Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

If you didn’t have success in your fantasy football season you just need to relax. Websites everywhere are trying to keep fantasy football alive with postseason play. In fact, the Bruno Boys would like to invite you and your friends to join our league on Fantasy Football Playoff Challenge, where you can try knocking off the experts. It’s free and easy to play, so why not keep the magic alive for a few more weeks?

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 Wild Card Round edition of the Bruno Boys Weekly Running Back Rankings.

1. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) @ New England

What an amazing sophomore season Ray Rice had! While other second year running backs like Steve Slaton and Kevin Smith had disappointing seasons from a fantasy football standpoint, Rice propelled into one of the best running backs in the NFL and an elite fantasy option. He finished the 2009 season with 2,041 total yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. He may not have started the season as a RB1, but he finished as one and will likely be a top-ten pick in fantasy drafts next year. Rice will have a tough match-up on the road against one of the most playoff tested teams in the past ten years with a match-up against the New England Patriots, but he should have another excellent performance. In a Week 4 meeting with the Patriots, he had 11 carries for 103 yards and five receptions for 49 yards. Look for a similar outing from Rice this week, as he looks to help extend the Ravens season for another week.
Point Projection: 17 points

2. Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. New York Jets

After being widely considered a bust as a first round draft pick for the Chicago Bears, Cedric Benson put together the best season of his career and is a big reason as to why the Bengals won the AFC North division and are in the playoffs. In 13 games this year, he topped his previous career high in rushing yards by more than 500 yards and tied a previous career high with six touchdowns this season. With the Bengals already having secured a playoff berth heading into last week, he was a healthy scratch against the Jets as the team decided to rest him for their playoff run. Benson carried the ball 301 times this season substantially surpassing his previous high, but he is healthy and ready to go this week. He is one of the best fantasy running back options this week even against a Jets team that ranked No. 8 in rushing yards allowed this season.
Point Projection: 16 points

3. Thomas Jones (New York Jets) @ Cincinnati

Finishing the regular season as the third leading rusher in the NFL isn’t something many of us saw coming, but that’s exactly what Thomas Jones did in 2009. He was the rock in the Jets backfield, finishing the year with 332 carries for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. Not bad for a 31 year-old running back who was expected to start losing touches to both Leon Washington and rookie Shonn Greene. Even when Washington and Greene were both healthy this season, Jones was getting a bulk of the load at running back. Without Jones the New York Jets would not be going to the playoffs. In Week 17, he had 27 carries for 78 yards with two touchdowns against the Bengals who had the seventh ranked run defense during the regular season. Look for similar rushing totals this week, but one touchdown would be a safer bet.
Point Projection: 15 points

4. Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) @ Arizona

Ryan Grant has possibly been the steadiest running back this season. He was available as a low-end RB2 or even a RB3 during drafts, and he overachieved as he scored nine or more fantasy points in 13 of 16 games this season. Grant continues to get a bulk of the work at running back in Green Bay. In limited action last week against the Cardinals, he had 11 carries for 51 yards with a touchdown. He will look to do his best work of the season this week in helping to lead the Packers to a playoff victory over Arizona. Grant had 1,253 yards with 11 touchdowns this year, and he should continue play like a No. 1 running back against the Cardinals in round one of the playoffs.
Point Projection: 14 points

5. Marion Barber (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Philadelphia

It seemed as if Marion Barber had a down year, but his 932 rushing yards was the second highest total of his career as he has never gone over 1,000 yards in a season. He had a strong start to the season, but injuries starting in Week 2 slowed him down quite a bit. He has been playing very well during the Cowboys success this December with double digit fantasy points over his last three games. With only eight teams playing this week, Barber is a very good fantasy option in the playoff challenge. He had 14 carries for 91 yards and added one catch for 14 yards against the Eagles last week. Look for Barber to get his fourth straight double digit fantasy performance this week.
Point Projection: 14 points

6. Beanie Wells (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Green Bay

We all had a guy in our leagues this year that was just enamored with Beanie Wells, even when he wasn’t doing much. It turns out that guy was right, Beanie is going to be good, and it appears he may be to be so now. Arizona took the right approach taking their time with him this season, as he is now heading into the playoffs with just 176 carries on his young legs. He played sparingly in Week 17, but he had six touchdowns in his previous seven games and scored double figure fantasy points in five of those games. Wells appears to be the Cardinals running back of the future and currently looks like a RB2 for next season, but in this wild card round of the playoffs, he is worth using as a RB1.
Point Projection: 14 points

