Most Dominant Fantasy Players Since 1950: Running Backs

by Chase Stuart on July 16, 2015

The fantasy GOAT

Yesterday, we looked at the most dominant quarterbacks in fantasy history. Today, the running backs, using the methodology described yesterday. Let’s look at the three best seasons in fantasy history, since all shed light on the formula here. Those three are LaDainian Tomlinson, 2006, which is easy to argue as the best year ever as Tomlinson shattered the record for fantasy points scored. But O.J. Simpson in 1975 (not ’73) was also dominant, and did so in a 14-game season and when the baseline was lower. The darkhorse candidate is Priest Holmes, 2002, who put up insane numbers but missed two games due to injury.

I am using the following scoring system throughout this series: 1 point per 20 yards passing, 1 point per 10 yards rushing/receiving, 4 points per passing TD, 6 points per rushing/receiving TD, 0.5 points per reception.

In 2006, Tomlinson rushed for 1,815 yards with 28 TDs, caught 56 passes for 508 yards and 3 touchdowns, and even threw for 20 yards and two touchdowns. He totaled a still mind-boggling 455.3 fantasy points. On a per game basis, Tomlinson averaged 28.46 FP/G, while the baseline — which for these purposes is RB24 ^[1]Baselines used in this series: From 1968 to 2014, RB24. In ’66 and ’67, RB20, and from ’61 to ’65, RB16. In the 1960 AFL, the baseline is RB6, while it is RB8 in the NFL. From … Continue reading — was at 10.75 FP/G. Therefore, Tomlinson averaged 17.71 FP/G over the baseline, and he did it for 16 games, giving him a VBD of 283.3 fantasy points (17.71 x 16).

By using per game averages, we more closely approximate the way fantasy football really works, and that helps out Holmes in 2002. That year, he rushed for 1,615 yards and 21 touchdowns, while producing an impressive 70-672-3 stat line through the air. That comes out to 407.7 fantasy points, but he did that despite missing two games due to injury. Therefore, his per-game average was 29.12 FP/G, even higher than what Tomlinson did in 2006!

The baseline was also slightly lower: in 2002, RB24 scored 155.7 fantasy points, which comes out to 9.73 FP/G. So Holmes averaged 19.39 FP/G above the baseline, the most by any fantasy running back in history. However, that comes out to 271.5 points of VBD, meaning 19.4 for 14 is still not quite as dominant as 17.7 FP/G for 16 games.

What about Simpson? Well, in ’75, he rushed for 1,817 yards and 16 touchdowns, whiel chipping in with 28-426-7 in the receiving game. That’s 376.3 fantasy points, or 26.88 FP/G. The baseline was just 9.35 FP/G, so Simpson was 17.53 FP/G above the baseline. Because his 14-game season was the full year — i.e., he didn’t miss games due to injury like Holmes — we pro-rate those numbers to a full season, and multiply 17.53 by 16 to give him… 280.5 points of VBD. That’s still behind Tomlinson, but good enough for the second best fantasy season by a running back since 1950.

The table below shows the top 200 fantasy seasons using this methodology:

