By Drew Smith

Fantasy College Blitz

1) Andre Anderson - Tulane: Anderson was off to a fantastic start last year before busting up his shoulder in the 7th game of the season against Rice. He had 854 and 7 scores through the first 6 games including two tough matchups against Alabama and East Carolina. Based on the talent of Anderson and the schedule he plays, the only thing preventing him from being the top fantasy back this season is whether or not his shoulder holds up. In a year with no clear cut #1 back, Anderson has too much upside to not be the first back off the board.2) LeGarrette Blount - Oregon : Blount is far more talented that Anderson and would probably run for 2500 yards playing for Tulane, but instead he is stuck behind a make-shift offensive line playing in the Pac-10. Blount also showed up out-of-shape in the spring, plays for a system that historically splits carries, and has some discipline concerns that prevent him from being the clear-cut #1 running back. With all of that said, he is arguably the most talented running back in the country coming off a season in which he ran for 1002 yards and 17 TDs on only 137 carries, which equates to a mind-boggling 7.3 ypc. While Oregon has shared carries in the past, there isn’t really a back-up RB that is worthy of stealing a ton of carries. The Duck’s offense will score 40+ points a game this year making Blount a lock for 20+ TDs this season. Yeah, there are risks… but all the backs this year have risks.

3) James Starks - Buffalo : There is two sides of the argument that could be made regarding Starks in 2009. One argument claims that with Drew Willy graduating, defenses will be able to focus on stopping the running game and thus making it difficult for Starks to repeat his 2008 season of almost 1700 yards combined with 17 total TD difficult. The other argument claims that Buffalo will need to rely on Starks even more and the MAC defenses aren’t good enough to stop him, even if they know he is coming as we saw with Kevin Smith a few years ago with UCF. I think the best approach is to draft him based on last year stats with the possibility of even better stats. Despite the loss Willy, the passing attack should still be good enough to keep defenses from stacking the line.

4) Jahvid Best - California : Best finished 2008 with 1580 rushing yards and 15 TDs with a ridiculous 8.1 ypc, and yet this was somewhat disappointing in my eyes. Best was in the doghouse early in the season followed by a minor injury in which he only got 21 total carries in a 3 game span. It is easy to over-project Best by saying in a full season he will run for 2000 yards. While he could if he got enough carries, the reality is that Best is a small back with a capable backup in Shane Vereen, so expect to see his carries be limited to around 200 as the coaching staff attempts to keep him healthy.

5) Jacquizz Rodgers - Oregon State : Rodgers burst on the scene as a true freshman running for 1253 yards and 11 TDs and should once again be one of the top backs in the country this season. Rodgers, like a lot of young backs with a heavy workload dealt with some nagging injuries, will need to shake that in order to take a step up to elite fantasy status.

6) Kendall Hunter - Oklahoma State : Hunter took advantage of the open space created by the high-powered spread offense of the Cowboys to run for 1555 yards and 16 TDs in 2008. With the offense returning most of its fire-power, Hunter is arguably one of the safest backs in the first two rounds.

7) Bryce Bell - Houston : I like Bell a lot in that offense but with games against Oklahoma State , Texas Tech and Mississippi State, I think his overall stats will be similar to last season. If you draft Bell and can get to Week 7 with a winning record then you are looking quite good since Bell should blow up in the second half of the season against C-USA what-a-be defenses.

Damion Fletcher - USM: Fletcher had a disappointing season last year despite rushing for 1313 yards and 10 TDs because most people were expecting him to at least exceed his 2007 stats of 1586 yards and 15 TDs. Despite some off-season legal issues, I fully expect Fletcher to get back closer to his 2007 stats, if he can stay healthy.

9) Eugene Jarvis - Kent State : Jarvis had an injury-plagued season last year that limited his carries to only 165 for 801yards and 9 TDs. Jarvis is a little guy so injury is always a concern but he has proven to be able to carry the ball 250+ times in the past, and I expect him to get back to that level again this year.

