X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

2020 Fantasy Football Running Back Rookie Rankings: Post-NFL Draft

Welcome back RotoBallers! Below you will find our staff's updated 2020 fantasy football rookie running back rankings. These rankings are being released after the 2020 NFL Draft, but things will of course change as we get closer to the NFL season. Those of you who are regular RotoBaller readers have likely already seen our updated overall fantasy football rookie rankings, released the morning after the draft. Now it's time to break those down in detail, going position by position with some tiered rankings analysis.

The RotoBaller crew has been busy fine-tuning all fantasy football rankings in the hours immediately following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. The first task was to focus on the recently-selected prospects in order to prepare dynasty owners for upcoming rookie drafts. Analysts Brandon Murchison, Phil Clark, and Pierre Camus have put together their early consensus running back rookie rankings for our loyal readers to use to their advantage.

Running back is always a focal point of any fantasy team. It's harder than ever to know which RB to trust, as so many teams rotate backs and rely on multiple players for production. As always, we take a forward-looking approach with our evaluations. These are subject to change as things unfold over the offseason, but for now here is a first look at our running back rankings for the 2020 rookie draft class.

Featured Promo: Get any full-season NFL Premium Pass for 50% off and win big in 2023. Exclusive access to our Premium articles, 15 lineup tools, new Team Sync platform, Lineup Optimizer, Premium DFS tools and cheat sheets, and much more! Sign Up Now!

 

NFL RB Rookie Rankings for Fantasy Football (Post-Draft)

Be sure to also check out our fantasy football rankings and analysis for the 2020 rookie wide receivers, rookie tight ends, rookie quarterbacks, and our top 130 rookies list.

Tier Rank Player Name Team Pierre Brandon Phil
1 1 Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC 4 2 2
1 2 Cam Akers LAR 2 3 4
1 3 Jonathan Taylor IND 9 1 1
1 6 J.K. Dobbins BAL 10 4 5
2 8 D'Andre Swift DET 18 5 3
3 15 Zack Moss BUF 15 16 14
3 16 Ke'Shawn Vaughn TB 29 11 10
3 22 A.J. Dillon GB 42 15 13
3 23 Antonio Gibson WAS 35 20 17
4 24 Anthony McFarland Jr. PIT 27 22 27
4 25 Joshua Kelley LAC 25 26 25
4 29 Darrynton Evans TEN 26 33 26
4 33 Eno Benjamin ARI 30 29 44
5 38 Lamical Perine NYJ 40 31 38
5 41 DeeJay Dallas SEA 47 34 37
7 58 JaMycal Hasty SF #N/A 65 52
7 64 Salvon Ahmed SF 68 56 63
8 69 Michael Warren II PHI #N/A 76 56
8 70 Raymond Calais TB #N/A #N/A 67
9 76 Jason Huntley DET #N/A #N/A 69
9 81 Rico Dowdle DAL #N/A 75 70
9 82 J.J. Taylor NE #N/A 77 68
9 83 Tavien Feaster JAX 73 72 #N/A
9 87 Javon Leake NYG #N/A 108 47
10 88 James Robinson JAX #N/A 91 65
10 93 Scottie Phillips HOU 60 100 #N/A

 

Tier 1 - RB Rookie Rankings

Dynasty owners seem to have immediately decided that Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the top running back in rookie drafts, with many viewing him as the 1.01. I definitely view him as a top-five rookie for 2020 and there's no doubt that landing in KC was great for a pass-catching back like him. There is a ceiling on his production though, as the rushing volume won't be there even if he does claim the lion's share of carries and make Damien Williams expendable.

The path toward a 1,000-yard rushing season would be a tough one for him initially in such a pass-oriented offense. His role as a receiver gives him fantasy RB2 potential though. You can read my full take on Clyde Edwards-Helaire and whether he is indeed the next Brian Westbrook right here.

Unpopular opinion #1 - Jonathan Taylor isn't the top rookie or the top running back in this draft class. He isn't necessarily going to step in and take 80% of the carries while Marlon Mack is relegated to the bench. Not that Mack is so spectacular (otherwise they wouldn't have drafted Taylor) but he did average 4.7 and 4.4 yards per carry the past two years. Taylor was a second-round pick, not a first. Simply put, the Colts will do what nearly every NFL team does - use a committee.