Rk	Player	Yr	Tm	Rsh	Yd	TD	Rec	Yd	TD	FP	G	FP/G	Base	Diff	VBD
1	LaDainian Tomlinson	2006	SDG	348	1815	28	56	508	3	455.3	16	28.46	10.75	17.71	283.3
2	O.J. Simpson	1975	BUF	329	1817	16	28	426	7	376.3	14	26.88	9.35	17.53	280.5
3	Priest Holmes	2002	KAN	313	1615	21	70	672	3	407.7	14	29.12	9.73	19.39	271.5
4	Priest Holmes	2003	KAN	320	1420	27	74	690	0	410	16	25.63	9.33	16.29	260.7
5	Marshall Faulk	2000	STL	253	1359	18	81	830	8	415.4	14	29.67	11.34	18.33	256.6
6	Marshall Faulk	2001	STL	260	1382	12	83	765	9	382.2	14	27.3	9.03	18.27	255.8
7	LaDainian Tomlinson	2003	SDG	313	1645	13	100	725	4	394.1	16	24.63	9.33	15.3	244.8
8	Chuck Foreman	1975	MIN	280	1070	13	73	691	9	344.6	14	24.61	9.35	15.26	244.2
9	Emmitt Smith	1995	DAL	377	1773	25	62	375	0	395.8	16	24.74	9.59	15.14	242.3
10	Terrell Davis	1998	DEN	392	2008	21	25	217	2	373	16	23.31	8.67	14.64	234.3
11	Marcus Allen	1982	RAI	160	697	11	38	401	3	215.2	9	23.91	10.01	13.89	222.3
12	Emmitt Smith	1992	DAL	373	1713	18	59	335	1	348.3	16	21.77	7.98	13.79	220.7
13	Ahman Green	2003	GNB	355	1883	15	50	367	5	370	16	23.13	9.33	13.79	220.7
14	Jim Brown	1965	CLE	289	1544	17	34	328	4	336.2	14	24.01	10.41	13.6	217.7
15	Walter Payton	1977	CHI	339	1852	14	27	269	2	321.6	14	22.97	9.45	13.52	216.3
16	Marshall Faulk	1999	STL	253	1381	7	87	1048	5	358.4	16	22.4	8.88	13.52	216.3
17	Arian Foster	2010	HOU	327	1616	16	66	604	2	363	16	22.69	9.38	13.31	213
18	Chris Johnson	2009	TEN	358	2006	14	50	503	2	371.9	16	23.24	10	13.24	211.9
19	Shaun Alexander	2005	SEA	370	1880	27	15	78	1	371.3	16	23.21	9.97	13.24	211.8
20	Jamaal Charles	2013	KAN	259	1287	12	70	693	7	347	15	23.13	9.44	13.69	205.3
21	Edgerrin James	1999	IND	369	1553	13	62	586	4	346.9	16	21.68	8.88	12.8	204.8
22	James Wilder	1984	TAM	407	1544	13	85	685	0	348.2	16	21.76	9.01	12.75	204.1
23	Steven Jackson	2006	STL	346	1528	13	90	806	3	374.4	16	23.4	10.75	12.65	202.4
24	Jim Brown	1963	CLE	291	1863	12	24	268	3	315.1	14	22.51	10.14	12.36	197.8
25	Emmitt Smith	1994	DAL	368	1484	21	50	341	1	339.5	15	22.63	9.51	13.12	196.8
26	DeMarco Murray	2014	DAL	392	1845	13	57	416	0	332.6	16	20.79	8.51	12.28	196.5
27	Eric Dickerson	1983	RAM	390	1808	18	51	404	2	366.7	16	22.92	10.78	12.14	194.2
28	Leroy Kelly	1968	CLE	248	1239	16	22	297	4	290.3	14	20.74	8.6	12.13	194.1
29	Le'Veon Bell	2014	PIT	290	1361	8	83	854	3	329	16	20.56	8.51	12.06	192.9
30	Adrian Peterson	2012	MIN	348	2097	12	40	217	1	329.4	16	20.59	8.54	12.04	192.7
31	Larry Johnson	2005	KAN	336	1750	20	33	343	1	351.8	16	21.99	9.97	12.02	192.3
32	Ricky Williams	2002	MIA	383	1853	16	47	363	1	347.1	16	21.69	9.73	11.96	191.4
33	LaDainian Tomlinson	2002	SDG	372	1683	14	79	489	1	346.7	16	21.67	9.73	11.94	191
