Factoid
I have a feeling I'll be drafting a few rookie running backs this season. A year ago both NFL first-rounders, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch, paid off for their teams and their fantasy owners. This year, there should be at least four first-round running backs taken: Darren McFadden, Rashard Mendenhall, Jonathan Stewart, and Felix Jones. Depending on where they end up, all four could find themselves with major roles right away.
Based on last year, there's ample evidence that rookie runners can pay off for fantasy owners -- and I'm not just talking about the first-rounders. A year ago there were 18 individual performances with 150-plus rushing yards, accounted for by 15 running backs. Six of those 15 backs were rookies, if you include Ryan Grant (who spent his first two years on a practice squad and then injured reserve). Of those backs, only Peterson and Lynch were drafted earlier than the fifth round.
The top single-game rushing performances from 2007 are presented below (rookies in bold).
Adrian Peterson 296
Adrian Peterson 224
Jamal Lewis 216
LaDainian Tomlinson 198
Clinton Portis 196
Justin Fargas 179
LaDainian Tomlinson 177
Chris Brown 175
Chester Taylor 164
Jamal Lewis 163
LaMont Jordan 159
Laurence Maroney 156
Selvin Young 156
Ryan Grant 156
Derrick Ward 154
Marshawn Lynch 153
Ahmad Bradshaw 151
Kolby Smith 150
—Andy Richardson
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