Who's better -- LeSean McCoy or Adrian Peterson? Try Jamaal Charles

Matt Lutovsky

Who's better -- LeSean McCoy or Adrian Peterson? Try Jamaal Charles image

Recently, LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson engaged in a very mild "war of words" about who is the better running back. Naturally, both believe they're the best back in the NFL. It would be a disappointment if they didn't.

But while McCoy and Peterson trumpet their own merits, fantasy football owners might be sitting back, thinking, "Um, Jamaal Charles is better than both of you."

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And while it's unlikely that I'd actually argue with McCoy or Peterson (because, you know ... muscles), I'd probably be even less likely to argue the merit of the latter claim.

No disrespect to any of the players mentioned, but Charles is the guy I'd want for my fantasy team this year. 

Honestly, Peterson isn't a consideration for me, which sounds crazy, but at 29 (the oldest of the three) with a fairly notable injury history, he's not a guy I'd take 1 or 2. Oh, I'd gladly take him 3 or 4, but not 1 or 2.

With McCoy and Charles, the difference is razor thin. McCoy had 37 more touches than Charles last season, but the number I'm focused on is 40 -- that's how many more targets Charles had. It "only" resulted in 18 extra catches, but I like the idea of Charles getting the ball in space more. With Darren Sproles in Philadelphia this year, McCoy will probably see even fewer catches.

This is really splitting hairs -- Charles averaged 6.0 yards per touches last year, McCoy averaged 5.9. They're both going to produce big-time numbers barring injury, but I think Charles will produce just a little bit more. At the very least, he deserves to be in the conversation for best back in the league.

Here's a look at top-40 RBs in Fantasy Source's RB rankings:

Rank Player Team
1 Jamaal Charles KC
2 LeSean McCoy Phi
3 Adrian Peterson Min
4 Doug Martin TB
5 Matt Forte Chi
6 Marshawn Lynch Sea
7 Eddie Lacy GB
8 DeMarco Murray Dal
9 Montee Ball Den
10 Alfred Morris Was
11 Giovani Bernard Cin
12 Arian Foster Hou
13 Zac Stacy StL
14 Le'Veon Bell Pit
15 Andre Ellington Ari
16 C.J. Spiller Buf
17 Reggie Bush Det
18 Chris Johnson NYJ
19 Frank Gore SF
20 Trent Richardson Ind
21 Ryan Mathews SD
22 Bishop Sankey Ten
23 Ray Rice Bal
24 Knowshon Moreno Mia
25 Ben Tate Cle
26 Rashad Jennings NYG
27 Joique Bell Det
28 Toby Gerhart Jac
29 Steven Jackson Atl
30 Stevan Ridley NE
31 Darren Sproles Phi
32 Pierre Thomas NO
33 Shane Vereen NE
34 Bernard Pierce Bal
35 Fred Jackson Buf
36 DeAngelo Williams Car
37 LeGarrette Blount Pit
38 Maurice Jones-Drew Oak
39 Darren McFadden Oak
40 Ronnie Hillman Den

 

Matt Lutovsky

Matt Lutovsky Photo

Matt Lutovsky has been a writer and editor for The Sporting News since 2007, primarily writing about fantasy sports, betting, and gaming.