34	Marcus Allen	1984	RAI	275	1168	13	64	758	5	334.5	16	20.91	9.01	11.9	190.4
35	LaDainian Tomlinson	2007	SDG	315	1474	15	60	475	3	337.8	16	21.11	9.29	11.82	189.2
36	Marcus Allen	1985	RAI	380	1759	11	67	555	3	349.7	16	21.86	10.07	11.79	188.6
37	Edgerrin James	2000	IND	387	1709	13	63	594	5	369.8	16	23.11	11.34	11.77	188.3
38	Brian Westbrook	2007	PHI	278	1333	7	90	771	5	327.4	15	21.83	9.29	12.54	188.1
39	Barry Sanders	1997	DET	335	2053	11	33	305	3	336.3	16	21.02	9.29	11.73	187.6
40	Jamal Anderson	1998	ATL	410	1846	14	27	319	2	326	16	20.38	8.67	11.71	187.3
41	Marshall Faulk	1998	IND	324	1319	6	86	908	4	325.7	16	20.36	8.67	11.69	187
42	Lydell Mitchell	1975	BAL	289	1193	11	60	544	4	293.7	14	20.98	9.35	11.63	186.1
43	Dalton Hilliard	1989	NOR	344	1262	13	52	514	5	317.4	16	19.83	8.28	11.56	185
44	Thurman Thomas	1992	BUF	312	1487	9	58	626	3	312.3	16	19.52	7.98	11.54	184.7
45	LaDainian Tomlinson	2005	SDG	339	1462	18	51	370	2	343.1	16	21.44	9.97	11.47	183.6
46	Larry Johnson	2006	KAN	416	1789	17	41	410	2	354.4	16	22.15	10.75	11.4	182.4
47	Roger Craig	1985	SFO	214	1050	9	92	1016	6	342.6	16	21.41	10.07	11.34	181.5
48	Barry Sanders	1991	DET	342	1548	16	41	307	1	308	15	20.53	8.51	12.03	180.4
49	Jim Brown	1958	CLE	257	1527	17	16	138	1	282.5	12	23.54	12.31	11.23	179.7
50	Thurman Thomas	1991	BUF	288	1407	7	62	631	5	306.8	15	20.45	8.51	11.95	179.2
51	Wendell Tyler	1982	RAM	137	564	9	38	375	4	190.9	9	21.21	10.01	11.2	179.2
52	Ray Rice	2011	BAL	291	1364	12	76	704	3	338.9	16	21.18	9.98	11.2	179.2
53	Terrell Davis	1997	DEN	369	1750	15	42	287	0	314.7	15	20.98	9.29	11.69	175.3
54	Jamal Lewis	2003	BAL	387	2066	14	26	205	0	324.1	16	20.26	9.33	10.93	174.8
55	Eric Dickerson	1984	RAM	379	2105	14	21	139	0	317.9	16	19.87	9.01	10.86	173.8
56	Otis Armstrong	1974	DEN	263	1407	9	38	405	3	272.2	14	19.44	8.62	10.82	173.1
57	Tiki Barber	2005	NYG	357	1860	9	54	530	2	332	16	20.75	9.97	10.78	172.5
58	Clinton Portis	2003	DEN	290	1591	14	38	314	0	293.5	13	22.58	9.33	13.25	172.2
59	O.J. Simpson	1973	BUF	332	2003	12	6	70	0	282.2	14	20.15	9.73	10.43	166.8
60	Billy Sims	1980	DET	313	1303	13	51	621	3	313.9	16	19.62	9.32	10.3	164.8
61	Chuck Foreman	1976	MIN	278	1155	13	55	567	1	283.7	14	20.26	10.01	10.26	164.1
62	Priest Holmes	2001	KAN	327	1555	8	62	614	2	307.9	16	19.24	9.03	10.21	163.4
63	Barry Sanders	1990	DET	255	1304	13	36	480	3	292.4	16	18.28	8.21	10.06	161
64	Thurman Thomas	1989	BUF	298	1244	6	60	669	6	293.3	16	18.33	8.28	10.06	160.9
65	Chuck Foreman	1974	MIN	199	777	9	53	586	6	252.8	13	19.45	8.62	10.82	160.8
66	Emmitt Smith	1993	DAL	283	1486	9	57	414	1	278.5	14	19.89	8.44	11.45	160.3
