Long live the king
Adrian Peterson is a star. But is he the consensus No. 1 fantasy back?
Adrian Peterson Photo Shoot
This article appears in the July 27 issue of ESPN The Magazine.
Here's a fact: Over the final eight weeks of last season only six running backs had more rushing yards than Ryan Grant. Here's another: "Go" is the shortest complete sentence that can be written in the English language. (I've written many of the longest.)
Some facts are helpful before you draft. Some aren't. We're here to focus on the ones that are. For example, you see Adrian Peterson on our cover and assume he's our No. 1 pick. And in the eyes of many (as you'll soon read), his road to the Hall of Fame is all but assured, making Michael Turner a distant runner-up for the top spot. But before you say Peterson's name, please at least consider these seven facts.
Check out the rest of The Mag's fantasy football preview, including analysis from KC Joyner, Football Outsiders and ESPN.com's finest fantasy minds.
1. Last year, no running back had more rushes inside an opponent's 10-yard line than Michael Turner. He had 36. Peterson was tied for 18th, with 18.
2. Over the past two years, Peterson has a punishing 641 offensive touches. Turner has 457, which, for you nonmath majors out there, is a lot fewer.
3. The Vikings no longer have stud center Matt Birk.
4. They do, however, have a passing game that isn't nearly as good as Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. Eight-man fronts, meet Adrian Peterson. Mr. Peterson, I believe you've met eight-man fronts before?
5. Taking out Week 17 (when a lot of fantasy leagues don't play), All Day had three games in the final seven with 11 or fewer fantasy points. Turner had only one. Peterson had two games with single-digit fantasy points. Turner had none.
6. If Peterson finishes with fewer fantasy points than Turner, it won't be an upset. It'll be the same old story. Because that's what happened last year.
7. I have Turner No. 1 on my board.
They say knowledge is power, and as you gear up for your draft or auction this season, I'd like to bring power to the people. By people, I, of course, mean just you. The other folks reading this are idiots. You're the only one I really care about. So here are 25 more revelations you should know before your big day, by our entire army of contributors, from the boys up in Bristol to Football Outsiders to KC Joyner to yours truly. We can't guarantee that reading every single item will win you a title. But it will make you a smarter owner.
What are you waiting for? Go.
Check out the rest of The Mag's fantasy football preview right here.
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