With the depth at quarterback and wide receiver, there is no question that fantasy owners should jump on two running backs with their first two picks in fantasy drafts.

The tendency is for owners to go for a top running back, then turn their focus to getting a big-name quarterback or wide receiver. However, there is hardly no depth at running back, making it imperative to lock up a powerful one-two combination at running back before going for a quarterback or receiver.

Depending upon where you pick in a draft, these quality combinations are hard to come by. But by following average draft position you can accurately predict which backs may fall to your picks. There’s no guarantee that you can land these combinations, but with the proper planning and even some trades you may be able to. These are three combinations you should focus in on during your draft to make sure you have the best running back combination possible this fantasy season. As usual, these are all assuming your draft is a standard 12-team snake draft.

Arian Foster and Frank Gore

For those fantasy owners lucky enough to be drafting toward the top of the draft, if Adrian Peterson goes No. 1 overall, Foster is without a doubt the best running back option. Foster is going No. 2 overall according to FantasyPros’ average draft position rankings, and rightfully so. In the past three seasons, Foster has run for at least 1,224 yards and has scored a combined 47 total touchdowns in those three years. At 26, Foster’s prime as a back is here and there’s no reason to suspect that his numbers will go down after finishing the 2012 season with 1,424 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.

In a snake draft, that would put the next pick at No. 23 overall, which according to the same ADP would be Gore, the San Francisco 49ers running back. Gore isn’t as flashy as Foster, but he is a very consistent back who will still put up the yardage. In his eight seasons in the NFL, Gore has rushed for over 1,000 yards. In the two seasons that he didn’t Gore was a rookie in 2005 and missed five games in 2010, although he still rushed for 853 yards in 11 games. There is a terrible stigma around Gore that he is always hurt, but he hasn’t missed a game in two years and has at least played in 14 games in every season except one.

Foster and Gore are one of the more reliable fantasy running back tandems, and although Gore’s touchdown totals are fairly low, Foster more than makes up for it in his explosiveness. Gore may just show by the end of the season that picking high in the first round doesn’t mean that a solid No. 2 back is out of the question.

LeSean McCoy and Reggie Bush

Both of these picks could be a reach if you are at the No. 6 spot in the first round, but could turn out to be the envy of the draft. According to Fantasy Football Calculator’s ADP, McCoy is going seventh overall. That’s great value for a 24-year-old who just two seasons ago ran for 1,309 yards and 17 touchdowns. McCoy had a down year in 2012, missing four games but still eclipsing the 800-yard mark. The fifth-year player out of Pitt also catches balls out of the backfield, making 54 receptions last season for 373 yards and three touchdowns. That adds even more value in a PPR league. Even without those reception points, the majority of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense could run through McCoy with the lack of a true starting quarterback giving McCoy a great chance to run for over 1,000 yards.

While we’re on the subject of backs who can catch passes, Bush is looking to capitalize on two strong seasons with the Miami Dolphins in his new home with the Detroit Lions. After struggling to find a role with the New Orleans Saints, Bush came on strong in Miami, rushing for a combined 2,072 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons. During those two seasons, Bush also caught a combined 78 passes for 588 yards and three touchdowns. The Lions throw even more than the Dolphins headed up by Matthew Stafford, so expect Bush to put up similar numbers to Miami.

Matt Forte and Stevan Ridley

While most fantasy owners think that picking last in a draft is usually a bad thing, picking at No. 12 opens up the opportunity for this powerful combination. Forte, who is going as the 12th running back in Calculator’s ADP, has run for over 1,000 yards in three out of his five seasons in the league and have come within 71 and three yards in the two other seasons he fell short of that mark. Forte is the main offensive weapon in Chicago, scoring a total 35 touchdowns in his five years with the Bears. Most owners believe that Forte is an injury risk, but his only shortened season was in 2011 when he missed four games, and he only missed one game last season. Forte also has big play ability, making 25 rushes of at least 10 yards last season.

The very next pick, Stevan Ridley should be available, via the same ADP. Ridley is the No. 1 rushing option on the New England Patriots and his role will be even bigger this season with no Aaron Hernandez, Wes Welker and possibly no Rob Gronkowski for Tom Brady to throw to. Ridley is only entering his third year out of LSU and is coming off a season when he carried the ball 290 times for 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 24-year-old will likely split carries with Shane Vereen but he’ll see an expanded role in the offense this season and will most likely break the 1,000-yard mark.

Forte and Ridley are likely candidates to start all 16 games this season, and both should break 1,000 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns. That still leaves time to pick up a quarterback and a No. 1 wide receiver in the third and fourth rounds.