One knock on Taylor, aside from the heavy usage in college which I am not concerned with, is that he isn't much of a receiver. That leaves him with a lower ceiling, as Nyheim Hines will also have a role. All told, the best-case scenario could be a 60-25-15 split in touches, with a more realistic scenario being one where Taylor and Mack split carries for much of the season. Don't get me wrong, he could develop into a fantasy RB1 but we can't let his 4.4 time at the combine overshadow the questions in his profile.

Unpopular opinion #2 - Cam Akers is my top rookie RB. I understand that the Rams' offensive line took a huge step back, grading out as PFF's 31st-ranked unit in 2019. As you may know, Akers ran behind one of the worst offensive lines in college throughout his career, so if anything he'll see this as an upgrade. He has the right combination of toughness and speed to make plays on his own without relying on gaping holes up front. He also has little competition for the starting role, as Darrell Henderson did nothing last year and won't be more than a change-of-pace back. I can't say the same about Taylor on any of these counts.

 

Tier 2 - RB Rookie Rankings

D'Andre Swift stands alone in the second tier and that's all because of my less-than-generous ranking. Therefore, justification is required.

Unpopular opinion #3 - Swift will not be a weekly starter for fantasy teams in 2020. I like Swift and had him as my RB2 in this rookie class before the NFL Draft. He should be in the top tier based on his ability. Landing spot and opportunity usually overshadow ability in the NFL, however, and Swift went to the worst possible spot. I'm not just blaming the ghosts of Ameer Abdullah and Jahvid Best either.

The Lions already had a capable running back in Kerryon Johnson, who coach Matt Patricia seems to hate for no particular reason. Johnson won't simply disappear, so this is likely to be a committee situation off the bat, much like Taylor in Indy. Swift will be limited by the competition but also the lack of rushing opportunities in general by this offense.

Detroit had a relatively balanced run/pass split in 2019, mostly out of necessity. Swift supporters and Lions fans may argue that Matthew Stafford missing half the season altered the season and limited everything offensively. This is certainly true, but why would Stafford returning create a bigger emphasis on the running game? If anything, the Lions may lean on their franchise QB as they usually do.

The defense also carries much of the blame for lack of rushing opportunities, as they ranked 26th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. Generally speaking, the worse the defense, the less the offense can establish the run. The selection of Jeff Okudah and Julian Okwara will help, but they won't suddenly be a top-10 defense. Unless Okwara can be an instant impact player, they have no viable pass-rusher other than Trey Flowers. As good as Swift may be, the volume just won't be there, leading him to be overdrafted based on his college career.

 

Tier 3 - RB Rookie Rankings

I thought I might be higher on Moss than most, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Moss didn't wow with his combine numbers, but NFL front offices don't care about that nearly as much as football fans and pundits. He steps into Frank Gore's spot in Buffalo and it's already been reported that he will have a similar role as the 1B to Devin Singletary. Gore saw 166 rush attempts last year and that's a fair estimate for Moss.

Unpopular opinion #4 - A.J. Dillon and Ke'Shawn Vaughn will be massively overvalued in dynasty. I like Vaughn as a player, but the Tampa Bay offense isn't geared toward the running game. Things will shift slightly with Tom Brady under center as opposed to Jameis Winston, but this is still a Bruce Arians offense. He just doesn't care that much about the running back position. He could carry weekly value if he outperforms Ronald Jones significantly, but that's an assumption we're making based on hope more than anything. Premium subscribers can read a more detailed evaluation and see where I have his rookie draft position in my one-man rookie mock article.

Dillon is another beneficiary of recency bias and combine stats. He's big and runs fast, granted. That doesn't always lead to production, however. Former BC alum Andre Williams was seen in a similar vein after he had a productive college career and ran a 4.56 40. He was last seen in the XFL. For some reason, Jamaal Williams gets constantly disrespected by the fantasy community, so the idea that someone can step in to replace him is appealing. Dillon isn't a shoo-in to do so and not worth a selection in the first two rounds.

