• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • In-Season Rankings
    • Standard
    • PPR
  • Waiver Wire
  • Members Only
    • DFS LU TOOL
    • Player Tracker
    • Forum
    • Cheat Sheets
    • Log In
  • Join
Fantasy Knuckleheads

Fantasy Knuckleheads

Fantasy sports news, rankings, sleepers, cheat sheets, stats and tools.

2015 Running Back Draft Rankings

August 5, 2015 by Kurt Turner

Will Adrian Peterson be the stud he once used to be? Current Average Draft position is very user friendly.
Will Adrian Peterson be the stud he once used to be? Current Average Draft Position is very user friendly.

Here's our staff rankings at the running back position for the 2015 fantasy football draft. I've always used rankings to gauge the "hotness" of a player in the middle to late rounds of the draft. Rankings like these (human opinion) can be used to find rising stars that fell of your radar. See a guy on the list below that's a lot higher than you thought possible? There's probably a reason the analyst is high on them so do some research and post your comments below. We will update all of our draft rankings as needed until the start of the 2015 NFL season.

Stats, projections, bye weeks, strength of schedule, auction value and more can be found inside our premium draft cheat sheets. Membership includes access to our DFS optimizer too!

Composite
Austin Davis

Ryan Puckett

Stefan St. Romain

Phil Clark
Jamaal Charles, KC, RB15213
Le'Veon Bell, PIT, RB21321
Eddie Lacy, GB, RB33532
Adrian Peterson, MIN, RB42754
Marshawn Lynch, SEA, RB54165
DeMarco Murray, PHI, RB681046
C.J. Anderson, DEN, RB77698
Jeremy Hill, CIN, RB810877
Matt Forte, CHI, RB9641010
LeSean McCoy, BUF, RB109989
Justin Forsett, BAL, RB1111121312
Lamar Miller, MIA, RB1213111111
Frank Gore, IND, RB1312131513
Mark Ingram, NO, RB1415181214
Melvin Gordon, SD, RB1517161720
Jonathan Stewart, CAR, RB1616151415
Latavius Murray, OAK, RB1719201916
Alfred Morris, WAS, RB1814141829
Carlos Hyde, SF, RB1920191622
T.J. Yeldon, JAC, RB2022212117
Andre Ellington, ARZ, RB2121172219
Todd Gurley, STL, RB2223-2418
LeGarrette Blount, NE, RB2324-2321
Joseph Randle, DAL, RB2418-3028
C.J. Spiller, NO, RB2525-2027
Joique Bell, DET, RB2626-2634
Ameer Abdullah, DET, RB2727-3626
Doug Martin, TB, RB2830-3223
Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB2929-2732
Giovani Bernard, CIN, RB3031-2831
Tevin Coleman, ATL, RB3136-2540
Chris Ivory, NYJ, RB3232-3524
Shane Vereen, NYG, RB3334-3130
Isaiah Crowell, CLE, RB3428-2938
Devonta Freeman, ATL, RB3533-3425
Tre Mason, STL, RB3638-3845
Ryan Mathews, PHI, RB3737-4039
David Cobb, TEN, RB3841-3747
Bishop Sankey, TEN, RB3949-4133
Reggie Bush, SF, RB4045-3348
Charles Sims, TB, RB41--3949
Danny Woodhead, SD, RB4235-4536
Darren McFadden, DAL, RB4344-4635
Andre Williams, NYG, RB4447-4441
Knile Davis, KC, RB4546-4252
David Johnson, ARZ, RB4639-4737
Duke Johnson, CLE, RB4740-5146
Fred Jackson, BUF, RB48--4353
Darren Sproles, PHI, RB49--4843
DeAngelo Williams, PIT, RB50--5444
Jerick McKinnon, MIN, RB51--4955
Roy Helu, OAK, RB5248-5256
Jay Ajayi, MIA, RB53--5062
Denard Robinson, JAC, RB54--5651
Cameron Artis-Payne, CAR, RB55--6542
Dan Herron, IND, RB56--5357
Terrance West, CLE, RB57--5558
Buck Allen, BAL, RB58--5954
Stevan Ridley, NYJ, RB59--5759
James Starks, GB, RB6050-6364
Despite missing two games, Le'Veon Bell could still easily be the number one back. Joseph Randle could be a sneaky top 10 guy this season behind that good offense line and with an unreliable Darren McFadden. It will be interesting to see how the Texans backfield shakes out with Foster missing most of the season. Alfred Blue or Chris Polk could find some value this season.
I probably have DeMarco Murray lower than most people, but I think he will not have close to the year he had last year.  He will be splitting carries with Ryan Mathews and that will drop his numbers. To me Marshawn Lynch and Jamaal Charles are at the top by themselves this year. Then I have Le'Veon Bell and Matt Forte  by themselves.
Based on workload alone, i still love Jamaal Charles' workload. Waiting in the wings is Knile Davis -- a potential stud in his own right -- but the Chiefs should be looking to squeeze every last drop out of Charles as their passing attack doesn't look any stronger entering 2015. When Le'Veon Bell is available, he'll be right in the thick of things as will Eddie Lacy. Don't forget about Adrian Peterson; he should be in line for a huge workload. Look for Jeremy Hill to take the next step towards a top-5 ranking.
Ranking Frank Gore was exceptionally tough this season. He's got the set-up for darn sure however his age (32) is concerning. Regardless of his age he's played in all 16 games the  last four season and despite being banged up has averaged more than 4 yards per carry in each season. Gore ran against 8 or more defenders in the box a league-high 76 times last season. He won't face that type of punishment in 2015 and the only competition for snaps are Dan Herron, Vick Ballard, and Zurlon Tipton.
  • Jamaal Charles is the safest bet at the number one spot for my money.
  • Eddie Lacy is a close second with Leveon Bell set to miss the first two games of the season.
  • I'll put Peterson ahead of Bell also. I think that AP has one more season of truly elite production left in him.
  • The fact that I have Leveon Bell at number 4 should tell you that I would have put him at the top spot if he would be available for every game this season.
  • Rounding out the top five is Demarco Murray. I don't know what the odds are that he stays healthy for a full season again, but the results speak for themselves.
  • Last year I drank the Marshawn Lynch Hater-Ade and I regretted it all season. I won't make that mistake again. Beast Mode is still a top to middle tier back this season.
  • Matt Forte could see increased usage in the wake of the Kevin White injury. I'm not moving him up yet, because I think the extra touches go to Eddie Royal. If you disagree then Forte may move up your draft board a bit.
  • Lesean McCoy could do big things in Buffalo, but there are serious questions regarding the quarterback situation. In the end, Rex loves to run the ball and Shady should be the main beneficiary.
  • Lamar Miller was a very good value last year and I expect the Miami offense to take another step forward this season. Don't sleep on Miller.
  • I want to be high on Carlos Hyde; he has all of the skills that a back needs to succeed. But....he plays for the 49ers who are going to be bad this year, really bad.
  • In very limited action last year, Latavius Murray looked great. Over the course of a healthy season (if he has one), he has a ton of upside.
  • I'm also intrigued by C.J. Spiller in New Orleans. This could be the fresh start that he needs to get back to being one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL. C.J. is already hurt. The injury seems minor, but I'm bailing on him. Draft with caution, he cannot stay healthy.
  • T.J. Yeldon could be an interesting player, but he is also on the Jaguars. I realize that not everyone on the team was as bad as Toby Gerhart last year, but they do not exactly inspire confidence.
  • Out of the Giants running backs, I would rather have Shane Vereen. His pass catching skills are top notch, but he is a better runner than people give him credit for as well. I think he gets a large share of the backfield duties right away.
  • Ryan Mathews really took a hit to his value with the addition of Demarco Murray, but don't forget that injury history. It is not a bad idea to stash Mathews just in case.
  • Darren McFadden could pay dividends for a savvy owner as well. I think that this is a running back by committee anyway, but if Randle goes down or struggles McFadden could sieze the job.
  • In the later rounds, it might be worth a pick to grab Montee Ball. He has been a flop so far, but he still has skills and now he has something to prove.
  • David Johnson downgraded with the signing of Chris Johnson. Don't bother drafting Chris Johnson, but pay close attention to David Johnson's injury status.

Created with WP Rankings Plugin.

Category - Fantasy Football Rankings - 2015 Running Back Draft Rankings

Dominate Your League

About Kurt Turner

Kurt's fantasy advice is featured on USA Today Sports, Bleacher Reports, SiriusXM and Fox Sports. He is the owner of FantasyKnuckleheads.com and has been butchering topics here for over 15 years. Follow him on Twitter

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

  • Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

  • Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 14 Waiver Wire Pickups

  • Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

  • Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

    Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

Need To Know

  • Fantasy Football Rankings
  • Average Draft Position (ADP) Report
  • Fantasy Football Draft Projections
  • The Best Waiver Wire Picks
  • Best Optimal Lineup Tool
  • ESPN Insider Coupon Code
  • Premium Fantasy Football Draft Guide
  • Fantasy Football Projections Video Series

Footer

ABOUT US

Established in the summer of 2009, Fantasy Knuckleheads is devoted to providing quality fantasy football news, advice, cheat sheets, tools and services. We’re not a mega-sports-site that churns out content by the pound. We’re simply a small, tight knit group of fantasy experts turned writers that love what we do, especially when we’re right. We strive to tell you something you don’t already know that’s actionable and at the very least, informative.

Fantasy Blog Network

<a href="https://fantasyknuckleheads.com" title="Fantasy Football" rel="nofollow"><b>Fantasy Football for all you knuckleheads</b></a>

INFORMATION

  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Write For Us
  • Fantasy Sports Widget

Copyright © 2021 · Fantasy Knuckleheads ·

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in