The 2017 RB class seems loaded...who gets "Tre Masoned?"

[Dookmarriot]

Fournette, McCaffrey, Cook, Chubb, Clement, Gallman...heck, I even like Hunt a lot. There's a lot of talent in this class...you could argue there are 3-4 guys who could be drafted in the first round.

Now, obviously a lot can change between now and then...injuries, poor performance, other risers. But from this distance it looks like a fantastic class. Which means you could see some incumbents challenged/obliterated in the manner of Tre Mason...who I hope remains a verb in fantasy football talk.

So...what RBs do you think are toast after 2016? Who would you be recommending selling high on any 2016 production?

[McCloskey22]

Langford, Matt Jones, Jamaal/West/Ware, AP, Ryan Mathews

[The Fantasy Feud]

I do not think Mcaffrey or Clement will be very successful, however I think ALL of the rest show go first round. I would take Fournette, Chubb, and Dalvin Cook over Elliot this year thats how talented they are. I think there are a couple receivers I would take over Gallman, however i think the other three should go picks 1-3 with a random order (should be Fournette first then your choice from there) unless your team is SUPER stacked a receiver then it should be Fournette, Cook, and Chubb. They are going to be monsters no matter what team they are on.

[ImaRounder]

whoever Detroit's rb is

[cp3]

You're almost better off listing the guys who are projected to be safe come '17. To me the only guys I'd feel comfortable keeping their jobs would be Bell, Gurley, Zeke, Lamar Miller (just because of the contract), & mayyyyybe David Johnson.

Everyone else is on notice. I wouldn't be buying ANY RB between Week 16 this coming year and the '17 NFL draft.

[Weeping_Souls]

Carolina must be a likely candidate to take one, probably not one of the elite prospects due to where I think they'll be drafting, but they should be able to get a tier 2 RB to replace an aging JStew

[Telperion]

Don't forget Perine and Freeman, who are primed for big years.

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[skip]

.......AP........

Not sure why that is a humorous suggestion. AP will be 32 headed into the 2017 season and the Vikings would be wise to seek a stud replacement.

[eNdblu]

.......AP........

Not sure why that is a humorous suggestion. AP will be 32 headed into the 2017 season and the Vikings would be wise to seek a stud replacement.

Adrian Peterson could quite easily be cut next offseason with his cap hit being $18m and no dead money if it happens (http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/minnesota-vi ... -peterson/)

[Cameron Giles]

How many of them will actually be franchise backs?

Fournette, Cook, and a healthy Chubb are the only ones who appeal to me right now in that light. Perine and McCaffrey are close.

Everyone else I think is a mixed bag.

[ninotoreS]

At-Risk Candidates I See:

- Duke/Crowell (simply because Cleveland has four top 64 picks)
- L. Murray (obvious)
- Shady/Karlos (Shady is old, and Karlos is still raw / low drafted)
- Hyde (needs to breakout this year, or else)
- Charles/West/Ware (Charles is old, West/Ware undrafted)
- Ajayi (low drafted, knee paranoia, unproven)
- Forte (old, nothing behind him)
- Forsett/Allen/Dixon (Forsett's old, Allen/Dixon mid/low drafted and unproven)
- Gore (obvious)
- Gordon (if he struggles again this year, it's very possible)
- Jennings/Perkins (Jenning old, Perkins low drafted)
- Jones (mid/low drafted and unestablished)
- Langford/Howard (mid/low drafted and unestablished)
- Peterson/McKinnon (Peterson old, Vikes don't seem to trust McKinnon somehow)
- Lacy (if he doesn't bounce back emphatically this year)
- Abdullah (if he struggles again this year)
- J-Stew (getting old, injury history, nothing behind him)


I know this looks broadstroke, but truly, I don't think any of these charts are safe from their team making a Day 1 or early Day 2 selection at RB in 2017, at this point in time.

Obviously some of these names will come off the list if they can emphatically breakout and firmly establish themselves in 2016. But if they have a so-so kind of season, they'll be vulnerable.

With Forte/Charles/McCoy/Gore all heading into the twilight at around the same time, together with Foster and Lynch bowing out last season, and the unsettled, unestablished, mid/low drafted nature of the current starters at the top of so many other charts, I see the 2017 RB class as marking a new generation -- a sea change -- for several rushing-offenses around the league.

[Madadamus]

I don't think guys like Jonathan Stewart and Adrian Peterson are similar to what happened with Tre Mason. If a team like Carolina were to draft a RB, it would not come as a shock like it did in St. Louis (now L.A.).

Tre Mason was a day 2 pick that performed pretty well when given the opportunity in his rookie year. So really, you are only looking at a handful of options for 2016:

Ezekiel Elliott: Almost a 0% chance even if Elliott busts out his rookie year, they will not double down on a RB in the 1st round back to back years.

Derrick Henry: Another very unlikely scenario given that they have both backs there with Murray. And if Murray is cut, we'd assume that means they are comfortable handing the load to Henry. If Henry under performs, I doubt they would also cut ties with Murray or draft a 1st round back. I'd say there is about a .2% chance of this happening.

Kenyan Drake: Very possible. Like Mason, he was a day 2 pick and makes the depth chart murky. Zac Stacy was expected to be the starter but he quickly lost that to the more talented Mason. Ajayi is probably more talented than Drake, he only dropped because he knee concerns. Drake is more of a raw player coming out and might not overtake the job or shine the way Mason did. But Miami could very well draft a RB to give Tannehill and the receivers the help that they need if the 2016 rotation doesn't get it done.

C.J. Prosise: There's a chance, but I don't see Seattle being a team that would draft a RB in the first round, despite how talented the class is. They dipped back into the offensive line well this draft and I think they will have plenty of options for 2017 based on the backs they added and what they already had in Rawls.

The rest of the RB's were drafted in day 3 so none of them will ever have a safe job despite how they perform in 2016. Look at what Rawls did this past season and all the backs they added. Even if a guy like Kenneth Dixon or Devontae Booker take over as starters and perform well, they could still be looking at a Cook or McCaffery in the mid 20's and take the new shiny toy.

You could list a ton of spots for these guys to go next year. Oakland, Indianapolis, Cleveland, New York Giants, New York Jets, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Carolina and New England are all teams with potential weakness at the position following the 2016 season and they could be adding a back early in the draft next year.

[Jason3123]

Lots of jobs going to be lost a year from now. Honestly I'd be worried about anyone not named Zeke or Gurley. Bell is safe obviously but we'll see how his health goes.

[Cameron Giles]

Lots of jobs going to be lost a year from now. Honestly I'd be worried about anyone not named Zeke or Gurley. Bell is safe obviously but we'll see how his health goes.

But again, how many of these RB's are going to be replaceable, and how many will be franchise backs? If I own an RB of a team who drafts Corey Clement, I'm not going to care.

It'll be interesting to see the view on these RB's a year from today when people are drafting. Once upon a time, people thought Lache Seastrunk, Isaiah Crowell and Ka'Deem Carey were elite RB prospects.

[Dookmarriot]

Lots of jobs going to be lost a year from now. Honestly I'd be worried about anyone not named Zeke or Gurley. Bell is safe obviously but we'll see how his health goes.

It's worth remembering that this is Bell's contract year, and while they could franchise him, they could also decide to go a cheaper route...