The NFL has turned into a pass-first league. The trend has caused a drastic change in fantasy football drafting strategy. The old method was to draft two running backs with your first two selections. They were the most valuable position on your fantasy football team. That is still the case, but the gap is closing.

Teams have went away from having one feature back and most have opted for a two-headed rushing attack. Quarterbacks and wide receivers are gaining value and thanks to Rob Gronkowski, tight ends are creeping into the first two rounds as well.

Our original running back rankings have changed due to injuries and holdouts. Ryan Mathews and Trent Richardson both suffered injuries and Maurice Jones-Drew is still holding out. All three running backs dropped in our rankings, but not significantly.

Here is our Top 50 running back rankings for the 2012 NFL fantasy football season.

1. Arian Foster – Houston Texans
2. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles
3. Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens
4. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans
5. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears
6. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs
7. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers
8. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars
9. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings
10. DeMarco Murray – Dallas Cowboys
11. Darren McFadden – Oakland Raiders
12. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams
13. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons
14. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks
15. Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills
16. Willis McGahee – Denver Broncos
17. Roy Helu – Washington Redskins
18. Darren Sproles – New Orleans Saints
19. Shonn Greene – New York Jets
20. Trent Richardson – Cleveland Browns
21. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers
22. Ahmad Bradshaw – New York Giants
23. Reggie Bush – Miami Dolphins
24. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – Cincinnati Bengals
25. Stevan Ridley – New England Patriots
26. Jonathan Stewart – Carolina Panthers
27. Doug Martin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28. Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals
29. Jahvid Best – Detroit Lions
30. Isaac Redman – Pittsburgh Steelers
31. Donald Brown – Indianapolis Colts
32. Ben Tate – Houston Texans
33. Toby Gerhart – Minnesota Vikings
34. Peyton Hillis – Kansas City Chiefs
35. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina Panthers
36. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys
37. Cedric Benson – Green Bay Packers
38. Michael Bush – Chicago Bears
39. Mark Ingram – New Orleans Saints
40. LeGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
41. C.J. Spiller – Buffalo Bills
42. Mike Goodson – Oakland Raiders
43. David Wilson – New York Giants
44. Shane Vereen – New England Patriots
45. James Starks – Green Bay Packers
46. Bernard Scott – Cincinnati Bengals
47. Delone Carter – Indianapolis Colts
48. Ronnie Brown – San Diego Chargers
49. Ryan Williams – Arizona Cardinals
50. Isaiah Pead – St. Louis Rams