Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

Summary

- Chris Giannini, 8/21/16

The day before I got married in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH all of the guys in my wedding party went with me to Canton, OH for my bachelor party.  It wasn’t your typical night of partying, drinking, and debauchery. It is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We spent hours walking the halls and seeing players we grew up with.  Some I watched as a child, others I only heard stories about.  My favorite room was where the bust of all the former greats was displayed.  In there was a video exhibit where I was able to select anyone in the HOF and it gave me his story with highlights from his time in the league.  I found the players that I searched most were the running backs.  These were men I idolized.  They had speed and power.  They took beatings like no one else, but kept getting up.  I heard stories I never knew about heroes of mine: Jim Brown, Thurman Thomas, and Earl Campbell.  These men were true gladiators in my eyes. 

In all my time of playing fantasy football one thing has remained constant, running backs are the driving force behind winning this game.  Every year I draft them early and I draft them often.  With passing becoming more prevalent in the NFL and teams are using RB by committee more now than ever before the true work horse of the team is fading away.  The top RBs are harder to predict and more likely to get injured.  It is the biggest gamble when drafting. Due to this gamble and the rarity of great RBs there have been movements for draft strategies like Zero RB.  Yes getting some of the best WR in the game is now a safer choice and I’m not saying it’s wrong, but disregarding RB early in your draft is a way to leave yourself scrambling in the middle rounds hoping a guy who has to split carries can somehow workout.  I believe people spend far more time during the season stressing and struggling over RB than any other position when, if they would just draft them earlier while all the top WRs are being taken they can save themselves the struggle.  I don’t do top 200 rankings of every player, but if I did a top 20 my top 5 RBs would be higher than my top 5 WRs. 

The top RB I am most excited about this year is Lamar Miller.  He has been one of the most durable RBs in the NFL since coming into the league in 2012 missing only 3 games in his 4 years with the Dolphins. He consistently was under utilized in Miami, but still averaged 4.6 yards per carry over that time.  Signing with Houston should provide him the perfect opportunity to finally break out.  Houston consistently has one of the best running games in the league and when their #1 RB was healthy he consistently finished in the top 3.  I believe Miller has the skills needed to finish as high as the #1 RB. 

Another RB I feel could have an outstanding season is Carlos Hyde.  I know, I know, I trusted Chip Kelly last year and it nearly burned me from ever playing fantasy again.  But Hyde doesn’t seem to have anyone threatening him for carries and Kelly’s offenses typically prove to be fantasy gold for whoever is in the backfield.  Last year there appeared to be bad chemistry between the RBs and the coaching staff.  This is a fresh start for Chip and a prime opportunity for Carlos.

A backfield I would advise you stay away from is the New England Patriots.  It appears Dion Lewis has the skills to be a main RB in the NFL and is a great pass catching option for Brady out of the backfield, but there is another rule of fantasy I haven’t brought up yet.  It’s this:  “Bill Belichick HATES YOU!”  Seriously, he hates you with every bit of hatred he has.  There are some that see him as the Darth Vader of the NFL with Jedi powers he uses only for evil.  He will use that power to lure you in on a player.  That said player would have the breakout game of his life.  They will then never been seen again.  I can’t explain it, and I don’t question it. He’s an absolute genius and who am I to argue with what has made him successful?  I just know that if you trust in one of his RBs then it will cost you. Full disclosure:  I worship at the feet of Belichick and I still don’t trust him with my fantasy RB.  (This rule was taken from Louis Bien in 2012 when he wrote about Mike Shanahan hating you for very similar reasons.)

The rookie RB I am keeping an eye on is Devontae Booker from the Denver Broncos.  Currently he is behind C.J. Anderson and should remain there most of the season.  But Anderson has had issues with consistency over the past 2 years.  He’s been a slow starter but always seems to finish the season strong.  This year if Anderson gets off to another slow start and Booker gets the opportunity and does well then I wonder if coach Gary Kubiak will go back to Anderson.  Kubiak’s offenses have historically been the most running back friendly offenses in the league so the situation couldn’t be any better. 

“Showing weakness will encourage your opponents.  It inspires them.  It encourages them to hit harder.  To come faster.  But when you don’t show any fear, or when you don’t show any hurt, you have the opportunity to discourage your opponent.  You discourage your enemies.  The bottom line is, if you think properly, you don’t even have to think about all of that.  All you have to think about is that guy across from me is human, and so am I.  And he’ll never out-work me.  He’ll never out-think me.  And if you can’t out-work me, and if you can’t out-think me, you’ll never beat me.”

8/7/16

1	Todd Gurley	LA
2	Adrian Peterson	MIN
3	Lamar Miller	HOU
4	David Johnson	ARI
5	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL
6	Jamaal Charles	KC
7	LeVeon Bell	PIT
8	LeSean McCoy	BUF
9	Devonta Freeman	ATL
10	C.J. Anderson	DEN
11	Mark Ingram	NO
12	Eddie Lacy	GB
13	Doug Martin	TB
14	Carlos Hyde	SF
15	Latavius Murray	OAK
16	Dion Lewis	NE	PPR
17	Jeremy Hill	CIN
18	DeMarco Murray	TEN
19	Matt Jones	WAS
20	Matt Forte	NYJ
21	Giovani Bernard	CIN	PPR
22	Thomas Rawls	SEA
23	Jonathan Stewart	CAR
24	Ryan Mathews	PHI
25	Duke Johnson	CLE
26	Danny Woodhead	SD	PPR
27	Ameer Abdullah	DET
28	Frank Gore	IND
29	Jeremy Langford	CHI
30	Melvin Gordon	SD
31	Rashad Jennings	NYG
32	Chris Ivory	JAG
33	T. J. Yeldon	JAG
34	Tevin Coleman	ATL
35	Jay Ajayi	MIN
36	Bilial Powell	NYJ
37	Arian Foster	MIA
38	DeAngelo Williams	PIT
39	Charles Sims	TB	PPR
40	Isaiah Crowell	CLE
41	Justin Forsett	BAL
42	LeGarrette Blount	NE
43	Derrick Henry	TEN
44	Theo Riddick	DET	PPR
45	C. J. Prosise	SEA
46	Jordan Howard	CHI
47	Shane Vereen	NYG	PPR
48	DeAndre Washington	OAK	PPR
49	Jerick McKinnon	MIN
50	Darren McFadden	DAL
51	Devontae Booker	DEN
52	James Starks	GB
53	Darren Sproles	PHI	PPR
54	Chris Johnson	ARI
55	Tim Hightower	NO
56	Paul Perkins	NYG
57	Josh Ferguson	IND
58	Ronnie Hillman	DEN
59	Cameron Artis-Payme	CAR
60	Christine Michael	SEA