| In NFL Sports Betting, the running back is one of the | | | | last season. Is there anyone who doesn't believe that |
| most important players to think about. As we see it, | | | | Tomlinson gets 1,500 yards and 20 TDs just for |
| here are the top five running backs, in rank order, | | | | showing up every week? You should note that he |
| heading into the 2006 fantasy football season. | | | | also threw 3 TDs last year. |
| 1. Shaun Alexander (Seattle) - Sure, you may hear | | | | 4. Edgerrin James (Arizona) - New team. New turf. No |
| some folks make a strong argument for Larry | | | | Peyton Manning. A speedy receiving corpse that will |
| Johnson as the first pick, but the numbers don't lie. 1958 | | | | keep defenses honest. If he remains healthy - and two |
| combined yards from scrimmage. A League record 27 | | | | years after his knee injury, there's no reason to think |
| rushing touchdowns - and maybe most important, over | | | | he shouldn't - James has the potential to put up |
| 23 rushing attempts per game. At 28 years old, these | | | | numbers this season that he previously only dreamed |
| numbers have been building to this point in his career, | | | | of. |
| and we see no reason for him to slow down in 2006. | | | | 5. Tiki Barber (NY Giants) - Barber fans have vented |
| 2. Larry Johnson (Kansas City) - After waiting patiently | | | | their frustration about Barber being teamed with a |
| behind Priest Holmes for two seasons, LJ exploded | | | | power back (Ron Dayne) that gets more goal line |
| onto the scene last season with 2,093 combined yards | | | | carries, but Tiki has the potential to bust a long one on |
| and 21 total touchdowns. At 26 years old, he may | | | | any play. Besides, 2,390 all-purpose yards is nothing to |
| actually be better than Alexander, but the retirement of | | | | sneeze at. Oh yeah, did we mention that Dayne is no |
| 11-time Pro Bowl tackle Willie Roaf, and the Chief's | | | | longer there? Barber belongs in the upper echelon of |
| recommitment to the passing game, at least makes us | | | | running backs in 2006. |
| wonder if the numbers may fall off a bit. | | | | So there you have it, the top 5 NFL running backs that |
| 3. Ladanian Tomlinson (San Diego) - The number one | | | | anybody serious about sports betting must consider |
| back in 2005 only falls slightly this year because of the | | | | before making any wagers. These are the back that |
| superhuman stats put up by Alexander and Johnson | | | | can make or break a game. |