NFL's aging running backs prove to be risk to fantasy football teams

Thursday October 15, 2009 1:21 PM By Ryan Chatelain

Brian Westbrook at practice. (AP Photo)

A friend of mine this year drafted LaDainian Tomlinson, Brian Westbrook and Larry Johnson on his team.

Ouch! If only there were some way he could have predicted their downfalls. There was — their birth certificates! (No, I’m not an Obama conspiracy theorist.)

All three of my friend’s picks hit 30 this year, and they’ve all been fantasy busts. This trend is nothing new, yet many owners persist in drafting aging backs. True, 30 isn’t always a fantasy death sentence; ex-Jet Curtis Martin, for example, led the league in rushing in 2004 at age 31.

But this year’s 30-and-over club proves that drafting aging running backs backfires more often than not:

LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego
L.T. missed two games with an ankle injury and is averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry.
 

Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia
Westbrook was sidelined in Week 3 with a high-ankle sprain. He has rushed for 134 yards this season, his lowest total after four games since his 2002 rookie season.
 

Larry Johnson, Kansas City
Unlike Tomlinson and Westbrook, Johnson has stayed healthy, although he might wish he had an injury to blame for his ineptness: He’s averaging an abysmal 2.4 yards per carry.
 

Thomas Jones, Jets
Thanks to his five TDs, Jones has been the best of the 30-and-over bunch this season, fantasy-wise. But he appears to be fading, averaging 3 yards per carry in his last four games.
 

Fred Taylor, New England
The 33-year-old Taylor had a nice game against Atlanta in Week 3 (105 yards, one TD), but a severe ankle sprain is expected to sideline him until at least December.
 

Jamal Lewis, Cleveland
Lewis missed two games with a hamstring injury. He did break out with a 117-yard game last week but has yet to find the end zone.
 

Correll Buckhalter, Denver
Buckhalter, who is averaging 7.2 yards per carry, looked like a nice underdog story before he, too, succumbed to an ankle sprain. Because of his extensive injury history and the emergence of rookie Knowshon Moreno, Buckhalter is a risky option.
 

Ryan Chatelain (ryanchatelain@gmail.com) is amNewYork’s fantasy football columnist.