The running back position in fantasy football is both one of the easiest and most volatile ones to project. With so many injuries and committees in the league, it's important to know who you can count on for good production and the best spots to take them in your drafts. This list is an indicative list of my favorite running backs and the areas that they should be targeted while drafting. In my opinion, this is the power of all fantasy football teams and it isn't unlike me to take 4 running backs in the first 5 rounds. A good running back base is a good fantasy football base and can keep you afloat even when everything else is failing. Feel free to tweet me any questions you have @HessDFS and let's start a discussion!
Tier 1:
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Saquan Barkley
- David Johnson
- Alvin Kamara
- Christian McCaffrey
Having anyone other than Barkley atop the throne is going to be an unpopular opinion but I don't care. Zeke has been downright dominant and is the most consistent RB in fantasy football. I'm more than sure that you noticed David Johnson in my top 3 and that you probably think am an idiot. Maybe I am, or maybe he belongs there and the industry is just missing it. Last season was a perceived down year for DJ. In his down year, he finished as a top 10 fantasy running back. This season he gets an innovative coach, an upgraded offensive line and his own version of Russell Wilson. Count me in.
Kamara is great as a workhorse back. It's a shame his coach doesn't see him as one. Ingram has departed, and Murray arrived. Not only Murray but Ozigbo as well, who I have quite a bit of interest in this year. I'll be quick on McCaffrey. I love him as a player, I took him in the second round last season. I was that guy. This year I'm not as high on him like everyone else. He handled a ton of touches last year and I'd look for that to either decrease or for an injury to occur. You can never predict injuries but huge workloads do tend to lead to shorter careers and bigger injuries. Todd Gurley comes to mind, who you will notice is absent from my top 5.
Tier 2:
- Melvin Gordon
- Le' Veon Bell
- Joe Mixon
- Dalvin Cook
- James Conner
Melvin Gordon wasn't particularly special last season, nor was he usually a game changer. What he was was consistent. He found the end zone pretty often, had a few 100-yard games and regularly finished as Top 10 running back. He was never flashy and you rarely saw his highlights on ESPN on Mondays but this back is as solid as it gets. Bell is with a new team and I don't love the system. For me, this is a fade and I won't draft him unless he falls until the late second. I think there are few scenarios where he finishes as a top 5 running back and think that there are more favorable options in this tier. A year off football isn't good for anyone and this pick comes with too much risk for me in the first round.
Mixon was the lead dog in Cincy last year and was a borderline bell cow. He's widely available in the second round and can easily be an RB1 for this coming season. With an innovative head coach in Zac Taylor, Mixon's arrow is pointing up. James Conner was super high on my list at the beginning of the offseason. Since then the Steelers drafted Benny Snell and have talked up Jaylen Samuels and that has me thinking this is more of a timeshare this season.
Tier 3:
- Devonta Freeman
- Todd Gurley
- Nick Chubb
- Marlon Mack
- Leonard Fournette
Freeman is the most underrated running back of this season. Still only 26 years old and now back in a system that favors him, this is the year he returns. Tevin Coleman is now gone and the only back left to compete is Ito Smith. I would be more than happy with Freeman as an RB1 and absolutely ecstatic as my RB2 or 3. What a fall for Gurley. His knee just looks wrecked. For season long I think Gurley would be fine as a lower end RB1 but I just think there's better value in the rest of the draft. Most leagues that aren't filled with experts will probably take Gurley early to the mid-second round and that's not a price I'm comfortable with. Chubb will be a stud in the first 6 weeks of the season but what happens when Hunt returns? This far down I'm looking for upside so he's still in play for me, but it is something to be mindful of.
Tier 4:
- Derrick Henry
- Derrius Guice
- Aaron Jones
- Damian Williams
- Mark Ingram
You will notice that I have Guice quite high. I am of the opinion that he will be more of a workhorse back than expected. The Redskins have an above average offensive line and Gruden has shown a commitment to the running game in recent years. Guice and Haskins seem to already be forming a connection and I'm not afraid to go there as my RB2. I don't think that Jones is going to be an every down back but he has shown that he can put up good numbers with only 12-15 touches so I'm comfortable taking him here. Mark Ingram is finally free from Sean Payton and his RBBC approach. Ingram has been an elite fantasy asset per touch over the last few years and should now get many more touches than previous seasons.
Tier 5:
- Chris Carson
- Kerryon Johnson
- Josh Jacobs
- Lamar Miller
- Sony Michel
- Kenyan Drake
- Royce Freeman
- LeSean McCoy
- Jordan Howard
- David Montgomery
This tier is essentially your lead dog committee backs. These are the guys that I think have the most likely chance at being the one who leads his respective team in carries. Carson and Miller were both each top 15 in yards and carries last year and are available all the way down here. Michel is coming off of another knee surgery and Harris scares me a bit. McCoy is being downright disrespected. While maybe not still a 3 down back, He is electric and explosive and should be the favorite for the lions share of carries and catches. The two rookies are unknowns but could be even better than projected and take workhorse roles in their offenses.
Tier 6:
- Phillip Lindsay
- James White
- Tarik Cohen
- Tevin Coleman
- Latavius Murray
- Rashaad Penny
- Jerrick McKinnon
- Ronald Jones
- Miles Sanders
- Darrell Henderson
- Carlos Hyde
- CJ Anderson
- Chris Thompson
- Jaylen Samuels
- Kareem Hunt
Tier 6 is filled with pass-catching backs and highly valued backups. Many project Lindsay to be the lead back in Denver but I just can't see them benching their second-round pick. The San Fransisco backfield is an interesting one. I am not opposed to taking 2-3 of those pieces later in drafts and hoping it isn't a full-blown timeshare. Tevin Coleman is my preferred option. A few rookies and failed backs make this list with a chance to provide good value as bit pieces under new teams or head coaches. Chris Thompson is a forgotten man in the Fantasy Football world, but when healthy is an electric playmaker capable of being a weekly RB2. He is one of my favorite late-round sleepers to target, especially in best ball drafts.
There are obviously many more running backs than the ones listed, but these are the ones that I think have the best chance at being a starter for your fantasy team without injury. I will have numerous sleepers lists coming out this summer so be on the watch for those. I will also have the rest of the positions releasing over the next month. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for other NFL questions @HessDFS. Come join the Fam!