Fantasy RB Rankings

Fantasy Running Backs

Written by Richie Graffeo

1. Arian Foster – Texans

2. Adrian Peterson – Vikings

3. Jamaal Charles – Chiefs

4. Ray Rice – Ravens

5. Rashard Mendenhall – Steelers

6. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jaguars

7. LeSean McCoy – Eagles

8. Michael Turner – Falcons

9. Chris Johnson – Titans

10. Darren McFadden – Raiders

Notes on the Top 10:

As you can see, Arian Foster edged out Peterson for the number 1 spot in my rankings. Foster had a ridiculous year last season, and the only question is whether he can come close to those numbers again, and I think yes. He’s only 25 years old and is a powerful runner, so he should be able to take a beating for at least a few more years to come, giving him a real bright future. Jamaal Charles takes the number 3 slot, as I see no reason he shouldn’t have another great year. He’s super-fast, and despite his great season, he only had 8 total touchdowns. The aging Thomas Jones stole 6 from him last year, but I expect Charles to rack up a few more this season with Jones getting less touches. I’m also a fan of LeSean McCoy, who I expect to repeat his performance last year with an even better one. With teams focusing more on blitzing Vick, look for more of those short passes to McCoy to get him into the open field. Final note on the top 10 is addressing Chris Johnson coming in at number 9. Just because he didn’t live up to expectations last season doesn’t mean he didn’t have a good year, just not number 1 overall pick status. The two main things that concern me with him is this whole holding out and contract situation, and also that Tennessee is not a very good team.

11. Steven Jackson – Rams

12. Matt Forte – Bears

13. Peyton Hillis – Browns

14. Frank Gore

15. LeGarrette Blount – Buccaneers

16. Ahmad Bradshaw – Giants

17. Felix Jones – Cowboys

18. Knowshon Moreno – Broncos

19. Ryan Grant – Packers

20. Benjarvus Green-Ellis – Patrios

Notes on 11 – 20:

Steven Jackson at number 11 may be a bit high for some people, but I still think he’s a very useful RB. Last season he played in every game and had double-digit fantasy points at least 11 times. He only had 6 touchdowns, but I expect to see a slight rise in that number with the continued growth of Sam Bradford and just the Rams offense in general. Frank Gore and Ryan Grant are the main injury risks in this group, but if Gore can stay healthy (which I doubt), then he could easily be a top 6 running back. I’m a believer in Tampa Bay’s offense, which is why Blount is so high. Same with Felix Jones in Dallas, as I think with Barber gone he’ll see more carries in a high powered offense led by Tony Romo. Forte and Moreno especially are on pretty weak teams, so that’s a bit of a concern for me, but they’re both solid RBs.

21. Beanie Wells – Cardinals

22. Jahvid Best – Lions

23. Shonn Green – Jets

24. DeAngelo Williams – Panthers

25. Cedric Benson – Bengals

26. Mark Ingram – Saints

27. Ryan Mathews – Chargers

28. Marshawn Lynch – Seahawks

29. Tim Hightower – Redskins

30. Mike Tolbert – Chargers

Notes on 21 – 30:

You might be thinking, DeAngelo Williams at number 24?? Actually that might even be a little high. Not only is he one of the biggest injury risks among all players, but he’s also on one of the worst teams in the league. With not much of an offensive line or stability at the quarterback position in Carolina, Williams averaged only 7 fantasy points per game in the 6 games that he actually played in. So not only does he have to stay healthy, but you have to hope for a huge bounce-back season which I think is too much to ask. Wells, Best, and even Greene have the opportunity to produce and have a top 10 RB season. If these guys can stay healthy, expect very nice years out of all of them, and are high risk/high reward kind of guys. Lastly I’ll mention the two guys out of San Diego, Tolbert and Mathews. Last year, Tolbert got 11 touchdowns and had just less than 1000 total yards, while Mathews was just over 800 total yards and 7 TDs in an injury filled season. I’m expecting Mathews to get more touches this season because the Chargers drafted him in the 1^st round for a reason and want to give him every chance to produce, which is why I have him slightly ahead of Tolbert.

31. Fred Jackson – Bills

32. Joseph Addai – Colts

33. Reggie Bush – Dolphins

34. Jonathan Stewart – Panthers

35. Michael Bush – Raiders

36. Brandon Jacobs – Giants

37. Pierre Thomas – Saints

38. Daniel Thomas – Dolphins

39. Willis McGahee – Broncos

40. Ryan Torain – Redskins

41. James Starks – Packers

42. Jerome Harrison – Lions

43. Rashard Jennings – Jaguars

44. C.J. Spiller – Bills

45. Montario Hardesty – Browns

46. Ben Tate – Texans

47. Danny Woodhead – Patriots

48. Ronnie Brown – Eagles

49. Jason Snelling – Falcons

50. Delone Carter – Colts

Notes on 31 – 50:

Fred Jackson is by far the best in this group, it’s just the Bills are so bad he will only be able to do so much this season. CJ Spiller looks worse and worse every day, so don’t expect him to do much, as he might just be the next Aaron Maybin. In Jonathan’s Stewart’s case, basically everything I said about DeAngelo Williams, but add in the fact he’s the backup to start week 1. A lot of these RBs this late are backups, and you should draft them based on playing potential. For example, Darren McFadden is an injury risk, so if he goes down at some point in the season, Michael Bush would then become the starter and have a starring role. Same goes for James Starks in Green Bay or Ben Tate in Houston. That being said, if you drafted let’s just say a Ryan Grant, you’re going to want Starks in case Grant gets injured.

Quarterback Rankings >>>

Wide Receiver Rankings >>>