Fantasy not all about the running backs

Excuse me for a moment while I borrow from singer-songwriter Paula Cole's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?"

Where is my Larry Johnson?

Where is my Steven Jackson?

Where is my Shaun Alexander?

Where have all the running backs gone?

This is the question many of us are wondering now that one-third of the NFL season is behind us. Where are all of our 140-yard, 2-TD games that used to pile us up all of those points?

Apparently, they are becoming as rare as a Cubs playoff win.

We've known for years that running backs are the lifeblood of fantasy football teams. Get two studs, and you can steamroll to a title.

But now look: In a standard scoring league, there is one running back among the top-12 scores.

One!

And there are just five among the top 28.

There are two wide receivers in the top nine and eight in the top 28.

To put that in perspective, last year there were seven RBs in the top 14 and just two WRs in the top 38; the year before there were six RBs in the top 13 and one WR in the top 26.

What's going on here?

Top-notch wide receivers have become more valuable than top running backs.

Total blasphemy!

But, really and truly, we should have seen this coming. NFL teams aren't giving the balls to their primary runners 325-375 times a season the way they were just two years ago.

They've seen the long-term effects of wearing a player out -- a la Jamal Anderson (410 carries in 1998) and Terrell Davis (368.7 carries from 1996-98). Anderson was injured in 1999 and had just 356 carries in three seasons after '98. Davis was hurt in 1999 and had only 312 carries from 1999-2001 before retiring.

Seattle's Shaun Alexander is another good example. He had 326, 353 and 370 carries in 2003-05. Last year, he was hurt and had just 252 carries in 10 games. This year, he's playing hurt, and coach Mike Holmgren has vowed to get Maurice Morris more involved.

These injuries have made many coaches wary.

The average carries per game among the league's top 10 runners has dropped about 2 per game since 2005. That may not seem like a lot, but that's 32 carries over a season, some of which are destined to be touchdowns.

Look at last week, for example.

• Pittsburgh's Najeh Davenport scored twice in just 7 carries. Willie Parker had 28 carries and didn't score.

• Washington's Mike Sellers scored twice on just 8 touches, while Clinton Portis didn't score on 20.

• The Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson had 140 yards rushing and receiving without scoring, but his understudy -- Michael Turner -- found the end zone and ran for 147 yards on 10 carries.

It's enough to make you pull your hair out. And it's no wonder four of 12 teams in one of my leagues scored under 27 points.

One team won 23-20!

So, what can we learn from all of this?

First, don't go trading top-notch wide receivers for almost any running back. There are just too many touchdown thieves out there.

Second, count your blessings if you do have a back that gets the ball 20-plus times a game. Even the Bears' Cedric Benson should be considered a valuable commodity considering he's eighth in the NFL with 20.2 carries a game -- a number that only figures to increase as the season goes along.

And if you look at the chart that accompanies this story, two players' near-term futures are in serious doubt: Oakland's LaMont Jordan and Denver' Travis Henry.

Jordan will see fierce competition from Dominic Rhodes starting this week, and Henry is trying to stave off a yearlong suspension after failing a drug test.

Bottom line: Don't expect mind-boggling, 25-TD seasons from too many more tailbacks in the near future.

It still means RBs are critical to the success of our teams -- but it also means getting our hands on top-flight WRs and QBs is suddenly just as important.

My teams: Needing just 5 points for a victory in my unit league Monday night, I had Tony Romo and Terrell Owens going as Dallas took on Buffalo. Easy win, right? Wrong-o. Holy Pass the Pepto, Batman. Not until Romo threw his second TD with 20 seconds left was my victory secure -- and had he thrown a pick instead, my game would have ended in a tie. That team is 4-1, but my heart doesn't need that kind of stress. In the regular league, I played the team that scored the most points and lost 125-86. I scored the third-most points of the week despite having Matt Hasselbeck (2 points) and Josh Brown (zero). That team is 3-2.

Good bets

• Chiefs RB Larry Johnson vs. Cincinnati. I can't stand L.J. at this point from a fantasy perspective, but you can't sit him against a Bengals team that absolutely can't stop the run.

