Fantasy Heroes and Zeroes: RBs

Unlike many years, there wasn't a huge RB disappointment in the first round. Sure, you weren't happy about your Matt Forte pick, but he did finish the season as the No. 17 running back. Your Michael Turner pick may have killed you, but his bustdom was tied to his injury woes -- when he did play, he was actually quite good. You don't consider Ronnie Brown a bust, do you?

So who exactly are we considering for "zero" status? Anyone that was still alive in Weeks 14-16 and played the waiver wire like a fiddle already has an arm-length list for RB Heroes. Several of our non-playoff teams were toting Turner or Forte ... but I'll look past that duo to find ball-carriers whose problem wasn't not doing much -- it was doing nothing at all.

Fantasy Hero RBs

Chris Johnson - Too easy? Maybe. Johnson was a late first-round pick in most leagues, yet he turned into an integral cog in many fantasy teams' championship machine. You don't rush for 100-plus yards 11 times in a row to close the season without finding a spot in the Fantasy Heroes section. Throw in his 13 touchdowns over that span, and Johnson was truly a behemoth in your fantasy league.

Thomas Jones - Not many felt Jones could defy his age once again, a belief that dropped him in your draft (he went at the end of Round 4 in our FanHouse draft). Jones once again proved that age doesn't matter, scoring double-digit fantasy points in 12 of his final 13 games of the season. Consistency like that either got you to the playoffs, or helped you win your title.

Jamaal Charles - Matt Snyder and I (and many other fantasy writers, I'm sure) have made a big deal of Charles's end-of-season stretch. And why should't we? Charles barely played in the first half (he had 29 carries by the end of Week 9), and yet he finished as the No. 10 ranked running back. Reaching the top ten while barely playing for half the season truly is a remarkable feat. There will be some ready to jump feet first onto the Charles bandwagon; while I would exercise caution, he's given us no reason to think he can't excel as a feature back in 2010.

Rashard Mendenhall - Keeper league owners have been waiting for Mendenhall's chance to shine since he was drafted in the first round in 2008. A Willie Parker injury finally opened the door for Mendenhall, who put together so many big yardage games that the Steelers are unlikely to go back to Parker in the future. If you exercised patience with Mendenhall in your keeper/dynasty league, you'll reap the rewards in 2010.

Ricky Williams - In what kind of world does a 32-year-old RB with an All-World stud in front of him on the depth chart reach the 1,100-yard mark? After Ronnie Brown's injury, Williams stepped right into the feature back roll and started churning our 100-yard performances, earning the respect of his teammates and fantasy owners alike. I wouldn't count on another Renaissance-type season from Williams in 2010, but enjoy what you had with him while you had it.

Fantasy Zero RBs

Derrick Ward - We were under the impression the 1,000-yard back would step right in and be the lead back in Tampa. As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast." Ward failed to beat out Carnell Williams for the lead back role, and this eventually led to Ward seeing barely any touches at all. His yards-per-carry rate dipped to the 3.6-range, and his fantasy stock plummeted to non-existence during the season.

Jamal Lewis - You never like injury to be the reason someone makes one of these types of list, but with Lewis, his injury didn't send him here -- the fact that he flat out sucked when he played put him in the "Zero" category. There was a time and place when Lewis was leading the NFL in yardage, but the time was long ago, and the place was not here. With Jerome Harrison's breakthrough performances late in the season, it's time to freely stick a fork in Lewis's career.

LenDale White - If you're one of the people that drafted White in the mid-rounds, thinking he didn't need a ton of yardage as long as he got some goal-line snaps, shame on you. This isn't the Mike Alstott era, and you can't survive with a TD-only RB2 or RB3.

LeRon McClain - Remember when this guy was vulturing TDs left and right? Heck, he helped me out big time with his performance in a 16-team league where I was short on RBs. I was hesitant to let go of him during the offseason -- as my RB cupboard is pretty bare -- but I thought I'd bring him back hoping to get a few TDs from the guy. Well, I guess two qualifies as a few.

Steve Slaton - Two readers have pointed out that Slaton needs to be included on here, and I agree -- he's likely won the award for biggest drop in fantasy stock between your 2009 and 2010 drafts. Many people expect Houston to bring in a new lead back, either early in the draft or in free agency. I think they'll go with an Arian Foster/Slaton combination for a year and see if it works.