 

Tier 4 - RB Rookie Rankings

We can see a path to production for Joshua Kelley, if he can just beat out Justin Jackson to be the RB2 in L.A. Likewise, Anthony McFarland doesn't stand out in any particular area, but with only injury-prone James Conner and plodding Benny Snell ahead of him in Pittsburgh, he could earn carries. The player I'm keeping a closer eye on is Darrynton Evans.

You'd think landing on a team that features the leading rusher in the NFL, Derrick Henry, who also led the league with 303 carries and a 69% team share would be a bad thing. It would definitely take an injury to make Evans start-worthy, but if that happens then he would be the hottest pickup of the year. Dion Lewis is gone and there is nobody else I could even name in the Titans' backfield (David Fluellen?). The Titans had a top-10 offensive line last year and added Isaiah Wilson in the first round to address a weakness on the right side. Evans might do absolutely nothing in 2020, but he's a stash I'm happy to have on my roster.

 

Tier 5 and Lower - RB Rookie Rankings

Lamical Perine has seen his stock rise after falling to the Jets. I'd like to see an Adam Gase offense do something... anything to prove that a running back can thrive under him. In the last three years as head coach of the Dolphins and Jets, his offenses have ranked 29th, 18th, and 31st in rushing yardage and in the bottom-three in rushing touchdowns each time. The one time he had a fantasy stud at RB was Jay Ajayi as a rookie coach in 2016. We know how that turned out, with Ajayi inexplicably being traded midway through the following season.

As a lifelong Miami fan, I'd love to say that DeeJay Dallas could do something at the pro level. He probably won't though, as nothing more than a solid but unexciting third running back who is adept at helping out in the passing game.

Don't count on any undrafted free agent pulling a Phillip Lindsay and becoming an absolute steal at the end of rookie drafts. If I'm taking a chance on any of them, it would one of Michael Warren II, Tavien Feaster, or Scottie Phillips.

As a tough runner, some feel that former Cincy Bearcast Michael Warren II could find a short-yardage role in Philly. The upside is limited, but at this point you're simply hoping for someone who can see touches.

It looks like the Jags may not find a trade partner for Leonard Fournette, but it would be a shock if he's still on the roster in 2021. Given his injury history, Feaster could make a dent in a relatively shallow backfield if he can leapfrog Ryquell Armstead on the depth chart.

If you are among the many who think David Johnson's best days are behind him, Phillips could be an interesting flier. Bill O'Brien killed our vibes on Karan Higdon last year and we know Johnson will be run into the ground until he breaks down, so it would take an injury to make Phillips relevant. That isn't so far-fetched if you watched DJ last year, though.

More NFL Draft and Fantasy Football Rookies


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




LINEUP RESOURCES

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

ROTOBALLER PLAYER NEWS

Brett Wisely15 mins ago

Optioned To Sacramento
Alex Bowman15 mins ago

Points Leader Alex Bowman Will Start From 1st At Richmond on Sunday
Chase Briscoe26 mins ago

A Strong Sleeper Option At Richmond
Joey Bart27 mins ago

Won't Play On Saturday
Austin Dillon32 mins ago

Needs A Strong Run At Richmond This Weekend
Mychal Givens34 mins ago

To Throw Next Week
Michael McDowell36 mins ago

Could Surprise At Richmond Despite Poor Track Record
Martin Truex Jr41 mins ago

. Seeking First Top 5 of the Season at Richmond
Chris Buescher42 mins ago

A Sleeper At Richmond This Weekend
Aric Almirola45 mins ago

Looking To Give Season A Boost At One Of His Best Tracks
Mitch Haniger58 mins ago

