The running back position is easily the most important in fantasy football. The best players dramatically out score their lowered tiered counterparts. Unlike the previously ranked quarterbacks, waiting on running back talent will never be a viable strategy. To win a fantasy football league, not only does the position require top end talent on your team, but also very solid depth. With that in mind, these rankings are probably the most important that I will publish all offseason. Below, I’ll analyze a few guys that I am much higher on than the rest of the fantasy community, per the Expert Consensus Rankings found on the excellent FantasyPros, as well as some players that I am lower on.
Running Backs I Like
Reggie Bush- The first player that jumps off the list. Fantasy drafters are taking him as the 22nd runner off the board, and experts have him at 18th overall. I submit to you per game averages of Jahvid Best in 2011 before he got hurt… again: 14 carries, 65 rush yards, .33 rush TD’s, 4.5 receptions, 47.8 receiving yards, .16 receiving TD’s, That’s 14 fantasy points per game, in a non PPR format, giving him credit for decimal touchdowns. Bush is in a perfect position for optimal usage that fits his skill set. He’ll likely flirt with 70 receptions and will get a crack at the end zone more than people think.
Chris Ivory- For a full explanation on my Ivory love, this piece does a good job. For the first time in his career, the uber-talented Ivory is going to get to carry the full rushing load and will perform. With 300 total touches and just 30 redzone carries, I think it will be easy for Ivory to finish at my RB14 ranking.
Le’Veon Bell- Bell is this years version of Doug Martin. An undervalued rookie in a semi-muddled situation, with a clear shot at the starting roll. Bell isn’t that different from Martin as you would think. Don’t believe me? Shawn Siegele says so. Compared to similarly ranked players like Maurice Jones Drew or Chris Johnson, I’d much rather take Bell’s upside.
Shane Vereen- This is going to change by August, but taking Vereen in the 6th round, as your flex starter, is a smart all-upside bet. Last year, Danny Woodhead finished as RB24 in a similar role. I can assure you that Vereen is a better athlete and better runner than Woodhead. If the Patriots lack of weapons really gets Vereen to 200 total touches, I may be too low on him.
Danny Woodhead- Bryan Fontaine of Rotoviz and PFF did a great piece on Woodhead’s fantasy value this year. He is going to get all of the 3rd down work for the Chargers and if we know anything about Ryan Mathews, it’s that he can always find a way to get hurt. It isn’t inconceivable that Woodhead approaches 225 total touches.
Players I Don’t Like
Arian Foster- It’s not that I hate Foster. It’s just that in the tier of elite running backs, he is the very last guy that I want. His 1,177 regular season touches in only 4 season worries me, as does his declining yards per carry. As an early second round selection, you can do much worse than Foster, but it’s likely he won’t end up on any of my teams.
Chris Johnson- There are some strong arguments that Johnson should be the very head of the RB2 tier for fantasy football running backs in 2013, but I’m not buying his stock. 28 year old speed backs normally aren’t in for bounceback seasons. Many will point to an improved interior offensive line as a reason to buy, but what Johnson does best is break around the edge and force runs outside. Let someone else gamble on a reappearance of CJ2K.
Maurice Jones-Drew- Uh-uh. No way, no how. Maurice Jones Drew is too old, too battered, and on too poor of an offense to gamble on with my 2nd round pick. A 3rd round pick changes the entire equation, but when I can easily select DeMarco Murray (yes, he has injury issues of his own, but is a bit of a fantasy stud when healthy, according to one Rotoviz writer), Matt Forte, or even Darren Sproles later, I don’t want to gamble on someone whose projections look like this:
| - |
Standard |
Half PPR |
PPR |
| Low |
4.5 |
5.1 |
5.6 |
| Median |
6.7 |
7.4 |
8.6 |
| High |
9.3 |
10.7 |
11.8 |
(Courtesy of Rotoviz.Com)
Montee Ball- Slow, plodding, unathletic. Montee Ball is Shonne Greene, and I find it pretty unlikely that he ends up with a prominent role in the Broncos offense when Knowshon Moreno is the best pass-blocking runner on the roster, and has already succeeded with Peyton Manning at the helm. Everyone got excited about rookie runner Ronnie Hillman last year, and I greatly prefer Hillman’s skill set to that of Ball.
20 Year old student of English at Kansas State University. Writer for Sports Wunderkind, The Fake Football and Hockey, and various other media outlets. Fan of the Cowboys, Thunder, Avalanche and Royals
