Shuffle Up: Bryce Brown saves the day

You probably have a good sense of how your running back depth chart stacks up for the remainder of the fantasy season, but if you want another opinion, click through below. Here's how I'd arrange the running back board if I were drafting right this second, from scratch.

Again, these are not Week 14 ranks . . . they're Week 14-16 ranks. You probably know the drill by now, gamer.

One assumption I'm making with this exercise: I don't think Shady McCoy plays again in 2012. I also don't think there's anything fluky about Bryce Brown: he's quick, he's powerful, and he's making things work despite a patchwork Philadelphia offensive line. He needs to get a hold on the fumbling problem, but otherwise, he's looking very legit, thank you.

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Arian Foster
3. Doug Martin
4. Ray Rice
5. Bryce Brown

Peterson is as schedule-irrelevant as they come, and even the absence of Percy Harvin hasn't kept him down. Freak of nature. … Rice didn't have a single fourth-quarter carry in the Week 13 loss to Pittsburgh, which should be a fineable offense for offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. … The injury to OG Carl Nicks didn't seem to hurt Martin one bit, did it?

6. Marshawn Lynch
7. Trent Richardson
8. Chris Johnson
9. Ahmad Bradshaw
10. Stevan Ridley
11. C.J. Spiller
12. Frank Gore
13. Alfred Morris

Gore is in a winning situation and runs behind a sterling offensive line, but the Niners are careful not to overwork him, especially when games are salted away. … There's not a huge difference between Ridley and Morris — they're both tied to strong systems and they both get ignored in the passing game. That said, the Patriots offer more scoring potential and Ridley is second in the league in red-zone and goal-line attempts (Foster is first in both categories).

14. Jamaal Charles
15. BenJarvus Green-Ellis
16. Matt Forte
17. DeMarco Murray
18. Steven Jackson
19. Mikel Leshoure
20. Jonathan Dwyer
21. Knowshon Moreno
22. Michael Turner

Green-Ellis saved his best for last, apparently: he's rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games, and he even caught a season-high four passes last week. The Bengals are a team that stays patient with the running game just about every week; Green-Ellis has collected 15 or more attempts in 11 of his 12 games. There's not a monster upside here, but you're getting a super floor for your RB2. … It was a little strange to see the Broncos running Moreno into the ground at Oakland on Thursday, given some of Moreno's durability questions from the past. But obviously the setup is good for him forward, an easy schedule, a strong offensive line, and opponents who have to focus on defending the pass more often than not.

23. Ryan Mathews
24. Reggie Bush
25. Fred Jackson
26. Shonn Greene
27. Vick Ballard
28. Darren McFadden
29. Darren Sproles
30. Beanie Wells
31. DeAngelo Williams

I really don't even like having Mathews this high, but it speaks to how thin the position is after the first few tiers. And you can throw some of that red ink at McFadden, too (though he is, as Gordon Gekko might say, a dog with different fleas). … Even with Jonathan Stewart out of the picture right now, the Panthers continue to treat Williams carefully. It's frustrating, especially when you think of all the money the club invested on these backs. But expecting a radical shift in approach at this point is probably just wishcasting.

32. Alex Green
33. Jacquizz Rodgers
34. Marcel Reece
35. Bilal Powell
36. Joique Bell
37. Mark Ingram
38. Montell Owens
39. Shane Vereen
40. Michael Bush

Sproles is still dynamic as a pass-catcher, but the Saints have basically deleted him from the rushing game. … I'd love to see what Powell might do as New York's primary back, albeit he's just 204 pounds and that probably limits his workload upside. … Owens is just about a complete unknown, coming off the special-teams unit. But hey, they have to give the ball to somebody.

41. Daniel Thomas
42. Felix Jones
43. David Wilson
44. Bernard Pierce
45. Isaac Redman
46. Pierre Thomas
47. Jonathan Stewart
48. Justin Forsett
49. Rashard Mendenhall
50. Ben Tate

Although handcuffing isn't as interesting at this point in the year, if you do have a slot for that sort of thing, Pierce is a name to know. The Ravens obviously feel good about the Temple product, giving him seven carries or more in four of the last five games. … I'd love to see what Thomas could do with a featured job in New Orleans, but I've stopped chasing that pipe dream. It's not as if the Saints don't like Thomas, but this is his sixth year with the organization. They know how they feel about him, and what they think he's capable of. Unless every other domino fell PT's way, I think he's always going to be a time-share option.

51. Maurice Jones-Drew
52. Robert Turbin
53. Danny Woodhead
54. Daryl Richardson
55. Ronnie Hillman
56. Peyton Hillis
57. Ryan Grant
58. Donald Brown
59. Ronnie Brown
60. Chris Ivory
61. LaRod Stephens-Howling
62. Mike Tolbert
63. LeSean McCoy
64. Toby Gerhart
65. Rashad Jennings

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