.
Point Projection: 4 points

18. Chester Taylor (Minnesota Vikings) vs. Dallas

Being the backup to Adrian Peterson does not leave a whole lot rushing opportunities, just ask Chester Taylor. Taylor finished the 2009 season with 93 carries for 332 yards with a touchdown. He did add 44 receptions for 389 yards with another touchdown. As long as he is playing behind Peterson his fantasy value will be minimal. He should not be used this week as he will not likely get more than 6-9 touches in this game.
Point Projection: 3 points

19. Le’Ron McClain (Baltimore Ravens) @ Indianapolis

The emergence of Ray Rice at running back for the Ravens has relegated Le’Ron McClain to being nothing more than a fullback who only gets the occasional carries. He had four carries for eight yards with a touchdown last week, but it was just the fourth time this season that he had more than two fantasy football points in a game. He should not be on your playoff challenge roster this week.
Point Projection: 2 points

20. Mike Tolbert (San Diego Chargers) vs. New York Jets

Mike Tolbert is like the second runner-up in a beauty pageant. If something happens to the beauty queen and the first runner-up she gets the crown. In Tolbert’s case something would have to happen to both LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles. Consider Tolbert the backup to the backup and his chances of getting more than just a handful of touches in this game in unlikely. He would come cheap in the playoff contest, but he will bring little value in return.
Point Projection: 2 points

Divisional Round Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  | DEF   (click to read)

Divisional Round Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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