Why I ranked above ADP:

Fred Jackson: What’s not to love about Fred Jackson? Even though he is 33 (which is old for a man at his position), he still puts up solid stats last year. He recorded just under 50 catches, scored a combined 10 touchdowns and notched over 1,000 total yards. Furthermore, he played in all 16 games a season ago. He was a back-end RB1 in PPR formats, as he finished as the #11 tailback. Somehow, this year, he has being selected in drafts as a low-end RB3. Why is that? CJ Spiller is the Bills back that garners all the attention and Buffalo acquired talented youngster Bryce Brown from the Eagles. However, the Bills just signed Jackson to a 2-year extension, which signals that he is going to see some use. Newcomer Bryce Brown is the clear #3 option in this offense, so he would need an injury to see meaningful snaps. Spiller and Brown are both talented, but Jackson is too, regardless of age and gamers need to remember this come draft day. If Spiller goes down or gets traded, Jackson would be the next man up. Keep in mind, the veteran back recorded the numbers mentioned earlier while CJ Spiller played in every game last season.

Andre Brown: All I should have to say is that he is Arian Foster’s backup. That should make you want to draft him right then and there. However, I suppose more convincing is needed. With news that Foster is not practicing yet again with a hamstring issue, Brown is getting first team reps. The Texans are going to be a more pass-friendly and vertical based offense under O’Brien. They are still going to run the ball near the goal line and if Foster stays nicked up and/or injured, Brown would undoubtedly be getting the majority of the snaps. He is a low-end RB4 right now but with the continued uncertainty surrounding Arian Foster, he could wind up being a valuable flex option this season.

Why I ranked below ADP:

Bishop Sankey: Despite rookie running backs like Eddie Eddie Lacy and LeVeon Bell doing extremely well last season, I don’t envision the same success here. Sankey was a good runner in college at Washington, even sprinting for almost 1,900 yards in his last season. He can catch the ball, too (67 receptions in college) but the Titans game-plan for a committee approach in the backield has me frightened of him and his high ADP. He is going to be a two-down back this year with Shonne Greene being manning 3rd down and goal-line back and McCluster being the RB on passing plays from all of the reports I’ve read and heard. Yet, he is still being selected as a mid-tier RB2. There is a lot of hype surrounding his being the “bell cow” runner for Tennessee. On top of that, there were already concerns about his ability coming into the draft. I’m skeptical about his ability to produce the type of fantasy numbers many are expecting. The Titans’ strength is their passing game, even though they ran the ball a lot a season ago. Sankey is a lower-tier 2 running back as touches could become an issue. If a leaguemate of yours wants to reach, let him. Play it safe.

Trent Richardson: If you’ve read anything I’ve written on Twitter, you’ll know that I am not in the slightest way a T-Rich supporter. He had a horrible 2013 season. In the 14 games he played with Indy last year, he had a 2.92 YPC (157 rushes for 458 yds), so why is he being drafted as an RB2? Owners seem to be buying into a bounce-back for Richardson this year and while the Colts will give him every opportunity to tote the rock he has proved he clearly wasn’t worth the 1st round pick that it took to get him. The Colts offensive line is ranked 28th in the league, and that was before starting left guard Donald Thomas went down for the season. Richardson had a 3.6 YPC in his rookie season, and a 3.0 rate last year between Cleveland and Indy. He has caught over 80 balls in his first 2 seasons, but that is going to mean little if he can’t pull it together and produce big time stats on the ground. He is a mid-tier RB3 for me at best and my ranking is generous. Let someone else deal.

Statistical credit: Fantasyfootballcalculator.com, Rotoworld.com, ESPN.com, Bleacherreport.com

Doug Moore is a fantasy football contributor at The Sports Script. Follow him on Twitter @DMM0822!