1          Chris Johnson TEN   (BYE: 9)

Remember when there were concerns about LenDale White stealing goal line carries? That sure seems like a distant memory now.  A 5.6 yd/carry average and 2006 total rushing yards pretty much says it all – CJ2K was the best fantasy back to play in 2009.  Johnson displayed exactly the type of consistency owners love to see reeling off an amazing streak of 11 straight games with 100+ rushing yards.  He led the league with 358 carries, so the Titans may try to lessen his workload, but it still has a chance to be in the 300-325 range.  Of course, you shouldn’t expect another 2000-yard season, but he’s as solid as they come.

2          Adrian Peterson MIN   (BYE: 4)

Another year and another 1300 + rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns delivered by Adrian Peterson.  He scored a career-high 18 TDs and managed to increase his reception total from 21 to 43 - a trend the Vikings will attempt to improve this year.  Although completely respectable, his yard per carry average has dropped every year (5.6, 4.8, 4.4), while his fumblitis is still troublesome.  However, he’s one of the most elite fantasy players for the past three years and he will make it four straight in 2010.

3          Maurice Jones-Drew JAC   (BYE: 9)

MJD exploded in his first year as a fulltime back racking up 1391 rushing yards on 312 attempts.  He scored 16 total touchdowns (should have been 17 if he didn’t purposely kneel at the goal line in week 10 against the Jets) and he only fumbled twice as opposed to 6 drops in 2008.  He’s small, only 5’7, and the Jags aren’t necessarily an offensive juggernaut, but he did just fine under the same circumstances last year.

4          Ray Rice BAL   (BYE: 8)

Ray Rice’s powerful two-pronged attack made PPR owners extremely happy last season.  Not only did he rush for 1300 + yards at a 5.3 per carry clip; he chipped in with 78 receptions – 1^st among all running backs.  A more-experienced Joe Flacco and the newly acquired Anquan Boldin will help spread out defensive attention, so Rice’s top-5 fantasy status seems to be legitimate.

5          Michael Turner ATL   (BYE: 8)

A year after rushing for 1699 yards and 17 touchdowns, Turner only managed to play in 10 full games last year.  The results?  Actually pretty good.  He found the end zone 10 times and totaled 871 yards at a 4.9 rate.  The Falcons will certainly limit his touches, so 300+ carries is a thing of the past.  But that might just be exactly what is needed to keep him on the field for an entire season.

6          Frank Gore SF   (BYE: 9)

Gore scored a career-high 10 touchdowns in 2009 despite carrying the ball 229 times – the lowest mark since his 2005 rookie year.  He’s been consistently valuable in PPR leagues averaging 52 receptions over the past 4 years.  The addition of Brian Westbrook raises some eyebrows, but this is still definitely Gore’s gig as the RB1.  Considering both players’ injury histories, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to acquire Westbrook as a handcuff.

7          Steven Jackson STL   (BYE: 9)

Jackson played in 15 games, the most since 2006, and toted the ball 324 times for 1416 yards.  For all of that spectacular effort he scored only 4 measly touchdowns, the lowest of his career.  He definitely has the makeup of a top-10 pick, but there is a significant risk since he plays on the lowly Rams.  The talent is undeniable, but so is the spotty injury history and poor supporting cast.

8          Ryan Mathews SD   (BYE: 10)

Ryan Mathews is getting a lot of love in fantasy drafts.  After experiencing 2 years of a declining L.T., the Chargers went young and selected Mathews out of Fresno St. with the 12^th overall pick.  San Diego won’t waste any time and they are expected to throw him into the fire right away while using Sproles as a change of pace.  It takes some guts to draft a rookie among the top-10 fantasy RBs, but that’s where he’ll be selected.

9          Shonn Greene NYJ   (BYE: 7)

We might be asking a little too much from a 2^nd year player to be among the top-10 fantasy backs, but he’s got the tools around him to succeed.  Mainly, he gets to run behind the best offensive line in the NFL – the same line that helped generate1440 yards and 14 TDs for Thomas Jones last year.  Greene played second-fiddle to Jones for most of the year, but he excelled once he finally got a chance to see the field.  Every time he received 19 or more carries, he broke the 100-yard mark and scored a touchdown.  Sure, it’s risky, but sometimes you have to take a chance.

10         Rashard Mendenhall PIT   (BYE: 5)

Mendenhall will enter the 2010 season as the unquestioned starter for the Steelers.  Despite being benched in week 3, he finished the season with 1108 rushing yards and scored a combined 8 touchdowns.  Much like Frank Gore, his totals were helped by some big games - all versus the AFC West (165 yds. vs. SD, 155 yds. vs. DEN, and 103 yds. vs. OAK).  It will be a tall order against his own division this year, but he’s got the keys to the car all to himself.