To Be Re-Evaluated Next Weekend
Logan Webb1 hour ago

Next Start Moved Up
Darrynton Evans2 hours ago

Signs With The Colts
Alex Lyon2 hours ago

Gets The Nod Saturday
Luis Severino2 hours ago

Started Throwing On Friday
Rachaad White2 hours ago

Projected To Be A Three-Down Back
Jake Oettinger2 hours ago

Confirmed Starter Against Colorado
Sean Murphy2 hours ago

Getting The Day Off On Saturday
Brock Purdy2 hours ago

Rehab Going Well For Brock Purdy
Alex Stalock2 hours ago

Tends Twine Saturday Against Devils
Starling Marte2 hours ago

Taking A Seat On Saturday
Whit Merrifield2 hours ago

Not In The Lineup On Saturday
Ivan Prosvetov2 hours ago

Set To Start Against San Jose
Luis Urías2 hours ago

Luis Urias To Miss Six To Eight Weeks
Marc-Andre Fleury3 hours ago

Protects The Crease Versus Vegas
Lars Nootbaar3 hours ago

Absent From Lineup On Saturday
Matthew Liberatore4 hours ago

Throws Five Scoreless Innings For Memphis
Joey Wiemer4 hours ago

Hitting Ninth In MLB Debut
Patrick Wisdom4 hours ago

Nick Madrigal In, Patrick Wisdom Out Saturday
Donovan Mitchell4 hours ago

Goes For 40-Plus Points Again
Julio Rodríguez4 hours ago

Julio Rodriguez Hits Two Doubles In Loss Friday
Lars Nootbaar4 hours ago

On The Bench Saturday
Jalen Brunson4 hours ago

Has A Career Night With 48 Points
Garrett Whitlock5 hours ago

Gives Up A Run In Rehab Outing
Joey Votto5 hours ago

Heads Out On Rehab Assignment
Mikal Bridges5 hours ago

Drops 42 Points On Atlanta
Michael Massey5 hours ago

Not Playing Saturday
Talen Horton-Tucker5 hours ago

Has Another Productive Outing
Willson Contreras5 hours ago

Out Saturday
Juan Soto5 hours ago

Not Focused On Contract Situation
Paolo Banchero5 hours ago

Shines Against Washington
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander5 hours ago

Piles Up 39 Points Friday
Anthony Davis5 hours ago

Battles Through Injury For A Big Double-Double
Jonathan Toews5 hours ago

Returns To Action Saturday
Tyler Toffoli5 hours ago

Nets Two Goals Against Vancouver
Clayton Keller6 hours ago

Keeps Point Streak Going Friday
Jason Robertson6 hours ago

Sets New Stars Scoring Record
Adam Fox6 hours ago

Continues Hot Spell With A Goal
Casey Mittelstadt6 hours ago

Hands Out Two Assists
Tee Higgins15 hours ago

Not Concerned About Contract Situation
Jeff Skinner15 hours ago

Scores Game-Winning Goal In Overtime
Devon Levi15 hours ago

Earns Victory In NHL Debut
Seattle Seahawks20 hours ago

Ryan Neal Becomes Free Agent
Pharaoh Brown20 hours ago

Joins Colts
Darrynton Evans20 hours ago

To Meet With Colts
Laquon Treadwell20 hours ago

Working Out For Cowboys
Zach Collins20 hours ago

Out Against Golden State
De'Andre Hunter20 hours ago

Out With A Knee Injury On Friday
Obi Toppin21 hours ago

Will Start Against The Cavs
Jarrett Allen21 hours ago

Downgraded To Out On Friday
Portland Trail Blazers24 hours ago

LaMarcus Aldridge Officially Retires From The NBA
Jamal Murray24 hours ago

Considered Questionable Against Phoenix
Nikola Jokic24 hours ago

Could Miss His Second Consecutive Game
Kenyon Martin24 hours ago

Jr. Uncertain To Play Against Detroit
Tobias Harris24 hours ago

Could Miss Friday's Game Against Toronto
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander24 hours ago

