Fantasy running backs: Take L.T. or go for combo

Did everybody have a good summer?

Hopefully so.

But now it's time to get back to work.

And by work, I don't mean your day job.

No way.

This work involves hitting the books … or in this case, the newspaper … so you can build a fantasy football title team.

My goal here is to dispense enough information that, even if you don't open a magazine or surf any Web site from now until the draft, you will still be well prepared come draft day.

So, let's get started in our three-part preview series by taking a look at the gold standard in fantasy teams -- the running backs.

Hitting the jackpot

First of all, if you have the top pick, congratulations. You are well on your way to at least a playoff berth. LaDainian Tomlinson will lead you there.

Aside from death and taxes, there are few surer things in life L.T. Over the past five seasons, L.T. has averaged 20 TDs and 2,095 yards rushing and receiving combined.

Just don't screw up the rest of the draft! And make sure to get L.T.'s backup, Michael Turner, before an opponent does.

After that, it's a toss-up at No. 2 between Kansas City's Larry Johnson and St. Louis' Steven Jackson. I originally had Johnson second. But after factoring in Jackson's explosiveness with the fact he's on a much more powerful offense, it leads me to believe he'll have a better overall season.

After the Big Three, it's a big crapshoot for a while.

•Do you take Pittsburgh's Willie Parker (16 TDs last year) who has knee issues but is an awesome talent playing on a run-first team?

•Or do you take nearly everybody's No. 4 pick, San Francisco's Frank Gore (2,180 rushing and receiving yards but just 9 TDs), who had a broken hand in preseason and is on a Niners team still iffy on offense?

•Or is this the spot to take Indy's Joseph Addai, who didn't start a game last year but amassed 1,406 yards rushing and receiving with 8 TDs -- and now is the clear-cut feature back?

•Or is it better to take old standbys like Seattle's Shaun Alexander (how's his foot?), the Eagles' Brian Westbrook (career-high 1,916 rushing and receiving yards) or Cincinnati's Rudi Johnson (three straight 12-TD seasons)?

Any of these players could end up with upper-tier numbers. The riskiest picks of this bunch are probably Alexander and Parker.

Alexander will turn 30 in a week, and he is 31 carries short of 2,000 for his career. Also, a weaker offensive line and all-pro tackle Walter Jones coming off shoulder surgery may not bode well for Alexander. Parker has had some knee soreness and also had a fumbling problem last year, coughing up the ball seven times and losing five. Still, he is one of the most impressive backs in the league and will produce big-time numbers.

Many people will take Gore, and that's fine. Assuming he stays healthy and improves on his TD total from last year, he's a wonderful pick.

Middle of the pack

Once the elite backs are off the board, owners have another tough decision to make: Is it better to take the every-down backs or the ones sharing time who produced mind-boggling stats last year?

My thinking is to go after the three guys who really stepped up last year -- the Saints' Reggie Bush, the Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew and the Cowboys' Marion Barber. They may not be the most reliable No. 2 backs out there, but combine them with a solid No. 1, and you've got one explosive team.

But here's the dilemma (and why drafting after No. 10 in a 12-14 team league may be a problem): Bush and Jones-Drew may actually be a team's No. 1 back.

That could be dicey if combined with a Brandon Jacobs, Travis Henry, Willis McGahee or Edgerrin James. If you're in this spot, a better move may be taking a top-notch wide receiver with your No. 2 pick and then waiting until the third round to get a Ronnie Brown, Tatum Bell, Carnell Williams, Ahman Green, Julius Jones or Fred Taylor.

You could even grab Antonio Gates in the third round if he is still available (and if the league splits out tight ends), then grab one of those RBs in the early fourth round.

A team with Bush, Terrell Owens (or Steve Smith, Marvin Harrison or Torry Holt), Gates, a 25th-34th RB and a decent QB in Round 5 (like Marc Bulger or Philip Rivers) could be a solid team. Then work on WR depth and snag some backup RBs who have a chance to produce if injuries come about.

It's obvious how tough it will be to get two solid running backs this year. Ending up with Rudi Johnson late in the first round, then grabbing Jones-Drew, Henry or McGahee on the flip side may be the best kind of combo out there.

Sharing the load

The running back-by-committee approach has become more widespread across the NFL over the past year or two. We saw it coming before last year's draft; this year, it's here in full swing.

There's no shame in ending up with Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor; or Barber and Julius Jones; or Bush and Deuce McAllister; or Carolina's DeAngelo Williams and DeShaun Foster; or Detroit's Tatum Bell and Kevin Jones.

Other handcuff scenarios to consider:

•If the Giants' Brandon Jacobs stumbles, Reuben Droughns will step right in.

•The Titans' LenDale White isn't a sure bet to last the season, which could open the door for Chris Brown.

•Rookie Marshawn Lynch has the bead on the No. 1 spot in Buffalo, but ex-Bear Anthony Thomas reportedly came into camp in fantastic shape.

•Atlanta's Warrick Dunn is recovering nicely from a herniated disc. He is the team's No. 2 back behind Jerious Norwood.

•In Minnesota, who will emerge as No. 1 -- Adrian Peterson or Chester Taylor? My guess is they will split time all season, but Peterson looked fantastic last week.

Personally, I'd stay away from all Falcons, Raiders, Packers and Browns tailbacks. Those teams don't figure to score enough to make it worth owning anybody in their backfields.

As for the Bears, Cedric Benson finally takes over as the clear-cut top guy. He figures to be a great No. 2 -- as long as (of course) he can stay healthy all season.

Finally, beware of the Clinton Portis situation. He has a sore knee and there is no timetable for his return. With his stock plummeting, Ladell Betts' is suddenly shooting up. Betts finished last year with five 100-yard games in the last six weeks.

Coming Thursday: Quarterbacks