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On Second Thought: Running Backs

Darren McFaddenOn Second Thought is Matt Snyder's look back at the initial FanHouse staff rankings, which were compiled nearly a month ago. As we all know, fantasy players' value changes frequently, even when no games are being played. Today, we look at running backs.

As teams continue to use two-backs systems, running back has become an increasingly deep and unpredictable position. Thus, you don't have the predictable first two rounds of years past. Injuries and the progress of young backs will shuffle backfields throughout the preseason. As that happens, the fantasy values of the running backs continually shift. Let's take a look.

Dick Jauron Admits Feeling the Heat

Dick JauronHis contract says Dick Jauron is the Bills coach until 2011. The fact is he might not last the 2009 season.

Last year, the Bills finished 7-9 for the third consecutive season and Jauron was given another opportunity to prove himself when he received a contract extension in October. The man hasn't produced a winning season of football since the 2001 season when he led the Bears to a 13-3 record.

All he's done in upstate New York is get criticized for the way the team has performed.

Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings: 2009 Early Version

FanHouse's crack squad of savvy fantasy football personnel put our five heads together and amassed consensus rankings for non-keeper, standard scoring leagues. We'll update as the season gets closer, but this is our "incredibly early yet still fun" version.

In an otherwise jumbled mess, there is one thing we know about the running backs when it comes to fantasy football drafts: Adrian Peterson is easily the class of the position. After that, there appears to be a large clump of running backs who have a good chance to excel this season. If you think the old school fantasy football "running back-running back" draft strategy (drafting a running back in each of the first two rounds) is truly antiquated, ask yourself the difference between a Frank Gore and Marion Barber tandem in your backfield as opposed to Ronnie Brown and Jamal Lewis. Is it worth taking a wide receiver, then, before a Barber type?

Bills Re-Sign Jackson in Effort to Get Running Game Straight

Fred JacksonThe Bills finished with the 14th-best running attack in the NFL last season. Marshawn Lynch led Buffalo with 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns last season -- but the emergence of Fred Jackson (571 yards on 130 carries) made the Bills realize they have something special.

On Tuesday, the club announced the signing of Jackson to a contract extension. Financial terms were not disclosed. Jackson was an exclusive rights free agent which meant he couldn't sign with any other team.

The Bills initially offered him a one-year contract worth $460,000, but Jackson balked at that deal.

The Perfect Draft: Buffalo Bills


With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.


The Buffalo Bills looked like the perfect "sleeper" team last year. They came out of the gates hot, Tom Brady went down for the season and, suddenly, they had a very good/great shot at winning the AFC East. But things went horribly wrong, they didn't make the playoffs and now they start the season with Terrell Owens and without Marshawn Lynch, who's busy acting out a Warren Zevon song, but with less money. Or something like that.

Bills Safety Donte Whitner Arrested

A busy offseason for the Buffalo Bills got a little busier early Saturday morning when safety Donte Whitner had a run-in with the law in Cleveland. Police have confirmed that Whitner was arrested for aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting police outside the House of Blues at 3 a.m. He hasn't been officially charged with either crime, according to WIVB-TV in Buffalo.

Whitner, who went to Ohio State, has started 42 games in three seasons since the Bills selected him with the eighth overall pick of the 2006 draft. He had 61 tackles and one sack in 13 games during the 2008 season.

Fantasy Spin: Marshawn Suspended

The word on the street is that by no later than Friday morning, the NFL will announce that Marshawn Lynch will be suspended for the first three games in the 2009 season.

Obviously, for fantasy owners, this is a nightmare. Fortunately, Roger Goodell's pimp justice hand is strong and swift, so we can all at least prepare for the bad news well ahead of time. Unless you have Lynch in a dynasty league, in which case, well, I'm sorry.

Marshawn Lynch Suspended 3 Games

Marshawn Lynch recently got in more trouble with the NFL when he was arrested on a concealed firearm charge. It was later revealed that Lynch also had marijuana on his person at the time, although no charges were filed.

Athletes in Trouble With the Law

    Feb. 11: Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested on a weapons charge. Police said they found a loaded firearm in a Mercedes-Benz occupied by Lynch and two other men. Lynch has now been suspended by the NFL. Click through the gallery to see more athletes in trouble with the law.

    David Duprey, AP

    April 5: Free agent Reggie Williams was charged with possession of a controlled substance after cops allegedly found cocaine in his back pocket.

    Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

    April 5: Los Angeles Clippers forward Zach Randolph was arrested for investigation of drunken driving.

    Rocky Widner, NBAE/Getty Images

    April 3: Gigi Becali, left, the owner of Steaua Bucharest, was arrested on charges of kidnapping three men who allegedly stole his car earlier this year.

    Bogdan Maran, MEDIAFAX FOTO/AP

    March 25: Former Michigan State and Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers, here in a file photo, was sent to prison after a probation violation.

    Carlos Osorio, AP

    March 21: Raiders offensive tackle and Super Bowl XXXVII champ Cornell Green was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Florida. Tampa police say Green struck the mother of his two children with an aluminum mop handle.

    Getty Images

    March 20: Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn was charged with assault causing bodily injury for allegedly punching a cabbie.

    Scott Boehm, Getty Images

    March 16: Former Lakers star Norm Nixon was arrested for investigation of drunken driving after cops allegedly smell alcohol coming from his car.

    Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

    March 16: Nets forward Sean Williams was arrested for suspicion of disorderly conduct and felony criminal mischief after an incident at a cell phone store.

    Ray Amati, NBAE / Getty Images

    March 14: A car driven by Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth struck and killed a 59-year-old pedestrian in Miami. Stallworth now faces DUI manslaughter charges.

    Stephan Savoia, AP



Because this was Lynch's second run-in with the law in the past 12 months, it was more or less assumed that the Bills' running back would be suspended by the NFL. And now it's official, according to a report from ESPN's Michael Smith, Roger Goodell will suspend Lynch for the first three games of the 2009 season.

NFL Likely to Suspend Marshawn Lynch


NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to suspend Buffalo Bills running back Marshawn Lynch for one or two games as a result of his repeated off-field misconduct.

Trent Edwards Very Much Looking Forward to Playing With T.O.

North America's Team is back on the map. All it took was four consecutive losing seasons, a nine-year playoff absence and a locker room cancer that nobody else wanted. Welcome to Buffalo Bills football, people.

Who knows if Terrell Owens' presence will have any bearing on whether the Bills make the playoffs, but the team, the town and its fans will be relevant again. When the news broke, my first thought was: uh-oh, Trent Edwards won't last to Halloween. We've seen this movie and it doesn't end well: a young-but-promising quarterback still learning the position, playing alongside a guy known as much for his on-field tantrums as his big-play abilities.

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