It's fantasy football time! It's not always easy for serious fantasy baseball players such as myself to get caught up in football so early, but it's always a good day when drafting your fantasy football team, so baseball can be put on hold for a day. Here now are the RUNNING BACKS I view as breakout, sleeper, and bust candidates:

Breakout Running Backs
Marion Barber is poised to have a breakout season despite having many good seasons already under his belt. With Julius Jones gone, Barber will be the main guy in the Dallas backfield. He'll lose some carries to Felix Jones, but there's no doubt that Barber will be the one handed the ball at the goal line. Barber should finish the season being a top 5 fantasy RB.
Earnest Graham is a solid back and still relatively under-rated. Graham excels at catching passes, which is always a big part of Gruden's playbook. Don't overlook the importance of a RB who can catch the ball (ala Westbrook). At the goal line, there's no one Gruden will trust more than Graham, so he'll be the one trying to punch it into the end zone. Anything within 5 yards of the end zone should be Graham territory, but he can also run mid-field. He's an overall very good RB and will finish the season putting up RB1/RB2 numbers.

Sleeper Running Backs
Ahmad Bradshaw - It may take a few weeks, but by mid season, I like Bradshaw to become the feature back and lead the Giants in rushing. No doubt he won't get all of the TD goal line hand-offs, but with Jacobs having fumble issues, it could be Bradshaw they turn to to punch it in. He is capable.
Rashard Mendenhall will steal most TDs from Willie Parker, and could be utilized in a similar manner to the way the Steelers used Jerome Bettis. Mendenhall could replace Parker on third down siuations as well, making him a nice sleeper pick and late round steal. Forte (Chicago), McFadden (Oakland), and Stewart are getting alot of the buzz, but Mendenhall could yield the best results.
Michael Pittman Selvin Young: just not seeing big things from him. Denver often turns to backs that you'd never expect to make the team, and this years surprise could turn out to be the under-rated Michael Pittman, who will be a nice sleeper pick in the late rounds of your draft. Pittman has exceptional hands, which makes him valuable (and dangerous) as well. He is a perfect fit for Shanahan's playbook. Look for him to start as a RB at some point this season despite starting the pre season as a fullback. Pittman will be this year's Travis Henry, but with better dedication, preparation, and no legal issues.

Bust Candidate Running Backs
Frank Gore is very good, his teammates are very bad. With the 49ers losing most games, he could become a bench-warmer in the 4th quarter of games. Gore is high risk selection because of that.
Ryan Grant's holdout and injury does not bode well for him. Couple that with an unknown at QB, and it's difficult to project another big season for Grant. If you're counting on him to be a feature back/RB1, you could be in trouble. He won't be awful, but he won't find as many long runs as he did last season.
Darren McFadden will split time with Justin Fargas. With a young QB and a questionable supporting cast, you're taking a risk on either RB. The Raiders will be behind in the 4th quarter of most games, which will negate the running game. Fargas may catch a few more passes out of the backfield when Oakland is trailing, but both are risky plays unless you feel lucky enough to use one of them as a RB3 when the Raiders play a bad team.
Michael Turner is a great runner on a lousy team. When LaMont Jordan went to Oakland from the Jets, we thought he'd have a great year too, but he didn't. Turner will crack the 1,000 yard mark, but Norwood could take goal line carries away. That makes Turner a high risk pick, though the reward could come later in the season. If he's still available in late round...go for it, but don't draft him as a RB2.
Steven Jackson A holdout, poor team around him, worrisome passing attack, and lousy play calling....enough said. Draft with caution, but he'll burn you as a RB1 or RB2. You've been warned.

Running Backs Who Should Be Better
Thomas Jones Better offensive line, better QB, and hopefully better play calling from Mangini
Larry Johnson has looked very good this pre-season, and looks like he's on a mission. The Chiefs will struggle however, and their average play at QB will result in opposing teams focusing on stopping LJ. Expect a good year, a better year, but not a great one.
D'Angelo Williams Yes, we keep hearing that Stewart will become the starter in Carolina. I'm not buying it just yet. Williams can run, and it's because of a lackluster passing attack, sharing time with the now departed DeShaun Foster, and a dopey game plan by Coach Fox that has held Williams back. He's worth a risk in late rounds, but not as a RB2.

Top Five Projections
Marion Barber Anyone can put Tomlinson atop their cheat sheets....I like Barber.
Joseph Addai Probably the least amount of risk of any top back.
Brian Westbrook Would be number one if not for a possible injury risk
LT Is knee fully healed? Is hurt from criticism of not playing with bad knee gone?
Earnest Graham Maybe a bit too lofty, but hey...who expected Ryan Grant to do what he did last season?


Court Adjourned!