In most fantasy leagues, the running back position is generally considered the most valuable spot on the roster. Granted, QB’s and WR’s can have big statistical games, but over the course of an entire season, running backs are the bread and butter of a team. With more and more NFL teams leaning towards running back by commitee, there are fewer and fewer pure fantasy studs, although there are certainly some sprinled throughout the league.

While not likely to lead the league in rushing, Steven Jackson is consistently regarded as a safe pick. With the exception of his rookie season, he’s rushed for over 1,000 yards in every season, surpassing 1,200 yards in each of his past two. The knock on Jackson is his touchdown productivity, as he’s only scored ten or more rushing TD’s in a season just once. His receiving game leaves a lot to be desired as well; he had 46 receptions last season, but no touchdowns. In fact, he hasn’t scored a receiving touchdown since 2008. Again, Jackson isn’t the quintessential fantasy back, but he’s a solid number two starter.

Arian Foster will look to stay high on fantasy wish-list’s. The league-leading rusher in 2010, Foster will surely be taken high in most leagues. He averaged over 100 yards per game last season (the only NFL back to do so), and added a touchdown per game to boot. While he had a great year, fantasy football is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately game, and it remains unseen if Foster is going to turn into Ickey Woods or Walter Payton. On top of his excellent rushing game, he’s an adequate receiver out of the backfield, and most likely won’t be on the draft board after the first five picks or so.

There are a slew of other backs that will score an owner bunches of points. It should go without saying that Adrian Peterson will remain a high first round pick, especially with the QB debacle unfolding in Minnesota. That offense is going to rely more and more on the running game until they can get a proven quarterback taking snaps. Rashard Mendenhall is going to be another first rounder, although it’s conceivable that a top notch quarterback (Manning, Rivers, Rodgers) could get picked before him. The bruising Steeler rushing game may have changed its overall look, but it has been just as effective. Chris Johnson, LeSean McCoy and Jamaal Charles will all be effective fantasy backs again this season.

One suprise back looking to breakout could be Javid Best in Detroit. He seemed to have injury issues last season, but looked like gold in his first two games, scoring some 40 points in his second week last year. He looks to play the game like Marshall Faulk, chewing defense’s up on the ground then slashing them with a wicked receiving game. Most of all, he has a nose for the endzone. If he stays healthy (which applies to all fantasy players), Best could be poised for a moster year.