Running Back Rankings
Updated as of 8/26/2013
Running back is almost always going to be your most important positions to fill in the draft. Even though some of the Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers are now outperforming many Running Backs, if you neglect the RB position in your fantasy draft you are one injury away from having a terrible season.
My quick rule of thumb for any year is that you should always draft 2 running backs in the first 4 rounds of your fantasy football draft. Which rounds you draft them is going to be based on who is left on the board.
If the quality RBs are all gone in the second round, get a great WR, QB or TE and look at getting one of the next five RBs on the draft board in the third round.
When it comes to drafting your 3rd running back, don't wait too long. You are always going to need a solid 3rd RB in case one of your top 2 go down. Darren Sproles and Ryan Matthews are both solid RBs that has fallen into the 5th or 6th round in a couple of pre-drafts that I have been in. Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to test the waters with one of the rookie RBs like Le'Veon Bell or Montee Ball.
The sleeper that I like for this year is Rashard Mendenhall, who moved offseason to the Arizona Cardinals. This isn't without risk as there is no guarantee that Arizona will run the ball more often than last year.
A good rule of thumb is to always have four starting running backs. Its usually easy to snipe a RB like Jonathan Stewart from Carolina or Ahmad Bradshaw from Indianapolis in the late rounds.
Also, you can hedge your bets by selecting one of the quality backups like Shane Vereen or Vick Ballard.
The Overall Running Back Rankings are below:
2013 NFL Fantasy Football Running Backs
|
RB Rank |
Name | Team | Bye Week |
Average Overall |
| 1 | Adrian Peterson | Min | 5 | 1.05 |
| 2 | Doug Martin | TB | 5 | 3.14 |
| 3 | Arian Foster | Hou | 8 | 4.76 |
| 4 | Jamaal Charles | KC | 10 | 4.67 |
| 5 | Marshawn Lynch | Sea | 12 | 5.90 |
| 6 | CJ Spiller | Buf | 12 | 5.57 |
| 7 | LeSean McCoy | Phi | 12 | 7.67 |
| 8 | Ray Rice | Bal | 8 | 7.38 |
| 9 | Trent Richardson | Cle | 10 | 10.43 |
| 10 | Alfred Morris | Was | 5 | 10.95 |
| 11 | Matt Forte | Chi | 8 | 17.29 |
| 12 | Stevan Ridley | NE | 10 | 21.33 |
| 13 | Steven Jackson | Atl | 6 | 19.05 |
| 14 | Maurice Jones-Drew | Jac | 9 | 20.05 |
| 15 | Chris Johnson | Ten | 8 | 24.48 |
| 16 | Frank Gore | SF | 9 | 33.86 |
| 17 | Reggie Bush | Det | 9 | 35.81 |
| 18 | DeMarco Murray | Dal | 11 | 36.00 |
| 19 | David Wilson | NYG | 9 | 41.95 |
| 20 | Lamar Miller | Mia | 6 | 44.52 |
| 21 | Darren McFadden | Oak | 7 | 45.10 |
| 22 | Darren Sproles | NO | 7 | 50.76 |
| 23 | Montee Ball | Den | 9 | 61.10 |
| 24 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | 10 | 76.86 |
| 25 | Eddie Lacy | GB | 4 | 63.19 |
| 26 | Ryan Mathews | SD | 8 | 63.38 |
| 27 | Ahmad Bradshaw | Ind | 8 | 65.62 |
| 28 | Rashard Mendenhall | Ari | 9 | 71.14 |
| 29 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | Cin | 12 | 82.43 |
| 30 | Shane Vereen | NE | 10 | 80.38 |
| 31 | Giovani Bernard | Cin | 12 | 83.33 |
| 32 | Daryl Richardson | StL | 11 | 84.95 |
| 33 | DeAngelo Williams | Car | 4 | 81.24 |
| 34 | Andre Brown | NYG | 9 | 82.86 |
| 35 | Mark Ingram | NO | 7 | 88.05 |
| 36 | Jonathan Stewart | Car | 4 | 108.10 |
| 37 | Bernard Pierce | Bal | 8 | 109.48 |
| 38 | Ben Tate | Hou | 8 | 103.86 |
| 39 | Bryce Brown | Phi | 12 | 107.52 |
| 40 | Fred Jackson | Buf | 12 | 113.57 |
| 41 | Vick Ballard | Ind | 8 | 106.00 |
| 42 | Isaiah Pead | StL | 11 | 128.10 |
| 43 | Shonn Greene | Ten | 8 | 128.90 |
| 44 | Pierre Thomas | NO | 7 | 130.43 |
| 45 | Danny Woodhead | SD | 8 | 130.48 |
| 46 | Mikel Leshoure | Det | 9 | 133.33 |
| 47 | Jacquizz Rodgers | Atl | 6 | 135.19 |
| 48 | Ronnie Hillman | Den | 9 | 114.00 |
| 49 | Michael Bush | Chi | 8 | 143.38 |
| 50 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | 10 | 149.14 |
| 51 | Jonathan Dwyer | Pit | 5 | 186.14 |
| 52 | Johnathan Franklin | GB | 4 | 174.00 |
| 53 | Daniel Thomas | Mia | 6 | 183.76 |
| 54 | Knowshon Moreno | Den | 9 | 186.76 |