67	Barry Foster	1992	PIT	390	1690	11	36	344	0	287.4	16	17.96	7.98	9.99	159.8
68	Matt Forte	2014	CHI	266	1038	6	102	808	4	295.6	16	18.48	8.51	9.97	159.5
69	Walter Payton	1984	CHI	381	1684	11	45	368	0	303.1	16	18.94	9.01	9.93	158.9
70	Fred Taylor	1998	JAX	264	1223	14	44	421	3	288.4	15	19.23	8.67	10.56	158.4
71	Tiki Barber	2004	NYG	322	1518	13	52	578	2	325.6	16	20.35	10.46	9.89	158.2
72	LaDainian Tomlinson	2004	SDG	339	1335	17	53	441	1	314	15	20.93	10.46	10.47	157.1
73	Eric Dickerson	1988	IND	388	1659	14	36	377	1	311.6	16	19.48	9.68	9.79	156.7
74	LeSean McCoy	2011	PHI	273	1309	17	48	315	3	306.4	15	20.43	9.98	10.45	156.7
75	William Andrews	1981	ATL	289	1301	10	81	735	2	316.1	16	19.76	9.99	9.77	156.3
76	Terry Allen	1996	WAS	347	1353	21	32	194	0	296.7	16	18.54	8.78	9.77	156.3
77	LeSean McCoy	2013	PHI	314	1607	9	52	539	2	306.6	16	19.16	9.44	9.72	155.5
78	Terry Allen	1992	MIN	266	1201	13	49	478	2	282.4	16	17.65	7.98	9.68	154.8
79	Larry Brown	1972	WAS	285	1216	8	32	473	4	256.9	12	21.41	10.12	11.29	154.8
80	Bill Brown	1964	MIN	226	866	7	48	703	9	276.9	14	19.78	10.11	9.67	154.7
81	Thurman Thomas	1990	BUF	271	1297	11	49	532	2	285.4	16	17.84	8.21	9.63	154
82	Neal Anderson	1989	CHI	274	1275	11	50	434	4	285.9	16	17.87	8.28	9.59	153.5
83	Lenny Moore	1958	BAL	82	598	7	50	938	7	262.6	12	21.88	12.31	9.58	153.2
84	Billy Sims	1981	DET	296	1437	13	28	451	2	292.8	14	20.91	9.99	10.93	153
85	Arian Foster	2011	HOU	278	1224	10	53	617	2	282.6	13	21.74	9.98	11.76	152.8
86	Doug Martin	2012	TAM	319	1454	11	49	472	1	289.1	16	18.07	8.54	9.53	152.4
87	Terrell Davis	1996	DEN	345	1538	13	36	310	2	292.8	16	18.3	8.78	9.53	152.4
88	Abner Haynes	1962	DTX	221	1049	13	39	573	6	295.7	14	21.12	11.64	9.49	151.8
89	Jim Brown	1961	CLE	305	1408	8	46	459	2	275.6	14	19.68	10.2	9.48	151.7
90	Marshawn Lynch	2014	SEA	280	1306	13	37	367	4	287.8	16	17.99	8.51	9.48	151.7
91	Adrian Peterson	2009	MIN	314	1383	18	43	436	0	311.4	16	19.46	10	9.46	151.4
92	Matt Forte	2013	CHI	289	1339	9	74	594	3	302.3	16	18.89	9.44	9.45	151.2
93	Shaun Alexander	2004	SEA	353	1696	16	23	170	4	318.1	16	19.88	10.46	9.42	150.7
94	Gale Sayers	1965	CHI	166	867	14	29	507	6	277.6	14	19.83	10.41	9.42	150.7
95	Ahman Green	2001	GNB	304	1387	9	62	594	2	295.1	16	18.44	9.03	9.41	150.6
96	Frank Gifford	1956	NYG	159	819	5	51	603	4	230.5	12	19.2	9.8	9.4	150.5
97	Clinton Portis	2002	DEN	273	1508	15	33	364	2	305.7	16	19.11	9.73	9.38	150
98	Arian Foster	2012	HOU	351	1424	15	40	217	2	286.1	16	17.88	8.54	9.34	149.4
99	Deuce McAllister	2003	NOR	351	1641	8	69	516	0	298.2	16	18.64	9.33	9.31	148.9
100	Earl Campbell	1980	HOU	373	1934	13	11	47	0	288.5	15	19.23	9.32	9.91	148.7
