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Mr. Fantasy's 2009 Football Draft Ratings: The No. 1 Running Back
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There's a changing of the guard atop the Fantasy Football 2009 running backs draft list. The LaDainian Tomlinson era is history. Long live Adrian Peterson ... even without the man who could have made him a fantasy god, Brett Favre.
Yes, Favre. I'm disappointed by the old man's decision not to quarterback the Vikings this season, because I believe he can still be a difference-maker in the fantasy game - at the running back position, not at quarterback.
You see, wherever Favre goes, a great running game follows. It's no coincidence.
Aside from maybe Peyton Manning, Favre reads defenses better than any quarterback in the game. He forces defenses to be on their heels, and that's what makes them so vulnerable to the run.
Peterson was pretty darn good without Favre. But imagine if defenses were forced to cover the whole field, rather than concentrating pretty much everyone on keeping Peterson between the hash marks. The league's most talented runner would finally have gotten an opportunity to strut his best stuff.
How much better could Peterson have been this season? I believe Thomas Jones can answer that question.
Consider his recent numbers with and without Favre:
With Favre (2008): 1,519 total yards, 15 TDs.
Without Favre (2007): 1,336 total yards, 2 TDs.
In fantasy production, that's about a 50 percent improvement.
Does that mean we could have expected about 2,700 yards and 15 TDs out of Peterson this season? Probably not.
But suffice it to say: With Favre by his side, anything would have been possible.
2009 Fantasy Football Draft List: Running Backs
1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings.
Who's No. 2? Click here to find out.