• Seahawks WRs Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson vs. New Orleans. With Indy, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Denver all off this week, many of you are probably dying for receiver help. Engram and Burleson are nice fill-ins because of injuries to Deion Branch and D.J. Hackett.

• Ravens RB Willis McGahee vs. St. Louis. McGahee, who has gone over 100 combined yards rushing and receiving each game, has been one of the most consistent backs out there. The only problem is he has just 1 TD. That changes this week.

• Browns QB Derek Anderson vs. Miami. Shock of the Century -- this guy is currently a top-five fantasy QB. Watch for 2-3 more TD passes Sunday.

• Cardinals QB Kurt Warner vs. Carolina. Now starting for the injured Matt Leinart, Warner will put up nice numbers against the Panthers (24th in passing yards allowed).

• Chargers QB Philip Rivers vs. Oakland. You can exhale now, Rivers owners. It's safe to put him back in your lineups.

Bad bets

• Bears RB Cedric Benson vs. Minnesota. Hey, how about a 25-carry, 50-yard game this week, Cedric?

• Jets WR Jerricho Cotchery vs. Baltimore. Chad Pennington's struggles have made Cotchery (191 receiving yards last three with no TDs this season) a weak option.

• Packers QB Brett Favre vs. Washington. The Redskins' defense was sensational last week shutting down Detroit's Jon Kitna, and the unit has allowed just 2 TD passes in four games.

• Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Houston. Before you get all excited about Jones-Drew's big "breakout game" last week, remember this: He still had only 12 total touches. Take out his 52-yard TD run and his other 8 carries went for 30 yards. Also, the Texans allow just 91.4 yards per game on the ground.

• Saints QB Drew Brees and WR Marques Colston vs. Seattle. What a sick turnaround for these two. It doesn't figure to improve at ear-splitting Qwest Field.

Sharing the load

Look at the trend of how top NFL running backs are getting fewer carries per game:

2007

1. Willie Parker, 24.2

2. Edgerrin James, 21.4

3. LaMont Jordan, 21.0

4. Joseph Addai, 21.0

5. Shaun Alexander, 20.4

6. Travis Henry, 20.4

7. Willis McGahee, 20.4

8. Cedric Benson, 20.2

9. Marshawn Lynch, 20.0

10. L. Tomlinson, 19.6

Average in top 10 -- 20.8

2006

1. Larry Johnson, 26.0

2. Shaun Alexander, 25.2

3. L. Tomlinson, 21.8

4. Steven Jackson, 21.6

5. Rudi Johnson, 21.3

6. Edgerrin James, 21.1

7. Willie Parker, 21.1

8. Tiki Barber, 20.4

9. Chester Taylor, 20.2

10. Jamal Lewis, 19.6

Average in top 10 -- 21.8

2005

1. Edgerrin James, 24.0

2. Shaun Alexander, 23.1

3. Tiki Barber, 22.3

4. Clinton Portis ,22.0

5. L. Tomlinson, 21.2

6. Rudi Johnson, 21.1

7. Larry Johnson, 21.0

8. Thomas Jones, 20.9

9. Domanick Davis, 20.9

10. C. Williams, 20.7

Average in top 10 -- 21.7

2004

1. Julius Jones, 24.6

2. Priest Holmes, 24.5

3. Curtis Martin, 23.2

4. Corey Dillon, 23.0

5. Clinton Portis, 22.9

6. L. Tomlinson, 22.6

7. Rudi Johnson, 22.6

8. Shaun Alexander, 22.1

9. Edgerrin James, 20.9

10. Tiki Barber, 20.1

Average in top 10 -- 22.7

2003

1. Ricky Williams, 24.5

2. Jamal Lewis, 24.2

3. Edgerrin James, 23.8

4. Stephen Davis, 22.7

5. Clinton Portis, 22.3

6. Ahman Green, 22.2

7. Travis Henry, 22.1

8. Deuce McAllistr, 21.9

9. Fred Taylor, 21.6

10. Shaun Alexander, 20.4

Average in top 10 -- 22.6

Source: NFL.com