10) John Clay - Wisconsin : Clay is a big talented running back who will be given every opportunity to be the next great Badger running back. Motivating issues and a nagging ankle injury could see him dropping in some leagues but makes for a great pick if you can get him as the 10th back off the board.

11) MiQuale Lewis - Ball State: Lewis had a magical season as he totaled over 2000 yards combined with 22 TDs, yet finds himself ranked as the 11th running back. The reason is that the loss of QB Nate Davis and head coach Brady Hoke has most people assuming Ball State will take a step back. Lewis makes for a risky pick inside the Top 8 RBs or so, but at this spot starts representing a good value compared to risk as the schedule is extremely weak for the Cardinals.

12) Harvey Unga - BYU: Unga has been a very consistent fantasy back over the last two years and is a player that could find himself in the Top 8 before the season ends once some question marks are answered. The Cougars have four new starters on the offensive line and a passing game that needs to find a new set of receivers. Regardless, for those folks who like to avoid risk, Unga in the 3rd round is the guy for you.

13) DeMarco Murray - Oklahoma : Some people are expecting a break-out season that will push him into the elite running back status but that is going to be difficult when splitting carries with Chris Brown. I expect to see a similar season as we saw in 2008 where he combined for 1397 yards and 18 TDs combined rushing/receiving.

14) Matt Asiata - Utah : A big-time sleeper at the running back position who is coming off a 707 yard and 12 TD season in 2008. Why the love? The Utes are expected to give most of the carries to Asiata this season, a TD machine, and should push 20 TDs this year. Utah has been a notorious running back-by-committee team so that is my only concern with Asiata, but all indications are that they do not plan on sharing carries and do not have any backs that seems ready to take carries.

15) Chris Brown - Oklahoma : The other half of the tandem in Norman that despite splitting carries finds himself in the Top 15 for running backs. Brown might not be the highlight reel, like Murray, but he is the guy that gets the rock inside the 10 making another 20 TD season likely.

16) C.J. Spiller - Clemson: This is a gamblers pick special since Spiller has never been a fantasy star, despite getting a ton of press as being one of the top backs in the country. The main reason was the presence of James Davis and a coach in Tommy Bowden that got off on seeing how cute he could get with the play-calling. Reading in-between the lines gives me the feeling that the Tigers are planning on getting Spiller the rock early and often- making him an excellent high-risk, high-return pick.

17) Jake Sharp - Kansas : Sharp is a blue-collar running back that will plug away for a 1000 yards combined. Not bad, but hardly anything to get excited about. However, the value comes with his TDs as the Jayhawks have a very potent offense and will give Sharp plenty of opportunity to score. Look for 1250+ combined yards with 15 TDs.

18) Brandon Minor - Michigan: Minor had an up and down season as he rode the bench for the first 6 games only to be a fantasy star for the next 3 games and then to finish the season banged-up. Minor will surely be a player that needs close attention over the next few months, but as of now he is slated to be the starting running back behind a monster offensive line in a fantasy friendly system for running backs.

19) Jonathan Dwyer - Georgia Tech: Dwyer is one of my favorite talents in college football but just plays in a system that splits the carries too much, which prevents fantasy super-stardom. In 2008 Dwyer carried the ball 200 times for 1395 yards and 12 TDs. I actually expect to see his carries drop down to the 175 range which, no matter how good he is, will limit his upside.

20) Toby Gerhart - Stanford: Gerhart ran for 1136 yards and 15 TDs last season and I expect to see a similar season from him again this year. The lack of receiving yards and splitting carries roughly 60/40 limits his upside.

21) Charles Scott - LSU: Scott is another running back who I am a big fan of talent-speaking, but is in a similar situation as Gerhart in that he doesn’t get receiving yards and has his carries limited as the Tigers want to be a passing team. Scott ran for 1174 yards and 18 TDs in 2008 and I expect him to put up similar stats again this year.