2006 keeper league rankings -- RB

Here are the 2006 keeper league RB rankings as of the middle of May. The NFL draft wasn't what anyone expected in the running back category, and a lot of big name college backs entered into interesting situations. 2006 should be an interesting year in the world of fantasy backs. The number after the player's name indicates his age for a majority of the 2006 season.

RB
1. Larry Johnson -- 27 -- he's got less miles on his legs than LT or Alexander, and his numbers from last season are ridiculous
2. Shaun Alexander -- 29 -- the loss of Steve Hutchinson is bigger than the addition of Nate Burleson, but Shaun will still get his 15+ TD
3. LaDainian Tomlinson -- 27 -- the Chargers are going with an unproven QB, but he's still the man and should have at least two more seasons of elite stats
4. Clinton Portis -- 25 -- his entire seasons rests on the left arm of Mark Brunell... without him, Portis will see nine guys in the box all year
5. Edgerrin James -- 28 -- the Cardinals look to be the league's best offense on paper... if Edge can stay on the field, he'll be a stud
6. Steven Jackson -- 23 -- the young stud will hopefully play an entire season with a healthy Marc Bulger; without him, Jackson was useless
7. Cadillac Williams -- 24 -- no competition for his job and a coach who loves to pound the ball... sounds good to me
8. Ronnie Brown -- 24 -- Ricky's gone, Daunte's in... once Culpepper is healthy, Brown's numbers will explode
9. Rudi Johnson -- 27 -- Cinci's offense has a great future with Carson, Chad and Rudi... the new "CCR" should be rollin' for several years
10. Lamont Jordan -- 27 -- the addition of Aaron Brooks doesn't hurt him, but his reception total will decline and he could see less red zone time
11. Willis McGahee -- 25 -- once the Buffalo offense gels under J.P. Losman (or Kelly Holcomb) McGahee will offer a nice return
12. Reggie Bush -- 21 -- he might not be the savior in 2006, but this is a keeper league ranking board, so bid heavily and hope that Deuce disappears next year
13. Julius Jones -- 25 -- still only 25, Jones should benefit from the TO signing and work more in the middle of the field
14. Domanick Davis -- 26 -- Davis owners were delighted to see the Texans pass Reggie Bush in the draft... Davis needs to stay on the field and score more
15. Tiki Barber -- 31 -- are you going to bet against him again in 2006? i am, but i'm not putting down as much money this time
16. Chris Brown -- 25 -- he's still young, but he'll have LenDale White pushing him to stay on the field and produce
17. Kevin Jones -- 24 -- if Kitna or McCown can establish a passing game, Jones will be the surprise player of 2006
18. Willie Parker -- 25 -- doesn't score enough, but that might chance with the retirement of Jerome Bettis and the wishes of Bill Cowher to see Ben Roethlisberger stay in the pocket more
19. Brian Westbrook -- 27 -- the Eagles might use him more as a wideout and give carries to Ryan Moats
20. Cedric Benson -- 23 -- he should be the starter in Chicago, but he didn't show anything last year to make me believe he'll be as good as Thomas Jones the last two seasons
21. Laurence Maroney -- 21 -- will play some in 2006, but should be the full time starter in '07 and make the Patriots even more dangerous
22. Jamal Lewis -- 27 -- stayed in Baltimore, which isn't a great thing, but with Chester Taylor in Minnesota, he should rebound with a solid season
23. Tatum Bell -- 25 -- who knows what Denver will do, but Bell is the most talented of their backs; he just needs to beat Ron Dayne for the job
24. Chester Taylor -- 27 -- has the starting job in Minnesota, but with a creaky Brad Johnson throwing to nobody proven, Taylor won't have too much fun this year
25. DeShaun Foster -- 26 -- this is probably too high for Foster; with DeAngelo Williams waiting in the wings, Foster's time as a starter could be nearing the end
26. DeAngelo Williams -- 23 -- if Foster starts fumbling or gets injured, Williams will produce right away... the only reason he isn't 10 spots higher is because of the plethora of backs in Carolina
27. Reuben Droughns -- 28 -- he had more than 1600 total yards last year, but only two touchdowns... look for more of the same if he holds the job
28. Warrick Dunn -- 31 -- just refuses to give the job to T.J. Duckett, so he should be good for another 1000 yard season, but not much more
29. Deuce McAllister -- 27 -- now with Reggie on board, it's anyone's guess what the Saints will do this year; in 2007, it's Bush, and Deuce will have to find a new team