101	Ricky Watters	1996	PHI	353	1411	13	51	444	0	289	16	18.06	8.78	9.29	148.6
102	Emmitt Smith	1991	DAL	365	1563	12	49	258	1	284.6	16	17.79	8.51	9.28	148.5
103	Jim Taylor	1964	GNB	235	1169	12	38	354	3	261.3	13	20.1	10.11	9.99	148.5
104	Arian Foster	2014	HOU	260	1246	8	38	327	5	258.6	13	19.89	8.51	11.38	148
105	Deuce McAllister	2002	NOR	325	1388	13	47	352	3	293.5	15	19.57	9.73	9.84	147.5
106	Barry Sanders	1989	DET	280	1470	14	24	282	0	271.2	15	18.08	8.28	9.81	147.1
107	Roger Craig	1988	SFO	310	1502	9	76	534	1	301.6	16	18.85	9.68	9.17	146.7
108	Ron Johnson	1972	NYG	298	1182	9	45	451	5	269.8	14	19.27	10.12	9.15	146.4
109	Rick Casares	1956	CHI	234	1126	12	23	203	2	227.4	12	18.95	9.8	9.15	146.4
110	Charlie Garner	2002	OAK	182	962	7	91	941	4	301.8	16	18.86	9.73	9.13	146.1
111	Walter Payton	1979	CHI	369	1610	14	31	313	2	310.5	16	19.41	10.32	9.09	145.4
112	Shaun Alexander	2002	SEA	295	1175	16	59	460	2	301	16	18.81	9.73	9.08	145.3
113	Garrison Hearst	1998	SFO	310	1570	7	39	535	2	284	16	17.75	8.67	9.08	145.3
114	Tiki Barber	2002	NYG	304	1387	11	69	597	0	298.9	16	18.68	9.73	8.95	143.2
115	Herschel Walker	1987	DAL	209	891	7	60	715	1	238.6	12	19.88	8.7	11.18	143.1
116	William Andrews	1982	ATL	139	573	5	42	503	2	170.6	9	18.96	10.01	8.94	143.1
117	Ron Johnson	1970	NYG	263	1027	8	48	487	4	247.4	14	17.67	8.74	8.94	143
118	Don Woods	1974	SDG	227	1162	7	26	349	3	228.5	12	19.04	8.62	10.42	142.9
119	Walter Payton	1985	CHI	324	1551	9	49	483	2	302.7	16	18.92	10.07	8.85	141.6
120	Edgerrin James	2005	IND	360	1506	13	44	337	1	290.3	15	19.35	9.97	9.38	140.8
121	Stephen Davis	1999	WAS	290	1405	17	23	111	0	265.1	14	18.94	8.88	10.05	140.8
122	Shaun Alexander	2003	SEA	326	1435	14	42	295	2	290	16	18.13	9.33	8.79	140.7
123	Lydell Mitchell	1977	BAL	301	1159	3	71	620	4	255.4	14	18.24	9.45	8.79	140.7
124	William Andrews	1983	ATL	331	1567	7	59	609	4	313.1	16	19.57	10.78	8.79	140.6
125	Chuck Muncie	1981	SDG	251	1144	19	43	362	0	290.3	15	19.35	9.99	9.36	140.4
126	Gerald Riggs	1984	ATL	353	1486	13	42	277	0	275.3	15	18.35	9.01	9.34	140.2
127	Wilbert Montgomery	1979	PHI	338	1512	9	41	494	5	305.1	16	19.07	10.32	8.75	140
128	Shaun Alexander	2001	SEA	309	1318	14	44	343	2	284.1	16	17.76	9.03	8.73	139.6
129	Maurice Jones-Drew	2009	JAX	312	1391	15	53	374	1	299	16	18.69	10	8.69	139
130	Domanick Williams	2004	HOU	302	1188	13	68	588	1	295.6	15	19.71	10.46	9.24	138.7
131	Jim Brown	1962	CLE	230	996	13	47	517	5	284.2	14	20.3	11.64	8.66	138.6
132	Billy Cannon	1961	HOU	200	948	6	43	586	9	263.9	14	18.85	10.2	8.65	138.4
133	Jim Taylor	1962	GNB	272	1474	19	22	106	0	283	14	20.21	11.64	8.58	137.3
