Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers

Gordon had an up and down preseason but after seeing his production at Wisconsin you can’t help but be optimistic for his future. The at 215 pounds Gordon dominated the Big 10 his senior season rushing for 2,587 yards. He even broke the NCAA single game rushing record against conference rival Nebraska. He torched the Cornhuskers for 408 yards breaking LaDainian Tomlinson’s record of 406 yards that had stood since 1999. Unfortunately for Gordon Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine broke his record later that season. Still if Gordon can capture even half of his Wisconsin magic he can take the NFL and your fantasy league by storm.

Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions

Abdullah was another Big 10 star rusher that looks to have a promising pro career in the NFL. Abdullah unlike Gordon has really impressed coaches and fans with his play in the preseason. His mix of elusiveness and ability to run between the tackles is something that can really help balance the Lions offense. In his four years at Nebraska Abdullah had three 1,000 yard rushing seasons, two of which were 1,600 plus. Abdullah is also a back that can contribute in the passing game with the ability to add yards after the catch.

Todd Gurley, St Louis Rams

Gurley was one of the top talents coming out of the SEC and he has the highest up side of these three running backs. He’s big, strong, and fast drawing a lot of comparisons to Adrian Peterson, and I don’t need to tell you what that means for the Rams. The biggest thing for him is staying healthy, in three years at Georgia he only played one complete season. That season his freshman year was easily his best season in college as he amassed 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns. If Gurley can come back strong from his ACL injury last season he has a chance to be a special player in the NFL and for Fantasy players.

Matt Jones, Washington Redskins

Jones was not a really big name in college as he never went over 900 yards in a season. But with his big body and aggressive run style he looks to factor in well to the Redskins rushing offense. Jones was outstanding in the preseason and even made noise on HBO Hard Knocks after he ran over a Texans cornerback. At 6’2 231 pounds Jones is a perfect choice as the Redskins goal line running back, which means plenty of touchdown opportunities.

T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars

Yeldon was a star in one of the most talented programs in the country Alabama. In his three years with the Crimson Tide Yeldon 1,000 plus yards his first two years and was close to reaching 1,000 his third year.In each year he averaged over five yards a carry and had double digit touchdown numbers each years as well, and that’s while sharing the ball with other star players like Amari Cooper. This year he will see a lot of action in Jacksonville’s offense and Yeldon has the size, athleticism, and talent to help the Jaguars get back on track offensively.