As training camp continues and we move closer to the start of the regular season, the draft results are continuing to pour in. There haven't been too many surprises in relation to what we've been discussing over the past few weeks, but we should definitely take note of one of the most important trends we've witnessed recently – the rise of the running back.
Back when this series first began for the fantasy football season, we saw numerous quarterbacks and wide receivers supplanting the running backs within the first few rounds of most drafts. Today, if you look at the ADP Trend Report on Mock Draft Central, you'll see that quarterbacks and wide receivers are seeing a significant decline while virtually every running back listed on the report has seen an increase in his average draft position. I say virtually, becauseArian Foster has actually seen a 0.20-percent drop while Adrian Petersonhasn't moved from the number one spot yet this offseason.
So while all of these running backs are on the rise, there are some whose ADP has increased more than others that are worth noting. Few situations have changed over the past two weeks, but there are certainly some situations that warrant a closer look now and should be monitored moving forward. However, before we get to those, let's have a quick look at some of the running backs who have been taken in recent drafts, but not in earlier ones. All should remain on your radar; some more than others.
| Player | Team | Current ADP | Change | 1 Wk Ago | Change | 2 Wks Ago | Overall Trend |
| Vick Ballard | IND | 154.55 | 13.30|PERCENT| | 175.07 | -NR- | ++ | |
| DeAngelo Williams | CAR | 171.20 | 12.20|PERCENT| | 192.04 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Bernard Pierce | BAL | 174.70 | 10.00|PERCENT| | 192.15 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Danny Woodhead | SD | 190.40 | 8.50|PERCENT| | 206.52 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Jacquizz Rodgers | ATL | 195.10 | 4.30|PERCENT| | 203.41 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Ronnie Hillman | DEN | 200.60 | 1.50|PERCENT| | 203.67 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Joseph Randle | DAL | 201.00 | -NR- | -NR- | ++ | ||
| Pierre Thomas | NO | 203.55 | 1.70|PERCENT| | 207.07 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Zac Stacy | STL | 205.35 | 1.10|PERCENT| | 207.63 | -NR- | ++ | |
| Knowshon Moreno | DEN | 211.40 | -NR- | -NR- | ++ | ||
| Bilal Powell | NYJ | 230.58 | -NR- | -NR- | ++ |
Players likeBernard Pierce, Joseph Randle, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Ronnie Hillman are straight-up handcuffs. Maybe they'll see a little bit of extra opportunity (probably in the passing game), but for the most part, their fantasy value is pretty minimal in the grand scheme of things. Should the starters on their respective teams, go down, well, that's a different story, but for now, these are final-round pick-ups for insurance purposes.
Pierre Thomas, Vick Ballard, Danny Woodhead,Knowshon Morenoand Bilal Powellall could have a fairly decent value. Technically, they're also handcuffs, but with their level of experience, you can't count them out for touches. Ballard, Powell and Woodhead should be prominent in the passing game and both Thomas and Moreno could vie for touches on a semi-regular basis. Not a huge amount, but enough that owners in deeper leagues should really consider them for late-round depth picks.
| Player | Team | Current ADP | Change | 1 Wk Ago | Change | 2 Wks Ago | Overall Trend |
| Michael Bush | CHI | 158.70 | -3.30|PERCENT| | 153.44 | 33.70|PERCENT| | 205.19 | 29.30|PERCENT| |
| Trent Richardson | CLE | 10.00 | 11.90|PERCENT| | 11.19 | 13.90|PERCENT| | 12.75 | 27.50|PERCENT| |
| Isaiah Pead | STL | 152.30 | -6.70|PERCENT| | 142.15 | 35.50|PERCENT| | 192.63 | 26.50|PERCENT| |
| Daryl Richardson | STL | 103.55 | 13.30|PERCENT| | 117.33 | 9.60|PERCENT| | 128.56 | 24.20|PERCENT| |