134	Earl Campbell	1979	HOU	368	1697	19	16	94	0	301.1	16	18.82	10.32	8.5	136
135	Eddie George	2000	TEN	403	1509	14	50	453	2	317.2	16	19.83	11.34	8.48	135.7
136	Eddie George	1999	TEN	320	1304	9	47	458	4	277.7	16	17.36	8.88	8.48	135.6
137	Lorenzo White	1992	HOU	265	1226	7	57	641	1	263.2	16	16.45	7.98	8.48	135.6
138	Leroy Kelly	1966	CLE	209	1141	15	32	366	1	262.7	14	18.76	10.29	8.47	135.5
139	Brian Westbrook	2006	PHI	240	1217	7	77	699	4	296.1	15	19.74	10.75	8.99	134.9
140	Barry Sanders	1994	DET	331	1883	7	44	283	1	286.6	16	17.91	9.51	8.4	134.4
141	Curtis Martin	1996	NWE	316	1152	14	46	333	3	273.5	16	17.09	8.78	8.32	133.1
142	Barry Sanders	1995	DET	314	1500	11	48	398	1	286.4	16	17.9	9.59	8.3	132.9
143	Neal Anderson	1990	CHI	260	1078	10	42	484	3	255.2	15	17.01	8.21	8.8	132
144	Dorsey Levens	1999	GNB	279	1034	9	71	573	1	256.2	14	18.3	8.88	9.42	131.9
145	Curtis Martin	2004	NYJ	371	1697	12	41	245	2	298.7	16	18.67	10.46	8.21	131.3
146	Eric Dickerson	1986	RAM	404	1821	11	26	205	0	286.4	16	17.9	9.7	8.2	131.2
147	Ray Rice	2009	BAL	254	1339	7	78	702	1	291.1	16	18.19	10	8.19	131.1
148	Joe Morris	1985	NYG	294	1336	21	22	212	0	291.8	16	18.24	10.07	8.17	130.7
149	Frank Gore	2006	SFO	312	1695	8	61	485	1	302.5	16	18.91	10.75	8.16	130.5
150	DeAngelo Williams	2008	CAR	273	1515	18	22	121	2	294.6	16	18.41	10.26	8.15	130.4
151	Dorsey Levens	1997	GNB	329	1435	7	53	370	5	279	16	17.44	9.29	8.14	130.3
152	Curtis Martin	2001	NYJ	333	1513	10	53	320	0	274.7	16	17.17	9.03	8.14	130.2
153	Jim Taylor	1961	GNB	243	1307	15	25	175	1	256.7	14	18.34	10.2	8.14	130.2
154	Jim Brown	1964	CLE	280	1446	7	36	340	2	255.3	14	18.23	10.11	8.13	130
155	Joe Morris	1986	NYG	341	1516	14	21	233	1	275.4	15	18.36	9.7	8.66	129.9
156	Lydell Mitchell	1976	BAL	289	1200	5	60	555	3	253.5	14	18.11	10.01	8.1	129.6
157	Tom Matte	1969	BAL	235	909	11	43	513	2	244	14	17.43	9.35	8.08	129.3
158	Darren McFadden	2010	OAK	223	1157	7	47	507	3	249.9	13	19.22	9.38	9.85	128
159	Emmitt Smith	1996	DAL	327	1204	12	47	249	3	258.8	15	17.25	8.78	8.48	127.2
160	Wilbert Montgomery	1981	PHI	286	1402	8	49	521	2	276.8	15	18.45	9.99	8.47	127
161	Ottis Anderson	1984	STL	289	1174	6	70	611	2	261.5	15	17.43	9.01	8.42	126.4
162	Curtis Martin	1995	NWE	368	1487	14	30	261	1	279.8	16	17.49	9.59	7.89	126.3
163	Marshall Faulk	1994	IND	314	1282	11	52	522	1	278.4	16	17.4	9.51	7.89	126.2
164	Maurice Jones-Drew	2011	JAX	343	1606	8	43	374	3	285.5	16	17.84	9.98	7.86	125.8
165	Wendell Tyler	1981	RAM	260	1074	12	45	436	5	275.5	15	18.37	9.99	8.38	125.7
166	Curt Warner	1986	SEA	319	1481	13	41	342	0	280.8	16	17.55	9.7	7.85	125.6
167	Marshawn Lynch	2012	SEA	315	1590	11	23	196	1	262.1	16	16.38	8.54	7.84	125.4
