Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

If you were drafting today, who would be the top running back on your draft board?

BOB HECK

We would take Marion Barber. We certainly wouldn't be disappointed to start a team with either Reggie Bush (particularly in a point-per-reception format) or Adrian Peterson (despite his slow start) but Barber has as high of a ceiling as any of the backs out there and has a very high floor as well -- barring injury, almost no chance he disappoints. He is on pace for a career-best 67 receptions, a career-best 1,797 yards and he is a TD machine as well (averaging one score per game). Felix Jones is out which should help to maintain his solid workload. If Romo is out it is likely a net negative (the offense won't generate as many first TDs and therefore not as many scoring opportunities), but we would still take Barber.

Heck is a founding partner at Dynasty Rogues, a fantasy football website filled with football enthusiasts, run by football enthusiasts. The company provides year-round dynasty and redraft fantasy football coverage and analysis, including Dynasty Rogues Radio and the Rogues Forum. The site can be reached at www.dynastyrogues.com.

SCOTT ENDSLEY

After 6 weeks of the season, we see a few surprises in the top 5 RBs statistically (Turner and Forte). But you have to say Portis is the No. 1 RB, averaging over 107 yds/game and 6 TDs. If he can stay healthy, Portis owners will be happy he was passed up by the early picks.

Endsley is co-owner and a senior fantasy football consultant for FantasyDraftEdge.com offering customizable fantasy football cheat sheets and professional VIP advice all season long. For more info, go to www.fantasydraftedge.com.

DAVID DOREY

While the No. 1 running back is no longer “Head and shoulders” above the rest, I would have to go with Adrian Peterson because of his youth, his superior talent and that offensive line in Minnesota that makes a big difference. Tomlinson turns 30 next year and is mortal and Steven Jackson is interesting but until the Rams can get a cohesive offense, you could not rely on him as much. It is a muddled question right now but for me, Peterson has to be the front runner.Dorey is the co-founder and Senior NFL Analyst at The Huddle since 1997. He has produced award winning rankings and has projected the fantasy stats for every game over the last 13 years. David produces the bulk of The Huddle rankings and his “Predictions and Projections” breaks down every single NFL game every week through the Super Bowl. You can find more about David at TheHuddle.com.

SAM HENDRICKS

Most will go with Marion Barber III as he looks to shoulder most of the burden of the Dallas offense with Romo out for 4 weeks and Felix Jones out for some time as well. But I am going to pick an older, more reliable work horse, Clinton Portis. A slightly better schedule and no sign of a RBBC earn him the No. 1 spot for me. He has strung together three 100-yard games recently.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook and the recently released Fantasy Football Almanac 2008 which are both available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is an 18-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) and will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

IAN ALLANOddly, I’ve got two running backs from teams with losing records at the top of my board. Typically, there’s a strong correlation between winning and rushing production (both yards and touchdowns), so the No. 1 back tends to come from a playoff-bound team. But my top two running backs are Frank Gore and Steven Jackson. Both will struggle at times as runners, and neither will be a dominant touchdown scorer. That comes with playing on a lesser team — team falls behind, and you have to abandon the run. But both of these guys are the only running backs their teams are using — should account for 85-plus percent of their team’s rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. And both are catching a ton of passes right now, going over 30 receiving yards week in and week out.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He’s also one of the main content contributors for that company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com. His IAN ALLAN’S MAILBAG column is posted on Fridays.

JEFFREY KAMYS

We would still take LT No. 1, and we feel that over the last 10 weeks he will finish at or near the top of the heap at the position. With his strong outing on Sunday, you can already see he is turning the corner on his toe injury.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

Marion Barber has an ideal setup now -- Felix Jones is out of the way, the Dallas offense is downshifted with Tony Romo out, and there's a good (albeit not dominant) line in front of him. The offense probably will visit the red zone less often with Brad Johnson steering the ship, but Barber has the clear path to the easy touchdowns, not to mention a sure 20-plus touches per week. Clinton Portis (perfect setup makes for a nice floor) and Adrian Peterson (better days are ahead) follow Barber on my current board.

Pianowski is a fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports. His work regularly appears on Yahoo's Roto Arcade Blog (rotoarcade.com), and you can also email him at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

MIKE NAZAREKReggie Bush in a PPR league due to his massive pass-catching total. In a non-PPR league, Clinton Portis, due to his multiple-TD games and scoring consistency. Frank Gore and Marion Barber are right behind these players.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Frank Gore, he has no threat to his carries on the team, the schedule remains very favorable down the stretch and he is averaging 3.5 receptions per week. He's the best player on his offense and the entire game plan revolves around his ability to dominate.

Louis Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about giving advice to players from a player. Lou's been a highly successful owner in many high stakes contests. BFD is giving away 50 fantasy football teams in 2008.

CHRIS LISS

Either Adrian Peterson, Marion the Barbarian or Brian Westbrook. If I had to choose this second, I'd probably go with Westbrook (should be fine after the bye).

RotoWire.com is a leading independent provider of fantasy sports news on the web, covering all the news as it breaks, combining innovative analysis with an easy-to-use format. The site’s content has won numerous awards and has earned partnerships with ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, FoxSports, XM Satellite Radio, NFL.com, NBA.com and many other sites and networks. To sample site content, take advantage of their free 10-day trial.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I'm torn. Clinton Portis has been great so far and forced to choose I'd probably just take him. No threat to his carries, very good offensive line, playing very well. I guess I'm stubborn, but I'd probably take Adrian Peterson next. The recent calls for Brad Childress' head will probably lead to him simplifying things and just giving the ball to Peterson and taking the guesswork and decision-making out of his game plans. And then I'd go Marion Barber, who's too good and reliable to not take in the top 3 picks.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past seven years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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