30. T.J. Duckett -- 25 -- has 27 touchdowns in the last three seasons, but still no starting job; is this the year?
31. Frank Gore -- 23 -- the 49ers could have a good thing going with Alex Smith, Vernon Davis and Gore... if he stays on the field
32. Ahman Green -- 29 -- he might just explode and have a huge 2006, but his future holds nothing beyond that
33. Corey Dillon -- 32 -- see Ahman Green
34. Thomas Jones -- 28 -- the Bears have a lot invested in Benson, but if he fails, Jones will be a productive starter
35. Fred Taylor -- 30 -- he says he's healthy, the team says he's healthy, the media says he's healthy... I say find someone else
36. Joseph Addai -- 23 -- he just doesn't look like the long term answer for the Colts; will probably start the season behind Dominic Rhodes
37. Chris Perry -- 24 -- great third down back just looking for a chance; he'll produce if Rudi gets hurt or starts the season ineffective
38. Ron Dayne -- 28 -- Shanahan has him listed as the starter right now... I'm not going to doubt it, but I'm also not going to draft Dayne
39. LenDale White -- 21 -- he's a giant man with an injury-prone Chris Brown in front of him... if he gets in the game, you'll see numbers like Duckett
40. Mewelde Moore -- 24 -- I still think he's better than Chester Taylor, but the Vikes invested in Taylor and so Moore will wait for a chance
41. Lee Suggs -- 26 -- if healthy, he's Cleveland's best running back, and the Browns should figure that out by midseason
42. Cedric Houston -- 24 -- Houston will be the most productive back on the Jets this year... so grab him if that excites you
43. Dominic Rhodes -- 27 -- probably just holding the spot until Addai is ready, but he does have a 1000 yard season under his belt
44. Greg Jones -- 25 -- I don't know why I have him this high, but he impressed me when he was the starter last year, and I think he could benefit from 15+ carries per game
45. Priest Holmes -- 33 -- Holmes can see the sunset, but he might have a few touchdowns left in him if Larry Johnson goes down
46. Marion Barber -- 23 -- Parcells likes him, although Parcells also likes winning, and that's why he'll stick with Julius Jones
47. Michael Turner -- 24 -- if you have LT, draft Turner, because he's one of the top-10 backups in the league
48. Ryan Moats -- 23 -- might see more carries if Westbrook is injured again or used as a receiver
49. Brian Calhoun -- 22 -- will serve as the primary backup to Kevin Jones, and could produce as a third-down back
50. Curtis Martin -- 33 -- I suppose I have to rank him here because he is still the starter, but he shouldn't last too long this season
51. Mike Anderson -- 33 -- the rookies should be ranked before the old guys on this table, but Anderson somehow proves me wrong every year
52. Kevan Barlow -- 27 -- he still has some juice left, so if he gets out of San Francisco, some team would have a good backup
53. J.J. Arrington -- 23 -- the Cards spent a high first round pick on him last year, but with Edgerrin James in town, Arrington will have a nice seat
54. Michael Pittman -- 31 -- still the backup to Cadillac, but he'll be 31 and hasn't been known to keep his head straight
55. Brandon Jacobs -- 24 -- less than 40 carries last year, but 7 touchdowns... this 265lb back could see more time with Tiki Barber getting no younger
56. Ladell Betts -- 27 -- good spot duty as the #2 to Clinton Portis... Betts will never be a star, but a good option if Portis is down
57. Anthony Thomas -- 27 -- found a job in Buffalo, and with McGahee coming off a disappointing season, Thomas could see the field
58. Michael Bennett -- 28 -- he's #3 in New Orleans right now, but rumors have him leaving to become the backup to Domanick Davis
59. Justin Fargas -- 26 -- Fargas can fly, but he has no job, and Lamont Jordan isn't going anywhere
60. Samkon Gado -- 23 -- Ahman Green is getting old and creaky, and Gado impressed the coaches enough to earn another year
61. Adrian Peterson -- 27 -- with a healthy Cedric Benson, AP isn't likely to see many carries, but if Thomas Jones is traded, he's a valuable backup
62. Alvin Pearman -- 24 -- could sneak ahead of Greg Jones on the depth chart behind Fred Taylor
63. Cedric Cobbs -- 25 -- you never know who Shanahan will throw in there... Cobbs could have 1300 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, or the Broncos could cut him
64. Verron Haynes -- 27 -- should beat Duce Staley for the #2 job in Pittsburgh, which means he'll see some action
65. Maurice Morris -- 26 -- he's fast and he returns kicks, but that's about all
66. Arlen Harris -- 26 -- will emerge as the #2 guy in St. Louis, which could get him a few token carries and some third down catches
67. Leon Washington -- 24 -- rookie who will be #3 with the Jets, until Curtis Martin retires to spend time with his great-grandkids
68. P.J. Daniels -- 23 -- Jamal Lewis is a question mark and Mike Anderson is old, so Daniels might see the field often in 2006
69. Ciatrick Fason -- 23 -- decent sized back in a muddy picture in Minnesota; he actually led the team in rushing TD with 4 in only 32 carries
70. Maurice Drew -- 21 -- you never know... the four guys on the depth chart in front of him might all get in a car together on a snowy day...