| 55 | Marcel Reece | Oak | 7 | 184.29 |
| 56 | Joique Bell | Det | 9 | 187.62 |
| 57 | Le'Veon Bell | Pit | 5 | 170.90 |
| 58 | Kendall Hunter | SF | 9 | 192.24 |
| 59 | Zac Stacy | StL | 11 | 195.10 |
| 60 | Isaac Redman | Pit | 5 | 205.90 |
| 61 | LaMichael James | SF | 9 | 207.00 |
| 62 | Ryan Williams | Ari | 9 | 214.10 |
| 63 | Mike Tolbert | Car | 4 | 216.57 |
| 64 | Joseph Randle | Dal | 11 | 241.43 |
| 65 | Robert Turbin | Sea | 12 | 237.86 |
| 66 | DuJuan Harris | GB | 4 | 240.95 |
| 67 | Rashad Jennings | Oak | 7 | 237.29 |
| 68 | Christine Michael | Sea | 12 | 242.33 |
| 69 | Roy Helu | Was | 5 | 231.48 |
| 70 | Lance Dunbar | Dal | 11 | 233.24 |
Projected Fantasy Value: 1st 4 Weeks and Playoffs
I'm adding a new chart for Running Back Rankings. You can see the overall rankings by scrolling below. This chart has projected fantasy points for the 2 most important times of the season: the First 4 weeks average and the 2 week playoff average (Week 15 and 16 are considered FFL playoffs)
Projected 1st 4 Weeks
|
Projected 1st 4 Weeks |
Running Back | Rush Yards |
Rush TD |
Rec Yards |
Rec TD |
Fum Lost |
| 1 | Adrian Peterson Min | 419 | 2.9 | 77.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| 2 | Arian Foster Hou | 350 | 3.1 | 84.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 3 | C.J. Spiller Buf | 381 | 1.8 | 100 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| 4 | Doug Martin TB | 326 | 2.3 | 109 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| 5 | Jamaal Charles KC | 320 | 2.1 | 122 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| 6 | Maurice Jones-Drew Jac | 364 | 1.8 | 90.9 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| 7 | Trent Richardson Cle | 287 | 2.3 | 113 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| 8 | LeSean McCoy Phi | 311 | 2.2 | 92.1 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| 9 | Marshawn Lynch Sea | 344 | 2.2 | 48.8 | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| 10 | Alfred Morris Was | 335 | 2.7 | 29.8 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| 11 | Ray Rice Bal | 273 | 1.9 | 112 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| 12 | Reggie Bush Det | 235 | 1.7 | 150 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| 13 | Matt Forte Chi | 284 | 1.3 | 131 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| 14 | Steven Jackson Atl | 251 | 2.3 | 98.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| 15 | Stevan Ridley NE | 319 | 2.7 | 17.7 | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| 16 | DeMarco Murray Dal | 282 | 1.6 | 102 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| 17 | Frank Gore SF | 307 | 2.3 | 41.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| 18 | Chris Johnson Ten | 295 | 1.3 | 86.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| 19 | David Wilson NYG | 289 | 1.9 | 42.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| 20 | Chris Ivory NYJ | 271 | 1.9 | 44.8 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| 21 | Daryl Richardson StL | 263 | 1.3 | 79 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| 22 | Lamar Miller Mia | 259 | 1.5 | 63.5 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| 23 | Ryan Mathews SD | 260 | 1.5 | 58.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| 24 | Darren McFadden Oak | 245 | 1.2 | 83.4 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| 25 | Darren Sproles NO | 91.8 | 0.5 | 178 | 1.6 | 0.1 |
Week 15 Projections
|
Projected Week 15 |
Running Back | Rush Yards |
Rush TD |
Rec Yards |
Rec TD |
Fum Lost |
