These surprise RBs may get you where you want to go

It happens nearly every year.

In the middle of the season, a running back or two pops up out of nowhere and starts running all over the place, piling up yards and touchdowns at a frenetic pace.

Last year, it was Green Bay's Ryan Grant and Tampa Bay's Earnest Graham. Two years ago, it was Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew.

This year we have five candidates - and if you pick the winner, he may just lead you to the promised land. Let's take a look:

• Cincinnati's Cedric Benson. Two weeks ago while on the air with Mike Murphy on the Score, I said there's no way I'd be interested in Benson, the former Bear now on the sad-sack Bengals. But now it's time to reconsider.

The former No. 1 pick racked up 104 yards on 24 carries last week and scored on a 7-yard run. But it's not just the numbers that are impressive; it's the comments coming out of his teammates' mouths.

"Unbelievable character," said left guard Andrew Whitworth. "Here's a guy that comes in here, people gave him a hard time in Chicago, he said he was sorry and he showed it. He's been here every day working his tail off. He's got a great attitude."

Wow. And after his touchdown run that helped the Bengals win their first game of the season, Benson went up to each offensive lineman and shook his hand.

"That's Ced. He's an awesome guy," said right guard Bobby Williams.

It's pretty clear that Benson is the guy in Cincy now, and that's one big reason to hitch your wagon to him, especially in keeper leagues. The problem in the immediate future is the Bengals' schedule: Bye, Philadelphia, at Pittsburgh, Baltimore.

It eases up after that, but those are some tough hills to climb.

• Arizona's Tim Hightower. The rookie out of Richmond has officially pushed veteran Edgerrin James out of the way. He came into last week already having scored six times despite never going over 10 carries in a game.

Then last week against St. Louis, Hightower racked up 109 yards on 22 carries and scored on a 30-yard run.

Like Benson, the schedule is a mess, though, with Arizona playing the Giants in Week 12, at Philly in Week 13, Minnesota in Week 15 and at New England in Week 16.

Still, now that Hightower has taken over, he is a solid RB2 going forward.

• Baltimore's Ray Rice. This 5-foot-9, 205-pound power back racked up the most rushing yardage (154) of any back in the NFL last week. But the situation in Baltimore is hazy because of Willis McGahee, who has been battling injuries.

The knock on Rice is his size, leading some to wonder if he can handle the rigors of being an every-down back. But on his 21st carry last week, he busted a 60-yard run.

"He has a lot of intangibles that (are) bigger than his height and size," said Ravens WR Mark Clayton. "He's going to be a great back for us."

Keep an eye on this situation because if Rice supplants McGahee the way High- tower did to James in Arizona, he certainly becomes a back worth using every week.

• Kansas City's Jamaal Charles. After an 18-carry, 106-yard effort against the Bucs, it seems logical that Charles could have a big fantasy impact down the stretch. But after Larry Johnson returns from his suspension in Week 11, Charles' touches figure to plummet. Unless you need a one-week filler now, I'd leave him alone.

• Denver's Ryan Torian. The Broncos have watched Selvin Young, Michael Pittman and Andre Hall go down with injuries this season, meaning Torian (who missed the first eight weeks with a shattered elbow) has a chance to shine. Of course, after picking up 68 yards and scoring Thursday night in Cleveland, Torian went down with a knee injury in the second quarter. If it's not serious, he's definitely worth a roster spot.

My teams: For the first time all year, I won in both leagues. I squeaked out a nailbiter in the unit league (4-5) 39.5-38 thanks to Steve Slaton and just enough from Kyle Orton (8 points) before he went out. After an 0-3 start in the regular league, I won for the fifth time in six games with a 104-73 victory. Kurt Warner (28), Chris Johnson (21) and Michael Turner (17) continue to pave the way.

Good bets

• Titans RB Chris Johnson at the Bears. Once upon a time fantasy owners were nervous when their players faced the Monsters of the Midway. No more. Watch for the Titans' rookie sensation to have a big day.

• Saints WR Devery Henderson at Atlanta. In case you haven't noticed, Henderson has become quite a solid WR3 for fantasy football owners. His last five games: 3-34-1; 3-80; 2-68; 4-104-1; 1-81.

• Jets QB Brett Favre vs. St. Louis. Since Favre's been off his game lately, let's just say I've got a gut feeling he will bust loose this week.

• Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams at Oakland. With teammate Johnathan Stewart hurting, Williams figures to explode against a Raiders team that has allowed 190 rushing yards per game the last five weeks and 12 total rush TDs on the season.

• Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen and WR Mark Bradley at San Diego. Thigpen and Co. showed serious signs of life last week against the Bucs. Now, they get to face one of the worst pass defenses in the league, making Thigpen and Bradley sneaky plays.

• Cardinals RB Tim High-tower vs. San Francisco. Seven of eight teams have scored a rushing touchdown against the Niners. The one who didn't? Detroit. Enough said.

Bad bets

• Bears defense vs. Tennessee. One can always hope for Devin Hester's first return score of the season, but unless something like that happens, don't expect much against a team that has allowed a league-low 4 sacks.

• Packers RB Ryan Grant at Minnesota. Since Grant (12-92) and the Packers rolled up 135 rushing yards in Week 1, the Vikings have clamped down and shut everybody else down. DE Jared Allen is out for the Vikes, but Grant will still have a difficult time finding running room.

• Bills RB Marshawn Lynch at New England. One player has found the end zone via the ground against the Patriots - Miami's Ronnie Brown in Week 3 when he scored four times from the Wildcat formation. Since then, nada, zip, zilch.

• Rams QB Marc Bulger and Torry Holt at New York Jets. It's going to be a long afternoon for the dome-loving St. Louis players.

• Colts WR Marvin Harrison at Pittsburgh. Word of warning: The last time I put Harrison in the bad bets, he scored twice. But that was simply bad luck on my part as Harrison has just 19 catches since Week 1.

• Giants RB Brandon Jacobs at Philadelphia. Not many fantasy owners will consider sitting a back like Jacobs, but you should temper your expectations against a tough Eagles D (3 rush TDs allowed).

jdietz@dailyherald.com

• Read more from John at ffmastermind.com and hear him every Thursday in the 1 p.m. with Mike Murphy on WSCR 670-AM.