By JEFF PAUR

The NFL is a copycat league. And the new fad is dual running backs. The thinking mostly is this keeps your backs fresh and can give opposing defenses two different looks. The Saints (Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush) and Jags (Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew) were two examples of teams that had great success with this approach last season. Their running games were tough to stop. So you can expect more teams to consider using two backs this season.

There remain plenty of teams that go with just a back getting most of the carries, but by the end of this season almost half the teams in the NFL could be using some sort of a committee. Below is a breakdown of all the running back situations in the league, breaking out each team by the system they use. Keep this in mind come draft day because taking a player in a two-back system could cut down on their production for the coming season. You'll want to know each team's situation before heading into your draft.

One back set

Arizona - Edgerrin James. James has little to worry about behind him in Arizona. He'll get a ton of carries as the Cardinals No. 1 back. His only concern might be Marcel Shipp stealing some of his goal-line work, which happened a bit at the end of last season.

Baltimore - Willis McGahee. McGahee moves to a new team, but keeps his status as the No. 1 starter. He has Mike Anderson and Musa Smith behind him on the depth chart, but neither figure to play a huge role in the offense. McGahee should be getting the majority of the carries from week to week.

Chicago - Cedric Benson. With Thomas Jones finally gone, Benson gets his shot to start. And he will be the featured back in the Bears offense. Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe are more third-down or change of pace options compared to Benson.

Cincinnati - Rudi Johnson. Sometimes Johnson will leave the field on passing downs, but he is the main back in the Bengals offense. Johnson is a workhorse, producing dependable numbers in the Bengals high-powered offense. Rookie Kenny Irons might try to spell Johnson a bit more this season, but don't expect much of a change in Johnson's touches.

Cleveland - Jamal Lewis. Lewis hasn't set the world on fire the last few seasons with his play, but he gets the nod as the Browns No. 1 back this year. And with Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison behind him on the depth chart, expect Lewis to get nearly all the carries in the Browns offense.

Denver - Travis Henry. The Broncos running back situation is always a bit tricky, but for the first time in a few years, they have a pretty set No. 1 back heading into the season. Henry will be their go-to-guy and unless he falters, Henry projects to get a lot of chances in the Broncos running scheme. Mike Bell should get a lot less work.

Detroit - Kevin Jones. If healthy (foot injury), Jones projects to get most of the work as the Lions No. 1 back. He proved last season he can be a good fit for the Lions new offense, picking up good chunks of yards in both the rushing and passing games. But if Jones isn't healthy, a platoon situation of Tatum Bell and T.J. Duckett is possible. The health of Jones hinges on this running back situation, though.

Houston - Ahman Green. It has been a few seasons, but the Texans finally have their No. 1 back. Green takes over the starting duties. And he might lose out on a few carries to Ron Dayne, who had a great finish to last season, but this isn't a platoon situation in Houston. Green is their No. 1 guy.

Indianapolis - Joseph Addai. Last season, Addai split the work at running back with Dominic Rhodes. That won't be the case for '07. Addai has just DeDe Dorsey behind him, so expect Addai to shoulder much of the load this season at running back. His increased workload is skyrocketing his value in fantasy leagues.

Kansas City - Larry Johnson. Johnson probably carried the ball too much last season, racking up a ton of touches while serving as the centerpiece of the Chiefs offense. He might get a few less carries this season, but Johnson isn't going to be losing much playing time to any other back on the Chiefs roster.

Miami - Ronnie Brown. With Cam Cameron abroad as coach, Brown could serve as the LaDainian Tomlinson of the Dolphins offense. Cameron should make Brown a huge part of their offense, meaning he'll be on the field often. Ricky Williams almost returned to the Dolphins, but another supposed failed drug test derailed his comeback to the NFL, leaving Brown as the only real option at running back for the Dolphins.

New England - Laurence Maroney. Maroney was in a platoon situation with Corey Dillon his rookie year, but gets the starting job all to himself this season. He could lose out on a few third down plays to Kevin Faulk, but Maroney projects to get a lot more work in the Patriots offense as their No. 1 back.

New York Jets - Thomas Jones. Jones had Cedric Benson pushing for playing time in Chicago, but that won't be the case in New York. Jones does have Leon Washington behind him on the depth chart, and Washington should get some touches every week. But Jones is the featured back and workhorse of the Jets offense. Washington is more of a change of pace option.

Philadelphia - Brian Westbrook. Westbrook tends to get nicked from time to time, which is a concern, but he gets most of the carries in the Eagles offense. The big concern about Westbrook for this season could be the goal-line work. Coach Andy Reid likes to use a power back for short-yardage situations and could go that direction this season, which would hurt Westbrook's value.

Pittsburgh - Willie Parker. Parker went from sharing the load with Jerome Bettis to being the Steelers unquestioned starter. He has some quality backs behind him (Najeh Davenport and Kevan Barlow), so Parker might get a lesser load this season as the Steelers try to keep him fresher. This is not a platoon situation, though.

