August is just around the corner, which means we are weeks away from watching football. Nothing like the preseason in the NFL. But it also means fantasy football drafts. Here are a few running backs that are ready for big years:
Joining the elite » Adrian Peterson has surpassed LaDainian Tomlinson as the clear No. 1 back. But who’s No. 2? With Fred Taylor going to New England, Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew is ready to emerge. In his first three seasons, the Human Bowling Ball has scored touchdowns (averaging over 11 per year) and caught the ball out of the backfield. Now, Jones-Drew will get the amount of carries to break 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career.
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Comeback year » The Rams won two games last year and were awful, but Stephen Jackson is ready for a turnaround season. After a breakout year in 2007, Jackson battled injuries — playing in 12 games each of the last two seasons. The Rams are no longer the “Greatest Show on Turf.” New coach and former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will bring the mentality of playing tough defense and running the football and Jackson will be the greatest benefactor.
Rookie watch » First-year backs Matt Forte, Chris Johnson and Steve Slaton all had great seasons last year. One to watch this year will be Broncos’ No. 12 overall pick Knowshon Moreno. With no more Shanahan shuffle in the Denver backfield, expect the former Georgia Bulldog to leap over the Broncos’ mediocre backs to garner the most carries among rookies.