Upgraded To Questionable On Friday
Al Horford1 day ago

Uncertain To Suit Up On Friday
Jaylen Brown1 day ago

Tagged As Questionable With Lower-Back Pain
Jayson Tatum1 day ago

Listed As Questionable Against Utah
Kelly Olynyk1 day ago

Is Available Against Boston On Friday
Trayveon Williams1 day ago

Bengals Have High Hopes For Trayveon Williams
Joe Burrow1 day ago

Bengals Begin Extension Discussions With Joe Burrow
Mac Jones1 day ago

Bill Belichick Still Non-Committal On Mac Jones
Sammy Blais1 day ago

Extends Point Streak To Six Games
Cam Talbot1 day ago

Makes A Winning Return
Matthew Beniers1 day ago

Logs Two Points Against Anaheim
Stuart Skinner1 day ago

Grabs A 43-Save Shutout
Tristan Jarry1 day ago

Records His Second Shutout
Matthew Tkachuk1 day ago

Rolls To Four Points Versus Montreal
T.J. Oshie1 day ago

Exits With An Upper-Body Injury
Mikey Anderson1 day ago

Injured On First Shift Thursday
Baltimore Ravens2 days ago

Ravens Have Been Active In Receiver Market
Baker Mayfield2 days ago

Kyle Trask To Compete In Training Camp
Courtland Sutton2 days ago

Broncos Could Still Trade Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton
DeAndre Hopkins2 days ago

To Stay With Cardinals?
Odell Beckham Jr.2 days ago

Jets The Most Likely Landing Spot For Odell Beckham Jr.
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Panthers Not Settled On One QB For No. 1 Pick
Lamar Jackson2 days ago

Not Seeking Fully Guaranteed Deal
Nathan Peterman2 days ago

Re-Signs With Bears
Dre Miller2 days ago

Kendre Miller Ahead Of Schedule
Buffalo Bills2 days ago

Bills Re-Sign Jordan Phillips
Brendon Todd3 days ago

Has Success At TPC San Antonio
Ben Martin3 days ago

Has Value At TPC San Antonio
Nick Taylor3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At Valero
Taylor Pendrith3 days ago

A Sleeper Option At TPC San Antonio
Chris Kirk3 days ago

A Good Option At The Valero Texas Open
Matt Kuchar3 days ago

Loves Playing TPC San Antonio
Will Gordon3 days ago

Offers A Wild-Card Option At Valero
Cam Davis3 days ago

Can Keep His Current Form At TPC San Antonio
Mark Hubbard4 days ago

A Low-Risk Value Option At Valero
Tyler Duncan4 days ago

Start Tyler Duncan At TPC San Antonio
Emiliano Grillo4 days ago

Not Recommended At Valero
Patrick Rodgers4 days ago

Don't Give Patrick Rodgers A Shot At Valero
Adam Schenk4 days ago

Wants To Keep Momentum Rolling At Valero
Ryan Moore4 days ago

Cannot Get Past The Cut Lately
Stephan Jaeger4 days ago

Could Warm Things Up At Valero
Si Woo Kim4 days ago

A Possible Contender At Valero
Taylor Montgomery4 days ago

Attempting To Find Weekend Consistency
Corey Conners4 days ago

Trying To Recreate A Little Magic
Thomas Detry4 days ago

Continues To Impress In Rookie Season
Aaron Rai4 days ago

Brings Positive Momentum To Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia4 days ago

Looks To Stay Hot In Texas
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Impressive At COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Finds His Footing At COTA
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Continues To Shine On Road Courses
NASCAR5 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Seventh
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Has A Solid Day
Marlon Vera5 days ago

Has Four-Fight Winning Streak Snapped
Cory Sandhagen5 days ago

Dominates Striking Department
Yana Santos5 days ago

Dominated In Decision Loss
Holly Holm5 days ago

Dominates In Co-Main Event
Austin Lingo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss
Nate Landwehr5 days ago

Shines With Second-Round Submission Win
Andrea Lee5 days ago

Suffers Defeat In Close Matchup Saturday
Maycee Barber5 days ago

Takes Close Matchup On Saturday
Chidi Njokuani5 days ago

Takes Close Loss In Split-Decision Showing
Albert Duraev5 days ago

Holds Off Opponent In Tight Split Decision
William Byron5 days ago

Rounds Out Top Five At COTA
Ross Chastain5 days ago

Caught Up To Fourth At COTA On Sunday
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Brings Home Third Place Finish At COTA
Kyle Busch5 days ago

Scrambles Up To Second At Austin
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Dominates And Wins At COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF