[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Ray Rice saw a small dip in both his production and usage in 2012 due largely to the success of rookie Bernard Pierce. I don't anticipate that we'll see this downtrend continue but I also don't expect Rice to get a lot more than the 257 carries he received in 2012. Where he may see a bump in production is in the passing game. The departure of Anquan Boldin leaves a lot of targets up for grabs and Rice is one of the best pass catching backs in the league. Rice may very well lead all NFL backs in receptions in 2013. With or without Pierce I expect Rice will be at the center of the Ravens offense both on the ground and through the air. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: It's actually a testament to how good I think Peterson is that I have him ranked as highly as I do, even if it isn't quite as high as everyone else. He is an absolute beast that proved last he can carry an otherwise atrocious offense. I just have my doubts that he can handle it yet again in 2013. I don't like his schedule and I like his offense even less. For most running backs this would be an impossible situation...and Adrian Peterson comes out and says he's aiming for 2500 yards. I can't drop him as low as I would like to simply because of his incredible talent, but I likely won't have Adrian Peterson on any of my teams in 2013. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Arian Foster is coming off of three consecutive seasons with at least 1,600 total yards and 12 touchdowns and there's no reason to believe that won't continue for the foreseeable future. He's a bell cow back with elite talent in a run first offense. A difficult early schedule may hold him down slightly but four of his final six games are against teams that finished in the bottom 20% of run defenses in 2012. Foster's calf injury has me concerned enough that I've dropped him from the top of my rankings but if he gets back to full speed early in camp he'll be right back there. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: I think Chris Johnson has gotten a bit of a bad rap, partially brought on by his own bravado and lapses in judgement. The fact remains that Johnson has been a RB1 every year in the league except for 2011 and he's played 79 out of 80 games in those five seasons. There are serious indications that 2013 could be a much better year for him as well. Johnson's yards per carry improved to 4.5 in 2012 (his highest average since 2009) with an offensive line that was patchwork at best. The Titans intense focus on improving that line in the off season has led many to speculate that Titans may return to the run heavy days of 300+ carries for their star back. I believe Johnson tops 1600 total yards and scores 10+ touchdowns in 2013. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: I'm not quite ready to jump on the "next Adrian Peterson" bandwagon, but I do see some similarities, especially heading into 2013. Questionable quarterback play and lack of skill position players to help carry the load? Check. Difficult schedule? Check. Richardson is an amazing talent that, if he stays healthy, may one day lay claim to the title of best back in the league. After yet another injury concern has popped up this summer if you aren't at least a little concerned about him playing 16 games in 2013 you're braver than I am. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: As a rookie out of Florida Atlantic, Morris toted the rock 335 times in 2012 and finished as the fifth best running back in fantasy football. That is an astounding sentence, and I think we'll likely see a small regression in 2013. I think his workload will stay high, but I think a slightly lower YPC and a few less touchdowns is likely. Morris is all but invisible in the passing game and slips into borderline RB2 territory in PPR leagues. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Steven Jackson is another player that has a wide variety of expectations and it's easy to see why. On one hand he'll trun 30 years old in July and the past three seasons results look like those of a running back on the downward side of his career arc. On the other hand, he still looks to be in excellent shape and he's moving from the Rams to the Falcons. I don't believe Jackson has it left in the tank to put together a RB1 season but I do expect to see a reenergized back that puts up solid RB2 numbers. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: As a 30 year old running back you'd expect Sproles to be coming to the end of his career, but I'm not 100% sold on this. Soroles plays more like a receiver in a lot of ways and doesn't take the pounding must running backs do. Still, after missing three games to injury in 2012 he's safer as a flex play in 2013 than anything else. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Is Murray starting to remind anyone else of Ryan Mathews? It's a big year for both players, and especially Murray with the Cowboys drafting Joseph Randle. It's possible that splitting carries could actually benefit Murray, helping him stay healthy and providing fresh legs that could help get him closer to his 5.1 ypc average of 2011. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Wilson is an electric runner that at times looked like he might be the most talented runner on the roster in 2012. Now he'll battle Andre Brown in a situation that will likely be split but I expect Wilson to win the lion's share of the carries. Wilson has worked this offseason on ball security and pss protection and if he's made strides in those areas Tom Coughlin will have no reason to keep him on the bench. He has as much potential as anyone in the RB2 tier. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Bush is 28 years old and coming off his two best years as a running back. He was a solid RB2 for his two seasons in Miami and now moves to a much better offense in Detroit. The fact that he's heading to a pass heavy offense with few reliable targets has led to some lofty projections and I'm just not sure I'm buying it. The last two years were the only time in his career that Bush has topped 250 touches and 2012 was the first time since his rookie year that he played a full 16 game season. With Joique Bell and Mikel LeShoure also in the mix I don't see any reason the Lions would give him a huge workload. The prospects of him matching his career high of eight touchdowns with red zone studs LeShoure and Calvin Johnson are very low. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: I think most of the reason for Ridley's lower ranking leads back to Bill Belichick. I can understand that but if anything I think the Patriots may actually run the ball more in 2013. I'm not sure he'll match last year's 12 touchdowns but 1300+ yards is a real possibility. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: It's sounding more and more like Miller will have every opportunity to start in Miami, that being said I'm not quite sold on him as a RB2 yet. He was awful in pass protection last season and has injury concerns of his own. Miller would likely see the most carries in what I see as a RBBC in Miami. His upside is as high as his floor is low, which makes him a risky prospect as a RB2. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: After failing to recover from his ACL injury as quickly as running backs Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson, Mendenhall stuggled through a sub-par 2013. This offseason new likfe was breathed into his career as a move to Arizona has likely landed him a starting gig. The offensive line in Arizona tempers expectations a bit but Mendenhall, if full strength still has a shot at RB2 production. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Ivory is the most talented running back on the Jets roster and should slide into a two down role. Injury concerns and the Jets dysfunction are the only things keeping me from putting Ivory in the RB2 category. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Thomas has been a solid flex play over the past two seasons and it's hard to see his role changing much in 2013. He figures to post around 100 carries and 40 receptions in the Saints' high volume offense but likely needs Darren Sproles or Mark Ingram to go down to injury to have any real upside. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: The perception of Bell shot up when he was drafted by a team with a true need at running back, but I think we need to slow down a little bit here. The Steelers offensive line was terrible last year, mostly due to injuries, but even our own Matt Bitoni doesn't expect them to be much better than average in 2013. There are questions about Bell's vision and pass blocking, and he lacks elite speed. He could be a serviceable running flex play if everything falls right, but he could continue the Steelers' struggles at running back from 2012. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Ingram took a nice step forward last season playing in all 16 games and is listed as the team's starting running back. Unfortunately for him, the Saints are a three back team that loves to pass the ball. Until Pierre Thomas or Darren Sproles is out of the equation it's hard to view Ingram as more than a flex. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: If either Lacy or Franklin emerge as a clear candidate to see a majority of the carries they'll rocket up the rankings. For now, I'll take the back that was drafted higher and is likely to produce more touchdowns. An injury to either of these backs could thrust the other into borderline RB1 territory but if both stay healthy and contribute it's hard to see either as more than a flex play in 2013. (hide this)

[Jun 15th] Heath Cummings says: With Willis McGahee out of the picture we can fairly assume that Montee Ball is the likely short yardage back in Denver and Ronnie Hillman will get every opportunity to be the third down back. What will likley be decided in training camp is who gets the rest of the carries. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: The Seahawks drafted Christine Michael to compete with Turbin but that's a battle Turbin should win, at least in 2013. On any other team the rookie back likely would have earned more action in 2012 and I think we'll see the Seahawks try to lighten Marshawn Lynch's load this season. If Turbin continues to shine he may be looking a feature role in another offense in 2014. Keep a close eye on Lynch's DUI trial this summer, if he is found guilty that could provide a 2-4 game window for Turbin to showcase his skills. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: The Panthers will return to their power running scheme in 2013 and with Jonathan Stewart's durability concerns that could mean a fair share of touches for Williams. What remains to be seen is whether he can still be effective with those touches. Williams just turned 30 and saw his yards per carry drop a full yard in 2012. Running backs his age do not often reverse that trend. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: While Rodgers was a bit of a disappointment in 2012, his 53 receptions still made him a viable option as a flex in PPR leagues. The addition of Steven Jackson likely hurts Rodgers value as Jackson is a much better pass-catcher than former RB1 Michael Turner. Rodgers still has some long term value as he's only 23 years old and Jackson is in the twilight of his career. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: Injuries derailed Tate's sophomore season but he did more than enough as a rookie to prove that he's just an opportunity away from success. Look for him to get more involved once again in 2013, and if Foster goes out immediately vault him into RB2 consideration. (hide this)

[Jun 7th] Heath Cummings says: I think Bernard is an excellent fit in an exciting young offense. I'm simply afraid that the Bengals will ride BenJarvus Green-Ellis for one more season and Bernard won't fully take over until 2014. If we see signs that this is going to be more of a RBBC I'll be moving Bernard up my rankings. (hide this)