168	Edgerrin James	2003	IND	310	1259	11	51	292	0	246.6	13	18.97	9.33	9.64	125.3
169	Peyton Hillis	2010	CLE	270	1177	11	61	477	2	274.6	16	17.16	9.38	7.78	124.6
170	Travis Henry	2002	BUF	325	1438	13	43	309	1	280.2	16	17.51	9.73	7.78	124.5
171	Herschel Walker	1986	DAL	151	737	12	76	837	2	279.4	16	17.46	9.7	7.76	124.2
172	Priest Holmes	2004	KAN	196	892	14	19	187	1	207.4	8	25.93	10.46	15.46	123.7
173	John Riggins	1983	WAS	375	1347	24	5	29	0	284.1	15	18.94	10.78	8.16	122.4
174	Dan Reeves	1966	DAL	175	757	8	41	557	8	250.3	14	17.88	10.29	7.59	121.4
175	Chris Warren	1994	SEA	333	1545	9	41	323	2	273.3	16	17.08	9.51	7.57	121.1
176	MacArthur Lane	1970	STL	206	977	11	32	365	2	228.2	14	16.3	8.74	7.56	121
177	LaMont Jordan	2005	OAK	272	1025	9	70	563	2	259.8	14	18.56	9.97	8.59	120.2
178	Ricky Watters	1995	PHI	337	1273	11	62	434	1	273.7	16	17.11	9.59	7.51	120.2
179	LeSean McCoy	2010	PHI	207	1080	7	78	592	2	260.2	15	17.35	9.38	7.97	119.6
180	Walter Payton	1983	CHI	314	1421	6	53	607	2	292.1	16	18.25	10.78	7.47	119.6
181	Eddie Lacy	2014	GNB	246	1139	9	42	427	4	255.6	16	15.98	8.51	7.47	119.5
182	Chris Warren	1995	SEA	310	1346	15	35	247	1	272.8	16	17.05	9.59	7.46	119.3
183	Adrian Peterson	2010	MIN	283	1298	12	36	341	1	259.9	15	17.33	9.38	7.95	119.3
184	John David Crow	1960	STL	183	1071	6	25	462	3	239.2	12	19.93	12.51	7.42	118.7
185	Fred Taylor	2000	JAX	292	1399	12	36	240	2	265.9	13	20.45	11.34	9.11	118.4
186	Charley Taylor	1964	WAS	199	755	5	53	814	5	245.1	14	17.51	10.11	7.4	118.4
187	Adrian Peterson	2007	MIN	238	1341	12	19	268	1	248.4	14	17.74	9.29	8.46	118.4
188	Ricky Watters	1992	SFO	206	1013	9	43	405	2	229.3	14	16.38	7.98	8.4	117.7
189	Chuck Muncie	1982	SDG	138	569	8	25	207	1	156.3	9	17.36	10.01	7.35	117.6
190	Gale Sayers	1966	CHI	229	1231	8	34	447	2	246.7	14	17.62	10.29	7.33	117.3
191	Floyd Little	1973	DEN	256	979	12	41	423	1	238.7	14	17.05	9.73	7.32	117.1
192	Frank Gore	2009	SFO	229	1120	10	52	406	3	256.6	14	18.33	10	8.33	116.6
193	Larry Brown	1973	WAS	273	860	8	40	482	6	238.2	14	17.01	9.73	7.29	116.6
194	Ray Rice	2012	BAL	257	1143	9	61	478	1	252.6	16	15.79	8.54	7.24	115.9
195	Alfred Morris	2012	WAS	335	1613	13	11	77	0	252.5	16	15.78	8.54	7.24	115.8
196	O.J. Simpson	1976	BUF	290	1503	8	22	259	1	241.2	14	17.23	10.01	7.22	115.5
197	Knowshon Moreno	2013	DEN	241	1038	10	60	548	3	266.6	16	16.66	9.44	7.22	115.5
198	Emmitt Smith	1998	DAL	319	1332	13	27	175	2	254.2	16	15.89	8.67	7.22	115.5
199	Herschel Walker	1988	DAL	361	1514	5	53	505	2	270.4	16	16.9	9.68	7.22	115.5
200	Edgerrin James	2004	IND	334	1548	9	51	483	0	282.6	16	17.66	10.46	7.2	115.2

Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk dominate the single-season list, so you won’t be surprised to see them take the top two spots on the career list. Below are the top 125 running backs in fantasy history:

Rk	Player	First Yr	Last Yr	VBD
1	LaDainian Tomlinson	2001	2011	1521
2	Marshall Faulk	1994	2005	1509
3	Emmitt Smith	1990	2004	1444
4	Walter Payton	1975	1987	1372
5	Barry Sanders	1989	1998	1311
6	Jim Brown	1957	1965	1265
7	Marcus Allen	1982	1997	1073
8	Curtis Martin	1995	2005	990
9	Eric Dickerson	1983	1993	970
10	Thurman Thomas	1988	2000	962
11	Edgerrin James	1999	2009	951
12	Ricky Watters	1992	2001	949
13	Priest Holmes	1997	2007	917
14	Adrian Peterson	2007	2014	847
15	Shaun Alexander	2000	2008	823
16	Tiki Barber	1997	2006	813
17	Tony Dorsett	1977	1988	775
18	Chuck Foreman	1973	1980	768
19	O.J. Simpson	1969	1979	760
20	Herschel Walker	1986	1997	725
21	Clinton Portis	2002	2010	705
22	Ahman Green	1998	2009	700
23	Steven Jackson	2004	2014	698
24	Matt Forte	2008	2014	697
25	Arian Foster	2009	2014	683
26	Roger Craig	1983	1993	680
27	Ottis Anderson	1979	1992	663
28	Terrell Davis	1995	2001	661
29	Brian Westbrook	2002	2010	645
30	Frank Gore	2005	2014	635
31	Franco Harris	1972	1984	634
32	Leroy Kelly	1964	1973	634
33	Maurice Jones-Drew	2006	2014	620
34	Ricky Williams	1999	2011	614
35	Fred Taylor	1998	2010	605
36	Marshawn Lynch	2007	2014	591
37	Eddie George	1996	2004	588
38	Lydell Mitchell	1972	1980	581
39	Neal Anderson	1986	1993	579
40	Jamaal Charles	2008	2014	579
41	Chris Johnson	2008	2014	569
42	Wilbert Montgomery	1977	1985	568
43	LeSean McCoy	2009	2014	563
44	William Andrews	1979	1986	551
45	Corey Dillon	1997	2006	549
46	Jim Taylor	1958	1967	544
47	Billy Sims	1980	1984	540
48	Ray Rice	2008	2013	531
49	Earl Campbell	1978	1985	517
50	John Riggins	1971	1985	507
51	Larry Brown	1969	1976	501
52	Terry Allen	1991	2001	490
53	Larry Johnson	2003	2011	484
54	Wendell Tyler	1977	1986	476
55	Earnest Byner	1984	1997	467
56	James Brooks	1981	1992	453
57	James Wilder	1981	1990	452
58	Chuck Muncie	1976	1984	452
59	Clem Daniels	1960	1968	451
60	Lenny Moore	1956	1967	451
61	Jerome Bettis	1993	2005	449
62	Jamal Lewis	2000	2009	442
63	Curt Warner	1983	1990	423
64	Warrick Dunn	1997	2008	417
65	Frank Gifford	1952	1964	417
66	Abner Haynes	1960	1967	414
67	Freeman McNeil	1981	1992	413
68	Deuce McAllister	2001	2008	412
69	Stephen Davis	1996	2006	407
70	Charlie Garner	1994	2004	398
71	Lawrence McCutcheon	1972	1981	395
72	Ron Johnson	1969	1975	393
73	Gale Sayers	1965	1971	390
74	Floyd Little	1967	1975	385
75	Gerald Riggs	1982	1991	370
76	Calvin Hill	1969	1981	364
77	Chris Warren	1990	2000	360
78	Jamal Anderson	1994	2001	352
79	Greg Bell	1984	1990	350
80	Joe Cribbs	1980	1988	348
81	DeMarco Murray	2011	2014	348
82	Rodney Hampton	1990	1997	348
83	Bill Brown	1961	1974	336
84	Pete Johnson	1977	1984	332
85	Garrison Hearst	1993	2004	332
86	Michael Turner	2004	2012	329
87	Ted Brown	1979	1986	328
88	Thomas Jones	2000	2011	326
89	Timmy Brown	1959	1968	314
90	Robert Smith	1993	2000	313
91	John Williams	1986	1995	303
92	Greg Pruitt	1973	1984	302
93	Mike Pruitt	1976	1986	300
94	Duce Staley	1997	2006	299
95	Dorsey Levens	1994	2004	296
96	Domanick Williams	2003	2005	295
97	Tom Matte	1961	1972	284
98	Dalton Hilliard	1986	1993	278
99	Mike Garrett	1966	1973	278
100	James Stewart	1995	2002	277
101	Barry Foster	1990	1994	277
102	Joe Morris	1982	1991	277
103	Kevin Mack	1985	1993	276
104	Le'Veon Bell	2013	2014	267
105	John David Crow	1958	1968	259
106	Terry Metcalf	1973	1981	258
107	Ken Willard	1965	1974	255
108	Sam Cunningham	1973	1982	255
109	Joseph Addai	2006	2011	253
110	Rudi Johnson	2001	2008	253
111	Travis Henry	2001	2007	253
112	Ahmad Bradshaw	2007	2014	252
113	George Rogers	1981	1987	249
114	Otis Armstrong	1973	1980	244
115	Cookie Gilchrist	1962	1967	244
116	Reggie Bush	2006	2014	240
117	Hugh McElhenny	1952	1964	237
118	Joe Perry	1948	1963	235
119	Dan Reeves	1965	1972	235
120	Lorenzo White	1988	1995	234
121	Mel Farr	1967	1973	233
122	Fred Jackson	2007	2014	231
123	Keith Byars	1986	1998	228
124	Knowshon Moreno	2009	2014	226
125	Willis McGahee	2004	2013	224

Not a lot of surprises here. Although there is a certain Hall of Fame running back from Pittsburgh that fares very poorly here.

Adrian Peterson needs two more good years to really climb these lists. Can he do that?

Edgerrin James (RB11) is the highest-ranking running back not in the Hall of Fame (well, other than Tomlinson). Does this help his cause? In fact, the five running backs from 11 to 16 (excluding Peterson) all are borderline HOF candidates, and all were active in ’00 and ’01.

What stands out to you in the career rankings list?

References[+]

References
↑1	Baselines used in this series: From 1968 to 2014, RB24. In ’66 and ’67, RB20, and from ’61 to ’65, RB16. In the 1960 AFL, the baseline is RB6, while it is RB8 in the NFL. From 1950 to 1959, the baseline used is RB8.

Tagged as: Running backs

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