I waited as long as possible to come out with this list due to the changing landscape of the running back position as it relates to fantasy football. With both Darren McFadden and Adrian Peterson appearing to be rearing to go, draft boards are going to change a great deal. Trent Richardson's recent surgery also threw the proverbial needle into the haystack that is my ranking system. 

In short, I am starting to think it is going to be a better strategy to go value at this position in 2012. By that I mean, avoiding running back in the initial round and grabbing one of the following players as a solid RB2 or RB3 option.

So, let's take a look

10. Bernard Scott, Cincinnati Bengals

Let me be clear about this. The primary reason that Scott finds himself on this list is due to the fact that I am not sold on BenJarvus Green-Ellis being the Bengals starting running back a few weeks into the season. The former Patriots running back struggled a great deal down the stretch last season and is nowhere near an upgrade over what Cincinnati had in 2011 in the form of Cedric Benson.

Scott hasn't exactly impressed in his first three NFL seasons, combining for just 1,000 rushing yards on 247 attempts during that span. The former sixth-round pick will be given an opportunity to earn more carries and cash in near the end zone a great deal in 2012. Cincinnati is going to be more formidable on the offensive side of the ball with both Andy Dalton and A.J. Green gaining a season of experience. This gives them a lot more scoring opportunities than what we saw in 2011.

9. Taiwan Jones, Oakland Raiders

Jones is currently listed as the Raiders primary backup to Darren McFadden on their initial depth chart. By no means does this indicate that the Eastern Washington product is going to start the season in that role, but it is a good sign.

The second-year 'back will act as a great home run threat every time he touches the ball. You will see a nice amount of long runs, some turning into six, from Jones in 2012.

8. Kendall Hunter/Brandon Jacobs, San Francisco 49ers

Take your pick here. If you want someone that isn't going to gain a lot of yards, but could accumulate seven or eight touchdowns, Jacobs is your man. The former New York Giants running back seems to look better than he has in four seasons. At 30, Jacobs might not have a whole lot left. However, he is going to be the short yardage 'back for a 49ers team that promises to be vastly improved on the offensive side of the ball.

Hunter should give you a nice amount of yards considering the 49ers are going to be a run heavy team and Frank Gore's relatively advanced age. He impressed a great deal as a rookie in 2011, compiling nearly 700 total yards on just 128 touches.

7. Ben Tate, Houston Texans

I could care less that the Texans have one of the top fantasy running backs in the form of Arian Foster. This is going to be a team that relies heavily on the running game due to a lack of proven weapons outside of Andre Johnson at wide receiver.

Tate accumulated over 1,000 total yards last season while starting two games. He is going to get his touches no matter what happens with Foster moving forward, injuries etc... You should consider picking Tate up as a RB2 option, depending on who you draft as your starter.

6. Donald Brown, Indianapolis Colts

If you give Brown any sort of passing game he is going to be a solid under-the-radar fantasy performer. The former first-round pick upped his rush average by nearly an entire yard with the likes of Dan Orlovsky and Curtis Painter throwing the ball. In the process, his receiving yards dropped from 205 in 2010 to double digits last season.

Andrew Luck should do Brown a world of wonders. Opposing defenses wont be stacking the box like they did last season, meaning that he will find a lot more holes in the running game. Additionally, Indianapolis is going to be relying on the ground game to an extent. I can easily envision a 1,000 yard season from Brown in 2012. This puts him smack dab in the middle of the RB2 conversation.

5. Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots

The Patriots are going to be going with two unproven youngsters, Ridley and Shane Vereen, at the running back position in 2012. This has to have fans excited considering that both bring a great deal to the table and are as pretty damn talented.

Ridley, a LSU product, was listed as the Patriots starter in their initial depth chart and promises to get a lot of touches with BenJarvus Green-Ellis in Cincinnati. He averaged over five years per attempt as a rookie, accumulating 441 yards in 15 games. With the Patriots making the move to their youngsters in the running game, there is no reason to believe that Ridley cannot compile 1,000 yards on the ground and a couple hundred through the air.

4. Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins

Sorry Reggie, your not going to lead the NFL in rushing last season. Though I am glad to see that Bush hasn't lost that self-confidence that made him such a prodigy in high school and at USC. The former No. 2 overall pick is coming off his first 1,000 yard rushing campaign and promises to be featured in the Dolphins running game again in 2011.

Bush seemed to look tougher between the hashes, taking on defenders instead of running for the sidelines. This is something that he was missing with the New Orleans Saints.

What Bush did late in the season was nothing short of amazing. He compiled 519 rushing yards in the Dolphins final four games. You can definitely expect another 1,000 yard campaign with his reception total increasing from 43. In total, I can see Bush putting up 1,500 total yards and double-digit touchdowns. This makes him one of the most productive RB2's in fantasy football.

3. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

I wonder if Peterson's stock is going to increase a great deal after he was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Sunday. This came as bit of a surprise to many, myself included, and means that he should be primed to go for the Vikings season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

When healthy, Peterson is a top five fantasy running back in the National Football League. He is almost guaranteed to get you 1,500 rushing yards and at least 10 scores. Even after missing the final four games of the 2011 season, Peterson was still able to accumulate double-digit touchdowns for the fifth consecutive season since coming into the league in 2007.

Definitely a RB1 that might fall down the ranks due to concerns about his ability to make an immediate impact after recovering from a torn ACL and MCL.

2. Roy Helu, Washington Redskins

Some might be thrown off because the Redskins selected Robert Griffin III second overall in April's draft. Now that they have a franchise quarterback, Washington might be looking to air it out more.

Don't be fooled here. RGIII is still a rookie and will need to have balance on offense in order to succeed. Helu is the player that I am confident in out of the backfield. He has a combination of running and receiving ability, which makes the second-year 'back a valuable fantasy player.

While the Nebraska product might not be among the best RB2 options for your fantasy team, he could be the most under-valued at this point.

1. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are going to make an effort to become more balanced on the offensive side of the ball after largely ignoring the ground game last season. This is one of the primary reasons they they traded back into the first round to pick up Martin. He has exceeded all expectations and appears to be their starting running back heading into the regular season.

As someone that followed Martin a great deal at Boise State, I can say that Tampa Bay got an absolute steal here. He is a dominating duel-threat running back that has the ability to put up 1,700 combined yards and double-digit touchdowns. Those are true RB1 numbers. That being said, ESPN has him as a marginal RB2 option. Pick the guy up should he fall there and run with it, pun very much intended.