FanHouse MauriceJones Drew

Back in Week 6, when the Jaguars were bumbling through the early part of their schedule, Maurice Jones-Drew announced that no matter the opponent -- and he specifically cited the AFC Pro Bowlers or the '85 Bears as examples -- Jacksonville has to take the field with the mindset that they can win. In related news, the Jags needed overtime to beat the winless Rams a few days later.

Sometimes winning turns on one play, and against the Jets Sunday, MJD's decision to not score had everything to do with the Jags winning. That's right: trailing the Jets 22-21 with 1:48 in the fourth quarter, Jones-Drew fell down just short of the goal line ... and 108 seconds later the Jaguars were 5-4 on the season.

Video after the jump, but just know that during the postgame presser, MJD, cognizant that the NFL has become as much about make-believe as reality, took the opportunity to apologize to all the nerds who started him in their fantasy leagues. And that included MJD, apparently.

Am I scared about the prospects of Steve Slaton losing carries to Ryan Moats (and even Chris Brown)? Absolutely. I'm more concerned about the overreactions from across the fantasy football world. Sure, I took it on the chin with Slaton in one league, but last week was hardly indicative of what will transpire from here on out.

Consider the following:
- If Gary Kubiak was going to send a message to his second-year running back with problems holding onto the football, what better opponent than the league's worst run defense?

- Slaton shredded the Colts in Indy last year, and that was without Matt Schaub at the helm to take pressure off him.

- Frank Gore got loose for a 64-yard touchdown against the Colts and added 43 receiving yards. Slaton is faster, more elusive and a better pass-catcher than Gore.

So, yeah, of course last week made me worried about Slaton. But I live by the "no guts, no glory" credo. You'll find Slaton in my top 15. You can have Ryan Moats.

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While there are always going to be matchups we like and others we don't like, we need to remember it's Week 1 of a new fantasy football season. The preseason doesn't matter too much, nor does last season. Sure, we have to use something upon which to base our rankings, and those factors will be somewhat weighed, but we also need to use our brain and not get too cute.

For example, Ryan Grant shredded the Bears last season in Green Bay. Does that mean he's going to blow up again? Considering the Bears' run defense is much stronger than pass, we're saying an emphatic no. That's just one example, and we'll talk a bit more after you've seen the top 50 fantasy running backs for the week.

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As the season nears, FanHouse's fantasy football team decided to put our heads together for another set of updated positional rankings. In this installment, we'll hit up the thoroughbreds.

The thing that sticks out to me, when viewing the running backs for this season, is what a muddled mess the group is. I stared at a group of about 15 players -- those ranked from six to 20 -- for probably 45 minutes while tinkering with how to rank them. Some will pan out, and some will end up being viewed as busts. May the force be with you. (Last Updated: 8/27/09)

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For those who may use a different term or are new to fantasy football, "handcuff" is the term used when you own insurance for one of your players in the form of owning his real-life backup. It's usually a running back, but you could conceivably handcuff a quarterback. The theory is that some or all of the production is automatically replaced should you lose a high draft pick to injury, meaning you need to insure a high draft pick by grabbing his backup.

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Here you go, cheat sheet fans. No analysis or explanations ... just the down-and-dirty list. (CLICK HERE for most recent update: 8/30/09)

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1. Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
2. Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jaguars
3. Michael Turner, RB, Falcons
4. Matt Forte, RB, Bears
5. Steven Jackson, RB, Rams

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?

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David Garrard signed a monster contract with Jacksonville two years ago. The team (and Garrard specifically) was a tremendous disappointment in 2008, though, and now Jaguars fans are talking in corners, the words "Mark Sanchez" coming off lips in hushed whispers.

But, according to an interview with Sirus' NFL station (via PFT), Garrard's not worried about the Jags drafting a quarterback to replace him. In fact, he's got inside sources that tell him the exact opposite is happening.

The Jaguars released running back Fred Taylor last week, in part because, as a 11-year veteran, he's already playing on borrowed time, but also to free up salary-cap space to extend Maurice Jones-Drew's contract.

It was a mildly surprising move but from a business perspective, also completely understandable. Unlike most 33-year-old running backs, Taylor looks to have plenty left in the tank. Where Shaun Alexander and, to a lesser degree, Edgerrin James, have lost a step, Taylor stills seems perfectly capable of juking or steamrolling a defender as needed. Which explains why the Patriots and Bills are interested in his services.