RB Rankings w/ Explanations

[Chwf3rd]

Tier 1 - God Tier

1 Ezekial Elliot, Cowboys (22) - just personal preference for me between him and Gurley and I prefer Elliot because he's behind the best OL in the NFL for the foreseeable future & has never had a down year like Gurley did. Also, Zeke was an awesome pass catcher in college so I think the upside is still there for him to increase his catches, especially now with Dez gone.

2 Todd Gurley, Rams (23) - great talent in an offense built around him with a young offensive coach and QB.

3 Saquon Barkley, Giants (21) - he's the best RB prospect I've ever seen in college and the history of RBs taken in the top 5/10 shows that he should see elite usage immediately. Even if he performs below expectations this year I don't think his value will drop that much.

4 David Johnson, Cardinals (26) - the offense and his age scare me a little bit but he has very little mileage & the Cardinals are talking about extending his contract.

5 Le'Veon Bell, Steelers (26) - still pretty young but he's had a ton of usage & his situation after this year is very unclear.

Tier 2 - The Sophomores

6 Alvin Kamara, Saints (22) - worries about Brees leaving soon are mitigated by the fact that Sean Payton should still be the coach running maybe the most RB friendly scheme in the NFL

7 Joe Mixon, Bengals (21) - this is my leap of faith based on my personal evaluation of Mixon as a talent. I had Mixon as an elite RB prospect on the same level as Barkley, Zeke, and Gurley. He has insane lateral agility to break long runs and create on his own, the size and power to run inside, and is a great pass catcher. He struggled last year behind the awful Bengals OL but Cordy Glenn & Billy Price should offer improvements and having a full year as the guy at RB should also help.

8 Leonard Fournette, Jaguars (23) - probably will never catch a ton of balls and the injuries concern me but the offense should continue to run through him

9 Dalvin Cook, Vikings (22) - this could be too low if he continues his pace from last year

10 Kareem Hunt, Chiefs (22) - loved him as a player coming out of Toledo and he's playing in Andy Reid's RB friendly scheme for the foreseeable future

11 Melvin Gordon, Chargers (25) - only has 1 year left on his deal with the Chargers and I'm not sure how productive he'll be in a different offense or if Rivers retires

Tier 3 - The Rookies & Uncertain Veterans

12 Derrius Guice, Redskins - elite RB prospect in my opinion and I don't think he's necessarily limited on 3rd downs for his entire careet

13 Christian McCaffery, Panthers (22) - used as a 3rd down back on steroids last year, I'm not sure he'll get forced as many targets with the GM & Offensive Coordinator who drafted him gone and I don't think he can ever develop into a true early-downs back

14 Ronald Jones, Buccaneers - I have Guice & RoJo in their own little tier below Barkley. I'm not totally sure why the dynasty community seems to be so down on him, maybe it's because he couldn't really participate in the pre-draft process? His explosion jumps off the screen and he runs with awesome violence and balance as well. His size and lack of catches are concerning but other RBs at his size have been successful and I don't see why he can't learn to be a receiver in the NFL.

15 Jordan Howard, Bears (23) - lots of risk here with the new offense but also lots of reward. First, Nagy is bringing in the extremely RB-friendly Andy Reid offense and if the Bears offense is more productive like we think it will be then that should benefit Howard. On the other hand, it's also possible that Howard gets phased out if he doesnt fit the scheme and he gets less usage as the Bears don't insist on running it as much.

16 Rashaad Penny, Seahawks - great draft capital & gets to play with Russell Wilson

17 Sony Michel, Patriots - draft capital + productive offense

18 Kerryon Johnson, Lions - I have him in the same tier with the other rookies above him

19 Devonta Freeman, Falcons (26) - this may be too low but I'm worried he doesn't have that many productive years left with his size and how he looked last year although his contract extension helps

20 Derrick Henry, Titans (23) - still really young with very few miles on him, Dion Lewis scares me a little bit but I still believe in the talent and I think the offense can take a jump this year and lead to more production for everyone

Tier 4 - Starters w/ Higher Risk

21 Kenyan Drake, Dolphins (24) - he looked like a potentially elite RB last year but the sample size was tiny & his college career wasn't inspiring

22 Jerrick McKinnon, 49ers (26) - this one could be very wrong but I'm mostly avoiding him in dynasty. He generally struggled when given multiple chances to seize the job in MIN, leading him to love work to Matt Asiata and Latavious Murray and having the Vikings spend a 2nd Round pick on Dalvin Cook last year. The situation is perfect and the 49ers seem very confident in him given the contract but in dynasty I don't love investing in a player just based on situation alone

23 Jay Ajayi, Ealges (25) - love the talent but the situation in Philly is very muddled and the knee issues which caused him to drop in the draft are also a concern. However, the upside is still there for this year given that he could be given an increased role now that he's spent more time in the offense. Plus if he leaves next year I still think he's talented enough that he should land a role elsewhere.

