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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!

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Austin Davis

Ryan Puckett

Kurt Turner

Phil Clark
Jamaal Charles, KC, RB15223
Le'Veon Bell, PIT, RB21341
Eddie Lacy, GB, RB33512
Adrian Peterson, MIN, RB42734
Marshawn Lynch, SEA, RB54175
DeMarco Murray, PHI, RB681086
C.J. Anderson, DEN, RB77658
Jeremy Hill, CIN, RB810867
Matt Forte, CHI, RB964910
LeSean McCoy, BUF, RB1099109
Justin Forsett, BAL, RB1111121112
Lamar Miller, MIA, RB1213111711
Frank Gore, IND, RB1312131513
Mark Ingram, NO, RB1415181614
Melvin Gordon, SD, RB1517161320
Jonathan Stewart, CAR, RB1616152315
Latavius Murray, OAK, RB1719201216
Alfred Morris, WAS, RB1814142029
Carlos Hyde, SF, RB1920191822
T.J. Yeldon, JAC, RB2022211417
Andre Ellington, ARZ, RB2121172219
Todd Gurley, STL, RB2223-2418
LeGarrette Blount, NE, RB2324-3121
Joseph Randle, DAL, RB2418-1928
C.J. Spiller, NO, RB2525-2627
Joique Bell, DET, RB2626-2934
Ameer Abdullah, DET, RB2727-2826
Doug Martin, TB, RB2830-2123
Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB2929-3232
Giovani Bernard, CIN, RB3031-3331
Tevin Coleman, ATL, RB3136-2740
Chris Ivory, NYJ, RB3232-2524
Shane Vereen, NYG, RB3334-3530
Isaiah Crowell, CLE, RB3428-3438
Devonta Freeman, ATL, RB3533-3825
Tre Mason, STL, RB3638-3045
Ryan Mathews, PHI, RB3737-4039
David Cobb, TEN, RB3841-3647
Bishop Sankey, TEN, RB3949-4133
Reggie Bush, SF, RB4045-3748
Charles Sims, TB, RB41--3949
Danny Woodhead, SD, RB4235-4436
Darren McFadden, DAL, RB4344-4735
Andre Williams, NYG, RB4447-4341
Knile Davis, KC, RB4546-4252
David Johnson, ARZ, RB4639-4837
Duke Johnson, CLE, RB4740-4546
Fred Jackson, BUF, RB48---53
Darren Sproles, PHI, RB49--4943
DeAngelo Williams, PIT, RB50---44
Jerick McKinnon, MIN, RB51---55
Roy Helu, OAK, RB5248-5056
Jay Ajayi, MIA, RB53--4662
Denard Robinson, JAC, RB54--5151
Cameron Artis-Payne, CAR, RB55---42
Dan Herron, IND, RB56---57
Terrance West, CLE, RB57---58
Buck Allen, BAL, RB58---54
Stevan Ridley, NYJ, RB59---59
James Starks, GB, RB6050--64
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.
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.
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.

Created with WP Rankings Plugin.

Category - Fantasy Football Rankings - 2015 Running Back Draft Rankings

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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

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