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A few weeks back,Lamarcus Joyner Rams Jersey, I published a column about rookie runners and their success (or failures) one season out of college. Since 2005, a total of 19 rookie running backs have finished in the top 20 in fantasy points at the position. Of those backs, 13 (68 percent) saw a decline the following year at an average of 69.6 points. The average increase in production the other seven runners saw was 48.6 points, but three of those backs saw rises of 23.1 points or fewer.    Those stats seem a bit scary for the likes of Todd Gurley,Los Angeles Dodgers Brett Anderson Jersey, David Johnson,Juan Carlos Medina Mexico Jersey, Thomas Rawls, Jeremy Langford, T.J. Yeldon and Melvin Gordon, who are among the top runners entering their second pro campaigns. While I would still project the first three backs as top-20 selections, at least one of these six runners will be a bust or fail to see a drastic statistical increase based on this trend.    With the running back position thinner and more unreliable than ever before, it's a good idea not only to look back at how top rookie runners did as sophomores (not well overall), but also the fate of sophomore runners who were disappointments as prominent rookies. Make sure to remember the word prominent in that sentence, as these runners were picked in fantasy drafts with the intent of being used as potential starters. Think Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott or Alabama's Derrick Henry for the 2016 draft.    Since 2006,Marcus Mariota Buccaneers Jersey, a total of 33 running backs have been chosen in one of the first four rounds of the NFL draft and carried the ball 150-plus times as rookies. Of those 33 backs, 10 ranked in the top 10 in fantasy points. Another eight ranked No. 11-20, while the remaining 15 finished 21st or worse. That includes the likes of Bishop Sankey (43rd), Gordon (53rd), Ryan Mathews (23rd) and Daniel Thomas (40th), who were all touted as sleepers or breakout candidates heading into their first pro campaign.             Here's the $1 million question ... of those 15 rookie running backs on our list, how many improved as NFL sophomores?    Well, the first thing to look at is how many of these runners were viable options in fantasy land. Leon Washington was a fourth-round pick of the New York Jets (2006) and carried the ball 151 times,Sonny Jurgensen Redskins Jersey, for example, but fantasy owners weren't breaking down doors to draft him. Based on the average draft positions (ADP) found on MyFantasyLeague.com, Washington (2006, N/A), Laurence Maroney (2006, 90.61 ADP), Roy Helu (2011, 136.74 ADP), DeMarco Murray (2011, 149.97 ADP), Ben Tate (2011, 127.38 ADP), Tre Mason (2014, 144.33 ADP), Terrance West (2014, N/A) and Andre Williams (2014, 131.41 ADP) can all be removed from the equation.    Just for the record, all eight of those backs saw their fantasy point totals decline in their second pro seasons. That leaves five runners (quite a low number) who fit our criteria, leaving out Gordon and Yeldon for obvious reasons.    Let's start with Jonathan Stewart, who finished 22nd in points among runners as a rookie (2008). The following season, he had a sixth- to seventh-round average draft position. He surpassed expectations, rushing for 1,133 yards with 11 total touchdowns despite an almost even split in touches (239) with DeAngelo Williams (245). Here's what you might not remember ... Williams missed three games and saw 19 combined carries over the last five games of that season. In those five contests, Stewart carried the ball 102 times and scored almost 50 percent of his fantasy points for the entire season.    Next on our list is Beanie Wells, who finished 28th among fantasy runners as a rookie (2009). Countless owners saw Wells (76.92 ADP) as a better fantasy back than teammate Tim Hightower (112.70 ADP) heading into 2010,John Matuszak Raiders Jersey, but the Ohio State product started a mere two games and fell out of the top 55 fantasy backs as an NFL sophomore. Hightower finished 34th at the position.    Ryan Mathews was supposed to be San Diego's heir apparent to LaDainian Tomlinson in his rookie season of 2010,Custom Packers Jersey, but he missed four games due to injuries and finished 23rd in fantasy points among running backs. Despite his mediocre numbers, Mathews still had an ADP of 20.07 heading into his second NFL season. He would reward the faithful, posting better than 1,500 scrimmage yards with a sixth-place finish in points at the position. Of course, this would also be Mathews' best fantasy season to date.    In 2011,Cleveland Indians Trevor Bauer Jersey, Daniel Thomas was considered a sleeper pick as a member of the Miami Dolphins. Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown had left for new teams, and the brittle Reggie Bush was the only thing standing between Thomas and the top spot on the depth chart. He failed to make an impact though, posting a finish of 40th among backs while Bush put up respectable totals. Miami retained Bush and drafted Lamar Miller in 2012, which all but ended Thomas' chance to make an impact in South Beach.             Now let's fast forward to 2014,Alan Branch Patriots Jersey, when the Tennessee Titans chose Sankey in the second round. It was the first season since 2008 that the team would be without Chris Johnson, so Sankey (66.54 ADP) had a golden opportunity to be a star. The Washington product couldn't cash in, as he finished 43rd in fantasy points and lost work to plodder Shonn Greene. Sankey was worse as an NFL sophomore, finishing fourth in carries on a team that had Antonio Andrews, Dexter McCluster and David Cobb all average 4.1 yards per attempt or fewer.    While I like to be an optimist when it comes to life and fantasy football, the numbers don't lie. Almost none of the runners that met our critieria rebounded from mediocre or bad rookie campaigns and became more valauble in their second seasons. One of the backs that did, Stewart, succeeded down the stretch because of the increased number of touches he saw in the absence of his backfield mate.    It's because of this trend that I wouldn't count on Gordon to become much more than a flex starter (at best) next season, and it piles on to the chances of Yeldon making a consistent impact. As for other sophomores like Ameer Abdullah, Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson and Jay Ajayi (who didn't meet our criteria), well, I wouldn't draft any of them with the expectation of a breakout campaign.    If we have learned one thing from this research, it's that the old sophomore slump can be difficult to avoid among running backs.        Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to @Michael_Fabiano or send a question via Facebook!