The Top 30 Fantasy Running Backs for 2002
7. Priest Holmes - Holmes broke out with a huge year in 2001 with the Chiefs. His total rushing and receiving yards made him comparable with Marshall Faulk. His receiving ability makes Holmes a great fantasy RB. Holmes took people by surprise last year and it will be difficult for him to duplicate those numbers. If Trent Green can improve over last year, Holmes will once again be a top tier fantasy RB.
8. Eddie George - George's 2001 season was wasted from day one due to injuries. By all accounts, and his early pre-season performances, George is close to 100% and should again be a top fantasy RB. The emergence of Derrick Mason in the passing game should take some of the pressure off George. Hopefully his carries will be kept closer to 300 than 400. George is a solid pick if you can get him in the 3rd round.
9. Stephen Davis - Davis is another one of those guys like Curtis Martin. Not spectacular, but all he has done is average almost 1400 yards and 11 TD the past three seasons. Davis may not get that many yards in Steve Spurrier's pass-happy offense, but he should get even more close range scoring chances. Solid 3rd to 4th round pick.
10. Edgerrin James - Obviously James would rank much higher if he were not coming off a knee injury. As of this writing, the plan is that James will not even see his first action until the Colt's final preseason game. Guys coming off knee injuries are always a gamble. At 100%, James is rivaled only by Marshall Faulk as the game's best fantasy RB. Take him with caution but in my opinion, take him no higher than round three.
11. LaDainian Tomlinson - After a great start, Tomlinson managed only ONE game over 100 yards in the final 12 games of the 2001 season. Still, he proved his durability by playing in all 16 games and posting a respectable 367 yards receiving to go along with 1200 rushing yards. Tomlinson has a good offensive line in San Diego, but will need either Brees or Flutie to perform will so teams cannot key on him.
12. Anthony Thomas - Thomas rushed for over 1100 yards despite only starting 10 games for the Bears. Although the Bears did not take advantage of it, Thomas proved at Michigan that he was an exceptional receiver and should show real improvement in this area. The
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