24 Tevin Coleman, Falcons (25) - should be usable this year as a RB2/Flex and also offers upside as a free agent next year

25 Nick Chubb, Browns - I don't like him as a player and he landed in a terrible spot for immediate production. While his combine performance showed differently, when I watched his film at Georgia he lacked any juice. He had the vision to see the right hole but lacked the explosion to hit it. The Alabama game is a good example of this where he really couldn't even play against that defense.

26 LeSean McCoy, Bills (29) - likely only a 1 or 2 year player but that's fine at this stage

27 Mark Ingram, Saints (28) - similar to McCoy in that he should be a RB1 (in PPG) this year but likely to plummet in value next year

28 Alex Collins, Ravens (23) - he's young and looked great last year but he was cut from a team with a huge hole at RB and is a free agent after this year. If I owned him I would be trying to sell everywhere

29 Royce Freeman, Broncos - I think he's a tier below the other rookie RBs. The lower draft capital makes it unclear to me what his role will be beyond this year or even this year and I'm not a huge fan of the player.

Everyone Else - Hard to Make Tiers At This Point

30 D'Onta Foreman, Texans (22) - he looked great last year and seemed like he would take over for Miller before the injury

31 Tarik Cohen, Bears (22) - upside is capped but could be a PPR RB2 for the next 3-5 years

32 Aaron Jones, Packers (22) - huge upside if he plays well this year but GB's starter next year could easily not be on the roster yet

33 Marlon Mack, Colts (22) - same situation as Jones

34 Duke Johnson, Browns (24) - maybe should be higher given his production the last couple of years but there's some uncertainty with the additions of Hyde, Chubb, and Landry, even though the extension shows that they still value him

35 Lamar Miller, Texans (27) - he looked toast to me last year but with Foreman's injury he should be the starting RB in a productive offense

36 Chris Thompson, Redskins (27) - should seriously regress from last year's insane efficiency but still has good value in PPR as a RB3

37 Carlos Hyde, Browns (26) - the Chubb pick hurt but I absolutely love Hyde as a player. Should be a RB3 this year and even if he leaves next year I think he's talented enough to maintain value

38 Dion Lewis, Titans (27) - RBs leaving New England are scary and he's pretty old with a large injury history. Should produce this year but I think this is the highest his value will ever be

39 Nyheim Hines, Colts - don't like the player at all as he's very linear but he has good draft capital and I'm buying into the OTA hype

40 Gio Bernard, Bengals (26) - I think he's very talented so even if he leaves CIN after this year should still garner a role elsewhere

41 Jamaal Williams, Packers (23) - same situation as Jones in front of him but I don't like the player as much

42 Ty Montgomery, Packers (25) - great value right now as we don't really know who the starter will be in GB this year and he could easily still have the 3rd down role

43 Marshawn Lynch, Raiders (33) - 1 year rental but should offer RB2 value

44 Isiah Crowell, Jets (25) - looks like the Jets starting RB for this year at least

45 Rex Burkhead, Patriots (26) - decently young with little mileage and should get decent usage on a great offense

46 CJ Anderson, Panthers (27) - should be a RB3 this year & I think he's talented enough to fall into a role somewhere next year as well

47 Mark Walton, Bengals - love him as a player but he landed in a shitty situation.

48 Kallen Ballage, Dolphins - hate him as a player but he landed in a good situation

49 Ito Smith, Falcons - he looked exactly like Tarik Cohen to me on film and if Coleman leaves next year he could step into a valuable role

50 Matt Breida, 49ers (23) - this is a bet against McKinnon as I thought Breida looked decent last year

51 Devontae Booker, Broncos (26) - surprisingly old but I liked him at Utah and I'm not sure Freeman out touches him this year

52 Chase Edmonds, Cardinals - stuck behind David Johnson but looks like a great 3rd down RB

53 Theo Riddick, Lions (27) - getting older and uncertainty regarding his role but could be a RB2/3 in PPR

54 Kenneth Dixon, Ravens (24) - great post hype sleeper, great prospect out of college and could easily overtake Collins

55 Jordan Wilkins, Colts - old rookie but solid player in a great landing spot

56 Justin Jackson, Chargers - Gordon's contract is up after this year and could take over Ekeler's role which was decently valuable last year