| Marshawn Lynch | SEA | 9.00 | 10.70|PERCENT| | 9.96 | 8.50|PERCENT| | 10.81 | 20.10|PERCENT| |
| Stevan Ridley | NE | 26.45 | 13.00|PERCENT| | 29.89 | 5.80|PERCENT| | 31.63 | 19.60|PERCENT| |
| Ray Rice | BAL | 8.15 | 2.20|PERCENT| | 8.33 | 15.60|PERCENT| | 9.63 | 18.20|PERCENT| |
| Steven Jackson | ATL | 25.25 | 4.90|PERCENT| | 26.48 | 12.60|PERCENT| | 29.81 | 18.10|PERCENT| |
| Johnathan Franklin | GB | 142.05 | -3.70|PERCENT| | 136.81 | 22.10|PERCENT| | 167.00 | 17.60|PERCENT| |
| Chris Ivory | NYJ | 111.70 | -2.50|PERCENT| | 108.89 | 20.00|PERCENT| | 130.69 | 17.00|PERCENT| |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | JAX | 24.50 | 7.50|PERCENT| | 26.33 | 8.50|PERCENT| | 28.56 | 16.60|PERCENT| |
| LeVeon Bell | PIT | 55.70 | 1.90|PERCENT| | 56.74 | 14.50|PERCENT| | 64.94 | 16.60|PERCENT| |
| David Wilson | NYG | 30.25 | 15.10|PERCENT| | 34.81 | -0.20|PERCENT| | 34.75 | 14.90|PERCENT| |
| Darren Sproles | NO | 82.80 | 3.80|PERCENT| | 85.96 | 10.70|PERCENT| | 95.13 | 14.90|PERCENT| |
| Frank Gore | SF | 47.85 | 7.30|PERCENT| | 51.33 | 6.50|PERCENT| | 54.69 | 14.30|PERCENT| |
| Chris Johnson | TEN | 20.00 | 7.40|PERCENT| | 21.48 | 6.20|PERCENT| | 22.81 | 14.00|PERCENT| |
| Shane Vereen | NE | 68.75 | 4.40|PERCENT| | 71.78 | 9.00|PERCENT| | 78.25 | 13.80|PERCENT| |
| Reggie Bush | DET | 47.65 | 5.70|PERCENT| | 50.37 | 7.10|PERCENT| | 53.94 | 13.20|PERCENT| |
| Lamar Miller | MIA | 37.75 | 4.60|PERCENT| | 39.48 | 7.60|PERCENT| | 42.50 | 12.60|PERCENT| |
| Ben Tate | HOU | 129.40 | 1.90|PERCENT| | 131.85 | 10.50|PERCENT| | 145.69 | 12.60|PERCENT| |
| DeMarco Murray | DAL | 38.45 | 6.40|PERCENT| | 40.93 | 5.20|PERCENT| | 43.06 | 12.00|PERCENT| |
| Matt Forte | CHI | 22.25 | 4.90|PERCENT| | 23.33 | 6.60|PERCENT| | 24.88 | 11.80|PERCENT| |
| Giovani Bernard | CIN | 90.40 | 3.90|PERCENT| | 93.89 | 7.40|PERCENT| | 100.81 | 11.50|PERCENT| |
| Ahmad Bradshaw | IND | 55.10 | 4.00|PERCENT| | 57.33 | 6.80|PERCENT| | 61.25 | 11.20|PERCENT| |
| Mikel Leshoure | DET | 128.15 | 1.20|PERCENT| | 129.7 | 9.80|PERCENT| | 142.38 | 11.10|PERCENT| |
| Darren McFadden | OAK | 34.00 | 8.20|PERCENT| | 36.78 | 2.60|PERCENT| | 37.75 | 11.00|PERCENT| |
| LaMichael James | SF | 99.25 | 4.30|PERCENT| | 103.48 | 6.50|PERCENT| | 110.19 | 11.00|PERCENT| |
| Mark Ingram | NO | 76.45 | 3.10|PERCENT| | 78.81 | 7.40|PERCENT| | 84.63 | 10.70|PERCENT| |
| Jonathan Stewart | CAR | 107.80 | 1.00|PERCENT| | 108.85 | 9.40|PERCENT| | 119.06 | 10.40|PERCENT| |
| Montee Ball | DEN | 41.65 | 6.70|PERCENT| | 44.44 | 2.90|PERCENT| | 45.75 | 9.80|PERCENT| |
| Alfred Morris | WAS | 16.75 | 6.60|PERCENT| | 17.85 | 2.20|PERCENT| | 18.25 | 9.00|PERCENT| |
| Andre Brown | NYG | 74.90 | 1.70|PERCENT| | 76.15 | 7.20|PERCENT| | 81.63 | 9.00|PERCENT| |
| LeSean McCoy | PHI | 13.35 | 5.70|PERCENT| | 14.11 | 2.30|PERCENT| | 14.44 | 8.20|PERCENT| |
| Bryce Brown | PHI | 113.10 | -1.10|PERCENT| | 111.85 | 9.40|PERCENT| | 122.38 | 8.20|PERCENT| |
| BenJarvus Green-Ellis | CIN | 89.25 | 2.40|PERCENT| | 91.37 | 5.60|PERCENT| | 96.50 | 8.10|PERCENT| |
| Eddie Lacy | GB | 74.30 | 2.80|PERCENT| | 76.37 | 4.80|PERCENT| | 80.06 | 7.80|PERCENT| |
| Ryan Mathews | SD | 53.65 | 2.90|PERCENT| | 55.22 | 3.70|PERCENT| | 57.25 | 6.70|PERCENT| |
| Rashard Mendenhall | ARI | 68.05 | 0.50|PERCENT| | 68.41 | 6.20|PERCENT| | 72.63 | 6.70|PERCENT| |
| Fred Jackson | BUF | 194.00 | 1.50|PERCENT| | 196.85 | 5.10|PERCENT| | 206.94 | 6.70|PERCENT| |
| Doug Martin | TB | 2.10 | 5.70|PERCENT| | 2.22 | -1.40|PERCENT| | 2.19 | 4.30|PERCENT| |
| C.J. Spiller | BUF | 3.50 | 3.70|PERCENT| | 3.63 | 0.00|PERCENT| | 3.63 | 3.70|PERCENT| |
| Jamaal Charles | KC | 5.95 | -1.00|PERCENT| | 5.89 | 4.10|PERCENT| | 6.13 | 3.00|PERCENT| |
| Adrian Peterson | MIN | 1.00 | 4.00|PERCENT| | 1.04 | -3.80|PERCENT| | 1.00 | 0.00|PERCENT| |
| Arian Foster | HOU | 6.45 | -5.90|PERCENT| | 6.07 | 6.10|PERCENT| | 6.44 | -0.20|PERCENT| |
