Posted by radan in 
A look at two of the top running backs in the league…
Adrian Peterson might have been the number one pick in just about every draft this year, but that could change in 2010 with the way Chris Johnson is piling up the numbers this season. They are obviously two of the best fantasy running backs in the league (just look at the numbers below), but which one is going to be more valuable the rest of the season and beyond?
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Adrian Peterson
Rushing
| YEAR | CAR | YDS | YPC | TD |
| 2008 | 364 | 1757 | 4.8 | 10 |
| 2009 | 182 | 923 | 5.1 | 11 |
Receiving
| YEAR | TARGETS | REC | YDS | YPR | TD |
| 2008 | 39 | 21 | 125 | 6 | 0 |
| 2009 | 25 | 21 | 199 | 9.5 | 0 |
Peterson is pretty much doing what was expected of him. He might not rush for as many yards as he did last season, but he’ll more than make up for that with the amount of touchdowns he’ll score. He’s crossed the goal line in seven out of the team’s nine games this season and he’s coming off of a huge game against the Lions where he rushed for 133 yards and scored twice. It wouldn’t surprise me to see AP finish the season strong.
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Chris Johnson
Rushing
| YEAR | CAR | YDS | YPC | TD |
| 2008 | 251 | 1228 | 4.9 | 9 |
| 2009 | 170 | 1091 | 6.4 | 8 |
Receiving
| YEAR | TARGETS | REC | YDS | YPR | TD |
| 2008 | 62 | 43 | 260 | 6 | 1 |
| 2009 | 41 | 30 | 262 | 8.7 | 1 |
I think most people expected Johnson to have a solid season this year (he was drafted in the top 10 in most leagues), but I doubt they thought he would do this well. His 6.4 YPC is just ridiculous, and he currently has a 4-game streak of at least 128 yards rushing going. With Vince Young now running the offense, Johnson should continue to have big days on the ground as well as through the air. He was targeted 9 times last week by Young and he caught all of them to the tune of 100 yards. He should have at least two more monstrous games when he faces the Rams and the Chargers.
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Remaining Schedules
Peterson – SEA, CHI, ARZ, CIN, CAR, CHI, NYG
Johnson – HOU, ARZ, IND, STL, MIA, SD, SEA
Both of these guys should finish this season as top 3 fantasy running backs (the other being Maurice Jones-Drew), and, barring injuries, you can pretty much expect them to be the #1 and #2 overall picks in most drafts next year. My guess is that Peterson’s popularity will help him to be the top pick in about 70% of leagues, but it probably should be closer than that. Regardless, these two are fantastic players and I’m jealous of everyone who gets to have them in their lineups each week.
