No 10 – Edgerrin James, RB (IND) Matt Neatock, 2004-2006 The greatness of this keeper was that this wasn’t Matt’s to keep…at first. Calderon had the rights to The Edge, but in the league’s first (and I believe) only off-season trade prior to the start of the 2003 season, Rich and Matt swapped Category One keepers, Edgerrin James for Jamal Lewis. At first, the swap appeared to benefit Calderon, as Lewis produced a stunning 2,000-yard rushing season, finishing fifth among backs in fantasy. James wasn’t too bad though, finishing 10th that year. However, Lewis collapsed the following season, falling to 23rd, forcing Calderon to drop him. James on the other hand, only got stronger, finishing back-to-back seasons as the No 5 back, before falling to 22nd in 2006. So again, Calderon got a top-ten back for one year, while Matt got a top-ten back for three years.
No 9 – Brandon Jacobs, RB (NYG) Bob Castrone, 2006-2008 Bob landed Jacobs in a trade with Colby early on in 2006. He was never great that year, splitting time with Barber. The following season Tiki quit and Jacobs was the starter, but he battled injuries all season long. In year three, Jacobs was the leader in a crowded backfield. However, despite the injuries and the crowd, Bob nailed down a No 2-type running back for two-straight years in the ninth round. Not bad.
No 8 – Larry Johnson, RB (KC) Griff Coomer, 2005-2007 In reality, I thought this keeper would be so much better, but don’t get me wrong, it was still pretty solid for at least two seasons. As everyone has already been reminded over and over again, Griff snaked Johnson from Masterson and the Chiefs’ back help land Griff his first title in 2005. After finishing 2nd among backs, he finished third the following year, helping Griff to a 7-6 mark and another trip to the playoffs. However, with one final year, Johnson fell apart, falling to 42nd, as Griff dropped to 4-9, missing the post-season for the first time in 2001.
No 7 – Willie McGahee, RB (BUF, BAL) Don Vozzola, 2004-2007 Is it me, or did it seem like Don had McGahee forever? In reality, it was four years. It’s hard to judge the impact McGahee had on Don’s career. Willie missed his rookie 2002 season recovering from that devastating ACL tear in the Fiesta Bowl, so it was expected that McGahee could be a solid keeper in the 8th round, but patience was needed. However, in his first ‘real’ season, McGahee wasted little time, producing a solid year, finishing 12th among backs. However, McGahee digressed, falling to 17th the following year and 27th in 2006. Despite the rough season, he help lead Don to his first title. With the new rule changes to the keepers, 2007 would be Willie’s last for Don, but he managed to bounce back, finishing 10th among backs, helping Don to the scoring title.
No 6 – Marion Barber, RB (DAL) Richard Burrier, 2006-2008 Burrier took a chance on a backup running back in the ninth round and the pick paid off. While Barber was a 21st among backs in 2006, he wasn’t really worth as start, since most of his points came from his 16 touchdowns. However, despite never starting again in 2007, he was the best back in Dallas and finished 8th among RB’s. Rich got one more year out of him, although he slipped to 16th among backs after a toe injury.
No 5 – Adrian Peterson, RB (MIN) Matt Neatock, 2007-2008 In reality, it’s way too early to judge this keeper, but let’s try to look at the numbers. Peterson finished second among backs in 2007, leading Matt to his first championship. In 2008, Peterson’s numbers dropped a bit, but he still finished the season third among backs in 2008. The three was a trend for Neatock in ’08, because despite having a solid keeper like Purple Jesus, Matt only managed to pull out three wins. If I was doing these rankings at the end of this coming year and Peterson does what he’s always done, Peterson would easily be in the top three.
No 4 – Shaun Alexander, RB (SEA) Griff Coomer, 2003-2006 Even though he had to use a first-round pick to keep him, Alexander had an amazing three-year run, 7th best back in 2003, 2nd best back in 2004, culminating with a No 1 RB ranking and championship in 2005. Obviously, this was no surprise. In 2002, Alexander was the 7th best back and was getting stronger and better each year. However, Griff kept Alexander one too many years as he slipped out of the top-20 in 2007.
No 3 – Tiki Barber, RB (NYG) Colby Hall 2004-2006 While Neatock gets to brag about stealing James away from Calderon, Colby got the best of Matt (and myself) with the Tiki Barber trade. Anyhow, there was no real reason for Barber to fall as far as he did in the 2004 draft. He had finished the last four seasons as the 9th, 12th, 6th and 13th ranked running back. Sure no one could have guessed he was an elite back, but at least a solid number two. Colby landed Barber in week two and the rest is history. Barber finished ’04 as the top back in the league, leading the Pounders to a scoring title. He followed that up with a solid 3rd and 9th. While Jeff/Colby never earned a title with Tiki, they were one of the top teams during the three-year span.
No 2 – Terrell Owens, WR (DAL) Don Vozzola, 2005-2008 If you judge keeper success based solely on championships, then look no further than Terrell Owens. In three years with Gator Nation, Owens helped Don win two titles, as well as a scoring title in between. Not bad at all. Ironically, both titles came with a three-wide offense, each time led by Owens, who finished his three-year stint with Don as the 4th, 2nd and 11th best receiver in fantasy.
No 1 – LaDainian Tomlinson, RB (SD) Richard Burrier, 2003-2008 Of all the Decade list I’ve done, this might be the easiest one to figure out the top dog. With the first pick in the first year we started the keepers, Rich Burrier grabbed, maybe not the best back in the league, but the best young running back in the league. He held him for five years, up until the new three-year limit came into play. The half decade LT and Burrier spent together was one of the best partnerships in league history. Burrier earned four winning seasons, four division titles, four playoff trips and one championship. In his final year with Burrier, he traded LT to me, then I traded him to Matt and LT led him to a championship. In fact, the math is simple. No one who has had LT on his team, has had a losing season.
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