Here are the rest of the running backs. Again, pretty much everyone is on the rise, but here are some thoughts on the less prominent ones.
Michael Bush, CHI – While new coach Michael Trestman talks about getting Matt Fortemore involved in the passing game, it still seems that Bush is going to be the guy who gets the ball inside the five. Okay, maybe inside the three, but still. He's slated to be a big touchdown poacher once again.
Isaiah Pead, STL – Definitely a situation to watch, It seems as though Daryl Richardson has the inside track on the starting job, Pead cannot be counted out. He is supposed to be suspended for the first game of the season thanks to a violation of the league's substance abuse policy and didn't exactly endear himself with a fumble in opposing territory during the first preseason game, but he's still a quality back who really has the potential to supplant Richardson and fight off Zac Stacy at the same time.
Johnathan Franklin, GB – He's seen a 17.6-percent increase over these last two weeks in spite of the fact thatEddie Lacy was named the probable starting back for the Packers last week. Reports on Lacy have been positive, but it doesn't appear that too many people have faith in him given the attention Franklin is getting. Consider Lacy the number one guy, but make sure you handcuff the rookie to Franklin to be on the safe side.
Chris Ivory, NYJ – Despite the 17-percent increase, there should be at least a bit of concern that Ivory still hasn't participated in team drills due to a lingering hamstring issue. He just started individual drills over the weekend, but he still seems way behind. Meanwhile, Powell is getting more work with the first-string right now and could earn a chance to platoon more than just as a third-down passing back.
Shane Vereen, NE – He's a trendy pick who keeps getting trendier and trendier as the weeks pass. Many people feel that Vereen will play a huge factor in the passing game and that he is going to be, at worst, a solid flex play. Personally, I have my doubts.Stevan Ridley is still the top back and with receivers like Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson and a tight end like Jake Ballard, I'm not so sure he needs to dump the ball off to Vereen as often as people are expecting. Grab him if you draft Ridley, but other than that, I'm guessing his value right now is overrated.
Giovani Bernard, CIN – His ADP has risen to the point where he and BenJarvis Green-Ellis are virtually equal, but still, Green-Ellis should be listed as the starter. It could just be a matter of time before Bernard takes over, but keep in mind that he is a fairly under-sized running back and injuries could definitely take their toll on him if he keeps taking hits from safeties like the one I just witnessed on HBO's Hard Knocks.
Andre Brown, NYG – any are expecting a situation much like they have in Chicago. David Wilson is a featured back and will be prominent in the passing game, but it will be Brown who gets the call near the goal line. Another one to keep in mind as there could be an ADP drop for one of them. And I'm guessing it's Wilson if Brown keeps getting touches in camp.
Ryan Mathews, SD – While Mathews is still considered the lead back, there are some who are speculating that Danny Woodhead's role gets more prominence this season. But Mathews has solid skills as a pass-catcher, so don't just assume that all passing work defers to Woodhead just yet. It really all comes down to Mathew's injury concerns. If he can stay healthy, he just may fend off Woodhead and start producing like a lead back should.
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Howard Bender has been covering fantasy sports for over a decade on a variety of web sites. You can find his personal musings on RotobuzzGuy.com and for questions, thoughts or comments, you can follow him on Twitter at @rotobuzzguy or email him at [email protected].