Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
It seems like there is a consensus top four when it comes to fantasy football in 2014. Jammal Charles and Matt Forte seem to be coming up the rear when drafts begin. People are choosing to go with one of two people with their top picks.
Adrian Peterson and LeSean McCoy are the two best players in fantasy football. In auctions, they are one dollar apart. These two are the consensus No. 1 and No. 2 in fantasy.
So who should you choose? There are clear advantages to both players.
We will start off with Peterson. He has shown before that he is able to carry a team with nothing much else on it, which explains the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson has never had a season with less than double digit touchdowns. While he isn’t known as a receiving back, he still catches some balls out of the backfield. He is fully healthy after battling a groin injury at the end of last season. Despite playing through pain, and missing two games, he still ran for 1,266 yards.
Then you have McCoy. He doesn’t have to worry about the team around him, because he plays on the NFC East favorite Philadelphia Eagles. He is playing with a good quarterback with one of the best offensive minds in all of football. He is coming off the best season of his career. He led the NFL in rushing, while also being one of the best receiving backs in all of football. He caught 52 passes for 539 yards, on top of his 1,607 yards rushing. He played all sixteen games, showing he was capable of staying healthy for an entire season.
If you try really hard, you could find some flaws in each’s game. Peterson does have those injuries that seem to be sneaking up on him as his career gets closer to the end. McCoy now has Darren Sproles taking away some of his passes out of the backfield. Peterson is playing with nothing behind the offensive line. McCoy is trying to go back and forth between great and average seasons. Both had games that were amazing, and others that could have lost an owner his week.
It really is a coin flip between these two. You are going to be happy all season no matter which one you pick.
If you have the No. 1 pick, you have to look at the league you are in. If you’re in a points per reception (PPR) league, then you take McCoy. If you are in a standard league, then go with Peterson. Both will be great if they stay healthy.
Nick Villano is Feature writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle for more articles and lists.