San Diego - LaDainian Tomlinson. L.T. is the man in San Diego. He gets a good workout in the running and passing game. Michael Turner is a more than competent backup, though, and could be used a bit more this season in hopes of keeping Tomlinson from wearing down.

Seattle - Shaun Alexander. A foot injury derailed last season for Alexander, but he is healthy and expected to get his usual heavy workload at running back. Maurice Morris does well in spot duty, but Alexander gets most of the work for the Seahawks rushing attack.

San Francisco - Frank Gore. Gore is an emerging star. He'll be a huge factor in the 49ers offense, getting plenty of work as a runner and receiver. Gore is a top dual threat. And he doesn't have much competition behind him - Michael Robinson and Maurice Hicks.

St. Louis - Steven Jackson. Jackson wants the ball every time the Rams run a play offensively. And he gets it often, leading the NFL in total yards last season. He might get a few less touches with rookie Brian Leonard around, but don't expect much of a change in production from Jackson.

Tampa Bay - Carnell Williams. Even though his production has tailed off of late, Williams is the No. 1 back for the Bucs. And he doesn't have anyone really pushing him for playing time. Michael Pittman is more of a threat at receiver these days, but could be used as a featured runner if Williams falters, again.

Committees

Atlanta - Warrick Dunn/Jerious Norwood. New coach Bobby Petrino likes to use a power back, which suits Norwood a bit better, but Petrino won't ignore Dunn. He has been too productive the last few seasons to leave on his bench. Norwood seems the better bet for goal-line work, giving him a little more value for the coming season.

Dallas - Julius Jones/Marion Barber. A new coaching staff could change the running back role in Dallas, but for now, we are calling this a committee. Both backs were productive last season in their roles as Jones piled up the yards and Barber scored a ton of touchdowns. We could see a similar scenario playing out, but don't be surprised if Jones is giving more work in the offense. Barber was a Bill Parcells favorite, so he'll need to impress the new regime to get the same workload.

Green Bay - Vernand Morency/Brandon Jackson. Morency is more of a home run threat and change of pace back. Meanwhile, Jackson is a better between the tackles runner that can run with some power. This combo seems well suited for a platoon role. Both backs should get plenty of work in the Packers offense, splitting carries until one emerges as a true No. 1 back.

Jacksonville - Fred Taylor/Maurice Jones-Drew. The situation worked perfectly last season for the Jags, so expect much of the same for this year. Taylor will start, but Jones-Drew will be the home run threat and goal-line option. These guys both have 1,000-yard potential - even in a platoon role.

Minnesota - Chester Taylor/Adrian Peterson. The Vikings didn't use a No. 1 pick on Peterson to put him on the bench. He will get his carries, probably splitting time with Taylor, who was very productive his first year starting for the Vikings. Taylor should remain the starter, but Peterson has a chance to steal the goal-line work and cut into much of Taylor's playing time.

New Orleans - Deuce McAllister/Reggie Bush. It worked last season, so the Saints will employ a similar approach for the coming year. McAllister will get more carries than Bush, but the Saints will use Bush a lot as a receiver as well as running back. The will find a way to get both of these productive backs into the mix each week.

Oakland - LaMont Jordan/Dominic Rhodes. A committee approach in Oakland makes the most sense, especially with the signing of Rhodes. He did a great job in a platoon role with Joseph Addai last season. And since Jordan is such a good receiver, he could get more time in that role as Rhodes serves as the No. 1 back on occasion. Expect Jordan and Rhodes to get plenty of chances from week to week.

Possible Committees

Buffalo - Marshawn Lynch/Anthony Thomas. Lynch should be the featured back in this offense, but he won't be handed anything as a rookie. And Thomas played pretty well when called upon to start last season, so the Bills might lean on the veteran a little more until Lynch takes off.

Carolina - DeShaun Foster/DeAngelo Williams. We think one of these backs could step forward and take the reigns of this job. But for now, it seems a platoon situation is in order. Foster hasn't run away with the starter's job and Williams is a promising second-year player on the rise. A betting man might consider Williams the favorite to start and get most of the carries, but like Lynch, nothing will be handed to him.

New York Giants - Brandon Jacobs/Reuben Droughns. Jacobs is the favorite toe start in New York, taking over for Tiki Barber. But Jacobs hasn't carried the full load as a No. 1 back in the NFL, and Droughns has a track record of some success. So Droughns could play his way into some carries with a good training camp and preseason. It wouldn't surprise us to see the Giants running back spot turn into a platoon act.

Tennessee - LenDale White/Chris Henry. You can add Chris Brown to his mix as well. All three backs could get a good amount of work throughout the season. The Titans hope one of these guys steps into the No. 1 role, vacated by Travis Henry. But sharing carries seems more likely with this group.

Washington - Clinton Portis/Ladell Betts. Betts had a huge finish to last season, earning playing time for the coming year. He won't start, but expect him to get plenty of work behind Portis, who has been injury prone the last few seasons.

If you have any questions or comments, please email Jeff Paur at jeff@rtsports.com