7. Brian Westbrook (Philadelphia Eagles) @ Dallas

This wasn’t the season anyone was hoping Brian Westbrook would have, well except maybe Cowboys or Giants fans. Injuries limited him to just eight games this season in which he had just 61 carries for 274 yards and two total touchdowns. It was his worst statistical season since his rookie year. After missing five games in a row, he has played on a limited basis over the past two weeks, totaling 14 carries for 49 yards. Westbrook should see a little more action this week and could post solid totals. He is a worthy starting running back in this match-up; just don’t expect him to return to his Pro-Bowl ways overnight.
Point Projection: 9 points

8. Felix Jones (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Philadelphia

If you were to ask Felix Jones, he would probably tell you he expected more from himself this season, as did many fantasy owners. In just six games played in his rookie year, he showed game breaking ability many owners thought would carry over to this season, but it didn’t. Like his teammate Marion Barber, he dealt with nagging injuries that plagued him throughout much of the season. With at least 10 carries and more than 50 rushing yards in each of his last four games, however, he has come on strong in the later part of this season. Jones had 15 carries for 91 yards last week against the Eagles, including a 49-yard touchdown run that showed the burst we saw during his rookie season. Expect another strong outing from him this week against Philadelphia.
Point Projection: 9 points

9. Tim Hightower (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Green Bay

It was quite an interesting 2009 for Tim Hightower. At the end of the 2008 season, it appeared as if he had a chance to be the Cardinals’ primary running back, then Arizona drafted Beanie Wells in the first round of the NFL Draft. Hightower still managed to have a solid season. He had 143 carries for 598 yards with eight touchdowns, while catching 63 passes for another 428 yards. Hightower did start all 16 games this year, but four lost fumbles throughout the year has put his starting status for the future in doubt. He will likely start this week, and even though Wells will likely get more touches once again, Hightower should post near double digit points. His receiving skills will likely come in handy against a very good Green Bay rush defense.
Point Projection: 9 points

10. Fred Taylor (New England) vs. Baltimore

After Laurence Maroney held down the fort in the Patriots’ backfield most of the season, New England is once again very healthy at the running back slot. Over the past few weeks, both veterans Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor have come back from extensive injuries. In Taylor’s second game back from injury in Week 17, he had seven carries for 33 yards with two touchdowns. He is in a very crowded backfield and has a tough match-up this week against a very good Baltimore Ravens rush defense, but if the Patriots get close to the goal line it should be Taylor carrying the ball.
Point Projection: 8 points

11. Willis McGahee (Baltimore Ravens) @ New England

What exactly is Willis McGahee’s role in the Baltimore Ravens’ offense? After a 16 game season, the answer to that question is still unclear. He started the year with five touchdowns over the team’s first three games, and then he pretty much disappeared for the next seven games. Just when owners had given up on him, he came back and scored four touchdowns over a three game span. Then, in Week 17 he posted 16 carries for a career-high 167 yards with three touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders. Ray Rice will once again start for the Ravens this week and should carry most of the load at running back. Still, look for McGahee to resume his role as Baltimore’s No. 2 running back and short yardage back.
Point Projection: 8 points

12. Sammy Morris (New England) vs. Baltimore

They say that defense wins championships and that could very likely end up the case after this Super Bowl championship season is over, as there are some really good defenses playing in these playoffs, especially against the rush. Baltimore is no exception to this, as they are once again very good at stopping the run this season. This along with the fact that New England is deep at running back will keep Sammy Morris’ value limited this week. He will share carries with Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk. Even if he starts for the second consecutive game, he will have limited value this week. Buy Morris low in the playoff challenge and hope he can reward you with a solid performance this week.
Point Projection: 7 points

13. LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles) @ Dallas

It was a solid rookie season for Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy. He saw extensive playing time with Brian Westbrook missing several games with injuries. McCoy played in all 16 games and started four. He finished with 155 carries for 637 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 40 receptions for 308 yards. He plays like a young Brian Westbrook, and it should just be a matter of time before McCoy takes over the starting role from the oft-injured Westbrook. McCoy should see more than the three touches he had against the Cowboys in Week 17, but keep your expectations limited.
Point Projection: 6 points