| 1 | Adrian Peterson Min | 110 | 0.8 | 20.9 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 2 | Arian Foster Hou | 89.5 | 0.8 | 21.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 3 | C.J. Spiller Buf | 96.3 | 0.4 | 24.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 4 | Jamaal Charles KC | 82.1 | 0.5 | 30 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 5 | Maurice Jones-Drew Jac | 90.2 | 0.5 | 22.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 6 | Doug Martin TB | 76.6 | 0.5 | 27.8 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 7 | Trent Richardson Cle | 71.7 | 0.6 | 28.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 8 | LeSean McCoy Phi | 76.3 | 0.6 | 23 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 9 | Marshawn Lynch Sea | 86.4 | 0.6 | 12.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 10 | Matt Forte Chi | 74.6 | 0.3 | 32.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 11 | Ray Rice Bal | 67.5 | 0.5 | 27.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 12 | Alfred Morris Was | 84.7 | 0.6 | 7.4 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 13 | Steven Jackson Atl | 63.2 | 0.6 | 24.5 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 14 | Reggie Bush Det | 57.6 | 0.4 | 37.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 15 | DeMarco Murray Dal | 67.8 | 0.4 | 26 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 16 | Frank Gore SF | 75.5 | 0.6 | 10.3 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 17 | Stevan Ridley NE | 77.2 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 18 | Chris Johnson Ten | 76.5 | 0.3 | 21.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 19 | David Wilson NYG | 71 | 0.4 | 10.7 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 20 | Daryl Richardson StL | 65.7 | 0.3 | 19.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 21 | Chris Ivory NYJ | 67.3 | 0.5 | 11.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 22 | Darren McFadden Oak | 62.8 | 0.3 | 20.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 23 | Lamar Miller Mia | 61.8 | 0.4 | 16.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 24 | Eddie Lacy GB | 58.2 | 0.4 | 15.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 25 | Darren Sproles NO | 22.9 | 0.1 | 44.6 | 0.4 | 0 |
Week 16 Projections
|
Projected Week 16 |
Running Back | Rush Yards |
Rush TD |
Rec Yards |
Rec TD |
Fum Lost |
| 1 | Adrian Peterson Min | 104 | 0.7 | 20.7 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 2 | Arian Foster Hou | 83.5 | 0.8 | 21.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 3 | Doug Martin TB | 80.5 | 0.6 | 27.4 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 4 | C.J. Spiller Buf | 92.2 | 0.4 | 25 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 5 | Maurice Jones-Drew Jac | 92.4 | 0.5 | 21.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 6 | Jamaal Charles KC | 79.9 | 0.5 | 30.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 7 | Trent Richardson Cle | 75.4 | 0.6 | 27.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 8 | Matt Forte Chi | 76.1 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 9 | LeSean McCoy Phi | 76.3 | 0.5 | 22.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 10 | Marshawn Lynch Sea | 86.4 | 0.6 | 11.9 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 11 | Ray Rice Bal | 67.5 | 0.5 | 28.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 12 | Reggie Bush Det | 60.3 | 0.4 | 37.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 13 | Alfred Morris Was | 82.8 | 0.7 | 7.4 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 14 | Frank Gore SF | 78.8 | 0.6 | 10.2 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 15 | DeMarco Murray Dal | 69.7 | 0.4 | 25.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 16 | Steven Jackson Atl | 59.9 | 0.5 | 24.9 | 0.1 | 0 |
| 17 | Chris Johnson Ten | 76.5 | 0.3 | 21.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 18 | Stevan Ridley NE | 77.2 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 0 | 0.2 |
| 19 | David Wilson NYG | 71.2 | 0.5 | 10.5 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 20 | Chris Ivory NYJ | 69.1 | 0.5 | 11 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 21 | Ryan Mathews SD | 67.5 | 0.4 | 14.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 22 | Lamar Miller Mia | 64.8 | 0.4 | 15.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 23 | Le'Veon Bell Pit | 60.9 | 0.4 | 14.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| 24 | Darren McFadden Oak | 61.2 | 0.3 | 20.9 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| 25 | Darren Sproles NO | 22.9 | 0.1 | 44.6 | 0.4 | 0 |