57 James White, Patriots (26) - one of the few RBs left who should actually be usable this year

58 Ameer Abdullah, Lions (25) - I don't think he does anything this year but I still (kind of) believe in the talent and he's a free agent next year

59 TJ Yeldon, Jaguars (24) - Fournette is injury prone and Yeldon is a free agent next year

60 Jaylen Samuels, Steelers - loved him at NC State but a lot depends on how PIT uses him, if they use him as a FB he's essentially useless but he's an awesome receiver

61 John Kelly, Rams - one of my favorite players in the entire draft (watch him vs. Florida, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ioP_lk128I) but landed in an absolutely heartbreakingly terrible situation

62 Corey Clement, Eagles (23) - looked decent last year and potential opportunity in an elite offense

63 Peyton Barber, Buccaneers (23) - could be usable this year

64 CJ Prosise, Seahawks (24) - he looks incredible every time he plays so worth taking a flier here

65 Chris Carson, Seahawks (23) - looked great last year

66 Elijah McGuire, Jets (24) - little competition, good reports from OTAs, and the Jets offense could improve with Darnold

67 Jonathan Williams, Saints (24) - I liked him a lot out of Arkansas and now he could have an opportunity with Ingram's suspension

68 Doug Martin, Raiders (29) - Lynch is old and Martin is getting talked up in OTAs so could fall into the starting role this year

69 Austin Ekeler, Chargers (23) - would have been higher if not for Jackson

70 James Conner, Steelers (23) - I don't think he's the heir apparent to Bell.

[lukkynumber13]

I really appreciate the effort you put into this, even the stuff like holding the player before the description. Awesome!

Thank you for your work.

Ps, please fix Zeke's name

Ezekiel Elliot

[UnsafeAtAnySpd]

Nice write-up. Solid justifications.

[jdomer2403]

Impressive. Nice work.

[MEuRaH]

Wow..... very similar to my thoughts & feelings on RBs. I even said the same thing about Chubb somewhere (great vision, lack of burst).

I disagree with some...... who doesn't...... but overall this is the best/most accurate rating on RBs that I've seen. Well done.

Oh, and to anyone still reading this: Hynes is a gadget player and a good one, but Wilkins is the RB to own for the Colts backfield, and he's super cheap. Get him, wait for him to be the starter, then trade him away for a future 1st before he loses all his value next year. Instant draft capital.

PS: You spelled "Career" wrong on 12.

[Bot101]

Love this. We actually agree on quite a few players. Nice work and thank you.

[Phaded]

While I do not agree at all - kudos to taking the time to do this.

[ericanadian]

I appreciate the effort. It seems a bit weighted towards youth for me, but it's an interesting starting point.

[kadun2]

Nice work! Thanks!

[Ruggenater]

I really appreciate the effort you put into this, even the stuff like holding the player before the description. Awesome!

Thank you for your work.

Ps, please fix Zeke's name

Ezekiel Elliot

Ezekiel Elliott

[lukkynumber13]

I really appreciate the effort you put into this, even the stuff like holding the player before the description. Awesome!

Thank you for your work.

Ps, please fix Zeke's name

Ezekiel Elliot

Ezekiel Elliott

Wow!

TIL...

[honcho55]

Nice list. I like em with a quick explanation much better. We all got different rankings and that’s the foundation of this game, nice to see a why instead of seeing a list and the next post is: “wow, player A over player B?” And the whole list is dismissed

[Cult of Dionysus]

Great job. Now where's the WR write-up?

[Slevin Kelevra]

28 Alex Collins, Ravens (23) - he's young and looked great last year but he was cut from a team with a huge hole at RB and is a free agent after this year. If I owned him I would be trying to sell everywhere

RFA.

40 Gio Bernard, Bengals (26) - I think he's very talented so even if he leaves CIN after this year should still garner a role elsewhere

Unless they cut him he'll be UFA in 2020.

[pierson242]

28 Alex Collins, Ravens (23) - he's young and looked great last year but he was cut from a team with a huge hole at RB and is a free agent after this year. If I owned him I would be trying to sell everywhere

RFA.

40 Gio Bernard, Bengals (26) - I think he's very talented so even if he leaves CIN after this year should still garner a role elsewhere

Unless they cut him he'll be UFA in 2020.

Which they can cut him for basically free after 2018