Highest Ranking: #4 by Mark Wimer
One of the most important considerations relating to a first round pick in fantasy football is reliable production. This is especially true among running backs, since they go the earliest in drafts, and disappear most quickly. That said, consider the numbers that Curtis Martin has put up over the last four years:

Year	Rushes	Yards	Recs	Yards	Total TD
1998	369	1287	43	365	9
1999	367	1464	45	259	5
2000	316	1204	69	505	11
2001	333	1513	53	320	10

Curtis Martin is always rock solid. He is amazingly durable, and the main focus of an offense with aging Vinny Testaverde and raw, underdeveloped Chad Pennington as the options at QB. Martin will continue to be the man for the Jets. Expect more of the same numbers in 2002, 1700-1900 yards combined and 10+ touchdowns.

Lowest Ranking: #14 by Scott Luebke

Curtis Martin has been one of the most consistent, durable and productive running backs in the league over the last 7 years.  With such consistency and production, it is difficult to predict a drop in production.  However, there are some signs that Martin will be unable to match his past performances.  2001 was a career best year for Martin.  Some have e-mailed and asked, "Why have you ranked Martin as your 14th running back?"  Let's take a look at his 2001 in detail and see if we can come to a conclusion.

	Rush	Rush	Rush	Rush	Num	Rec	Rec
Week	Att	Yrds	YPC	TDs	Rec	Yds	TDs
1	21	79	3.8	1	6	30	0
2	24	106	4.4	1	3	10	0
3	19	66	3.5	2	1	20	0
4	26	135	5.2	2	2	18	0
5	22	120	5.5	1	2	16	0
6	14	63	4.5	0	0	0	0
7	27	159	5.9	0	7	39	0
8	21	66	3.1	0	1	0	0
9	20	113	5.7	3	2	8	0
10	18	66	3.7	0	5	13	0
12	19	87	4.6	0	5	16	0
13	18	58	3.2	0	4	29	0
14	24	78	3.3	0	2	31	0
15	23	122	5.3	0	6	47	0
16	19	123	6.1	0	6	55	0
17	16	50	3.1	0	3	8	0
Totals	331	1491	4.5	10	55	340	0

The 1483 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns look great.  However, let's break the season down to a few segments.  Throughout the first 9 games of the season, Martin average 100.7 rushing yards per game and scored all 10 of his touchdowns.  Over the final 7 games, Martin averaged just 83 rushing yards per game (nearly 20 yards less per game) and scored 0 touchdowns.  In fact, Martin failed to score a touchdown in 10 of his last 11 games.

Could Martin be showing the signs of aging?  I think so.  However, this is not the entire picture.  With Paul Hackett limiting Martin's carries inside the 10-yard line, Martin's production will continue to suffer and result in a subpar season by his standards.