Fantasy Football 2011: Peterson, Foster Top ESPN's RB Rankings

The first few rounds of fantasy football drafts become running back rallies, with top rushers being key to amassing points in many leagues. ESPN released their recommendations on what RBs will propel fantasy football team owners to their league titles, and their top 100 includes a few New England Patriots.

Have the first overall pick? Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings is your go-to player, as he is projected to have 266 points in most fantasy leagues this season. Houston Texans RB Arian Foster is expected to be just two points behind with 264 on the season.

The highest rated Patriots rusher is BenJarvus Green-Ellis, ranked 21st. He is expected to run for 899 yards, score 11 touchdowns and collect 162 fantasy points. If touchdowns are more highly rated in your league, Green-Ellis is a good catch, as he’s ranked sixth overall for projected touchdowns.

Patriots’ fan favorite Danny Woodhead is ranked 48th, with a projected 102 points. Shane Vereen is only a few spots behind at 53, expected to accumulate 86 points. One of the highlights of the Patriots’ first preseason game, Stevan Ridley, made ESPN’s list at spot 91.

ESPN’s Top 25 Fantasy Football Running Backs

1 Adrian Peterson, Minnesota RB

2 Arian Foster, Houston Texans RB

3 Chris Johnson, Tennesee Titans RB

4 Jamaal Charles, Kansas City RB

5 Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville RB

6 Ray Rice, Baltimore RB

7 LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia RB

8 Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh RB

9 Frank Gore, San Francisco RB

10 Steven Jackson, St Louis RB

11 Michael Turner, Atlanta RB

12 Darren McFadden, Oakland RB

13 Peyton Hillis, Cleveland RB

14 DeAngelo Williams, Carolina RB

15 Matt Forte, Chicago RB

16 Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants RB

17 Knowshon Moreno, Denver RB

18 Ryan Mathews, San Diego RB

19 LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay RB

20 Jonathan Stewart, Carolina RB

21 Jahvid Best, Detriot RB

22 Felix Jones, Dallas RB

23 Ryan Grant, Green Bay RB

24 BenJarvus Green-Ellis, New England RB

25 Shonn Greene, New York Jets RB

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Fantasy Football 2011: Tom Brady Ranked 4th In ESPN's QB Rankings

Preparing for your looming fantasy football draft? Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is a quarterback you'll want to aim for if you're looking to win your league title - or so says The Worldwide Leader.

ESPN's 2011 Fantasy Football Quarterback rankings lists Brady as the fourth best quarterback. The rankings project Brady to throw for 32 touchdowns and 4,110 passing yards, good for a whopping 280 fantasy points using ESPN's standard points accumulation settings.

Who are the three quarterbacks better to draft than Brady? Reigning Super Bowl champion Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles's comeback kid Michael Vick and former Super Bowl champ Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. While Vick, Brees and Brady are a mere point apart in projected points, ESPN projects that Rodgers could amass 311 points - 29 more points than Vick at number two.

ESPN's rankings also include a few quarterbacks with Massachusetts ties. Former Boston College QB turned Atlanta Falcons starter Matt Ryan comes in at spot number 11, with a projected 242 points. Harvard's own Ryan Fitzpatrick is the 24th best on the list, though the Buffalo Bills QB is ranked fifth if you're looking for a signal caller who will gain you some rushing yards as well. BC's Matt Hasselbeck is ranked 29th as he starts a new chapter in his career with the Tennessee Titans.

For more New England Patriots coverage, visit our team page and blog, Pats Pulpit.

Fantasy Football 2011: Arian Foster, Adrian Peterson Top Yahoo! Rankings

With the return of the NFL season comes the return of fantasy football, and Yahoo! Sports has Houston Texans running back Arian Foster and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson listed as the first and second best players.

Somewhat surprisingly, Yahoo! doesn't have any New England Patriots in its Top 25. Tom Brady is the top ranked Patriot on Yahoo's list with a projected ranking of 30th overall. Wes Welker is the second Patriot on the list and is ranked 59th overall. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is ranked 61st and Chad Ochocinco is ranked 117th.

Here's a look at the Top 25 players based on Yahoo's projected rankings.

Top 25 - Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Rankings

1. Arian Foster (RB - Houston Texans)
2. Adrian Peterson (RB - Minnesota Vikings)
3. Chris Johnson (RB - Tennessee Titans)
4. Jamal Charles (RB - Kansas City Chiefs)
5. Ray Rice (RB - Baltimore Ravens)
6. Michael Turner (RB - Atlanta Falcons)
7. Rashard Mendenhall (RB - Pittsburgh Steelers)
8. Andre Johnson (WR - Houston Texans)
9. Aaron Rodgers (QB - Green Bay Packers)
10. LeSean McCoy (RB - Philadelphia Eagles)
11. Michael Vick (QB - Philadelphia Eagles)
12. Darren McFadden (RB - Oakland Raiders)
13. Larry Fitzgerald (WR - Arizona Cardinals)
14. Clavin Johnson (WR - Detroit Lions)
15. Roddy White (WR - Atlanta Falcons)
16. Maurice Jones-Drew (RB - Jacksonville Jaguars)
17. Frank Gore (RB - San Francisco 49ers)
18. Hakeem Nicks (WR - New York Giants)
19. Drew Brees (QB - New Orelans Saints)
20. Peyton Manning (QB - Indianapolis Colts)
21. Shonn Greene (RB - New York Jets)
22. Matt Forte (RB - Chicago Bears)
23. Steven Jackson (RB - St. Louis Rams)
24. Reggie Wayne (WR - Indianapolis Colts)
25. Peyton Hillis (RB - Cleveland Browns)