14. Kevin Faulk (New England) vs. Baltimore

Kevin Faulk sat out of the Patriots’ Week 17 game against the Houston Texans after playing in all of the 15 previous games. He is expected to play in the first round of the playoffs, but you will hear it here if anything changes. Even if he plays, he will be part of a running back by committee and will be facing a very tough Baltimore rush defense. Faulk is the team’s running back on passing downs and has some value catching the ball out of the backfield, especially with Wes Welker down and out. He is a risky start this week, but could be used as a low-end starter if the price is low enough.
Point Projection: 5 points

15. Larry Johnson (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. New York Jets

Cedric Benson’s fantasy owners were concerned when Larry Johnson originally signed with Bengals before Week 11. They thought there was a possibility that Cincinnati was looking to lighten Benson’s workload and that Johnson would steal some of his touches, but that hasn’t really been the case. Johnson has seen limited action since joining the team and has accumulated just 19 fantasy points in seven games. Even when Benson was out, Johnson split carries with Bernard Scott. Even with limited choices this week at running back, Larry Johnson has very limited fantasy value.
Point Projection: 4 points

16. Laurence Maroney (New England) vs. Baltimore

2009 has been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Laurence Maroney. He wasn’t involved in New England’s offense much over the first five weeks of the season, then injuries to veterans Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor opened the door for Maroney to be the team’s starting running back. He played very well in that role as he had nine touchdowns over a nine game period, but when he lost his fourth fumble of the season, he may have lost his starting job for good. With both Morris and Taylor healthy when Maroney fumbled early in Week 16, Maroney was benched and hasn’t been heard from since. He was inactive last week, and if he is active this week, he is not worth using as a starting running back in the wild card round of the playoffs.
Point Projection: 4 points

17. Shonn Greene (New York Jets) @ Cincinnati

There were high expectations for Shonn Greene coming out of training camp. It was rumored that the Jets’ coaching staff liked what they had seen from him during off-season workouts and training camp and that he was going to steal touches from starter Thomas Jones. That never did transpire though. Jones finished the season as the third leading rusher in the NFL, and even with Leon Washington sidelined a good majority of the season with a leg injury, Greene still was only able to muster up 71 carries for 330 yards. Greene may have a future in New York, but don’t expect much from him this week as the Jets travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals.
Point Projection: 4 points

18. Brandon Jackson (Green Bay Packers) @ Arizona

Playing second fiddle to Ryan Grant this season hasn’t led to much work for Brandon Jackson. Grant has been a consistent double digit performer this season, which left Jackson, relegated to bench duties. He has had 11 carries over the last two games and totaled 37 rush yards with three total touchdowns. Jackson will likely see limited duty again this week while the Packers will lean on Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Grant to lead them to a playoff victory. Jackson is not worth owning in playoff challenges this week.
Point Projection: 4 points

19. Leonard Weaver (Philadelphia Eagles) @ Dallas

With 70 carries for 323 yards with two touchdowns to go with 15 catches for 140 yards and two more touchdowns, the Eagles will likely look to hang on to Leonard Weaver this off-season. He gained most of his yardage this year when Brian Westbrook was sidelined with an injury, but he has proven to be more than a good fullback. Weaver has proven to be a very solid short yardage back. However, he will not ever have a huge impact in the fantasy world and that includes this week on the road against the NFC East division rival Dallas Cowboys.
Point Projection: 3 points

20. Bernard Scott (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. New York Jets

Before the 2009 season, few people had heard of Bernard Scott, a rookie running back for the Cincinnati Bengals out of Abilene Christian University, but after making an impact in limited action, fantasy football owners are aware of him now. He had his best game in Week 11 when he had 21 carries for 119 yards while filling in for an injured Cedric Benson. He followed that up with 18 carries for 87 yards the next week, but then suffered an injury of his own and missed the next three weeks. Scott got the start for the Bengals in Week 17 with Benson resting up for the playoffs, but he had just six carries for 20 yards in the game. His playing time will be limited this week, along with his fantasy value. Scott is not worth using as a fantasy running back this week.
Point Projection: 3 points

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

Wild Card Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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