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RotoBaller's updated standard running back draft rankings, tiers and analysis for the 2019 fantasy football season. Dominick Petrillo highlights key RBs to target in drafts.
Running backs don’t matter. This may or may not be true in the real NFL but in fantasy, it surely isn’t the case. If it were the case, why are the top four consensus players all at the position?
It is always great to have one of the top guys at the position. But if you want to build the best team, it may be better to have a mid-round pick and build a balanced team. Finding this season's Alvin Kamara from two seasons ago, or last season's Nick Chubb can be the key to winning. The position is not as deep as quarterbacks or wide receivers so loading up is important. RBs get injured more than most, so finding the diamond in the rough is all the more important in order to succeed.
Let’s take a look at the tiered rankings from the Rotoballer.com experts and find out which players to look at in standard leagues.
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Updated Standard RB Rankings - Redraft
Below are RotoBaller's consensus staff rankings for the 2019 fantasy football season. These rankings are compiled by Nick Mariano, Pierre Camus, Scott Engel, Bill Dubiel, Dominick Petrillo and Spencer Aguiar.
In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was the #11 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season, and #9 overall in 2017. Additionally, industry legend Scott Engel recently joined the RotoBaller team and provides his insights as well. Scott is an FSWA Hall Of Famer and award winner.
Tier One
This is a bigger top tier than most. With six players making up the group it shows the difference between tiers from PPR leagues to standard leagues.
Ezekiel Elliott is the most worrisome in these ranks for sure as the Dallas back has yet to leave Mexico and return to training camp for the Cowboys. Assuming he does, he is easily higher than number four. But until he does, others in this tier like James Conner and David Johnson are safer picks and should be taken higher.
Tier Two
This tier starts off with Joe Mixon. He is talented for sure, but will he be able to outperform his offensive line? First-round pick Jonah Williams is already out for the season and with A.J. Green likely to miss at least three or four games it will be reliant on Mixon to show his true talent to return this value.
If you are looking for a safer option in this tier, you may not find it. With Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, and Dalvin Cook having their own issues and Nick Chubb sharing the workload after the return of Kareem Hunt, you might be better off waiting until this tier falls a bit to draft them. Or skip it entirely.
Tier Three
There are a few good options in this tier. Obviously, in standard leagues, you have to look to Leonard Fournette. If he can remain healthy and focused, he will have a massive workload for the Jaguars. 300 carries could be easily attainable for the running back who is, in a way, fighting for his job next season.
My favorite in this tier has to be Kerryon Johnson. We know the Lions want to give him the work and he showed in 10 games as a rookie the ability to handle it. With 5.4 yards per carry as well as over 50 targets, he will get the three-down work and could finish much higher than a tier-three back. He could be a steal in the late third-round of leagues.
Tier Four
With some muddled backfields represented in this tier, it is difficult to find a player to be excited about. It is also hard to find a player to stay away from entirely.
Derrick Henry, injury aside, seems to be the safest play here when it comes to volume. Coach Mike Vrabel has already stated the Titans want to use him like a workhorse back should be used. This could mean he leads the league in rush attempts. Which is good since he will likely be near the bottom for targets in the passing game.
The Titans know what they are. What they are is a lackluster offense with a quarterback who has not lived up to his lofty draft pedigree. Whether Marcus Mariota finishes the season or Ryan Tannehill takes over, Henry will be the constant on the field and hopefully, on fantasy scoreboards.
Tier Five
There are a few good choices in this tier to choose from. The best of them are a mixture of a rookie in David Montgomery and veteran in Tevin Coleman.
In the case of Coleman, he is seemingly in store for all of the work in this backfield, or at least a vast majority of it. With Jerick McKinnon still unable to get healthy and the only other viable back being Matt Breida, Coleman will easily be the number one in the San Francisco offense. Being familiar with the Kyle Shanahan offense doesn’t hurt either. Getting him in the seventh round of drafts could wind up being one of those steals you are looking for to gain an advantage.
David Montgomery is another player to look at hard in this group. He will take over the Jordan Howard role in Chicago. This means he will be in line for about 250 carries. But he comes with a caveat. He can also catch the ball very well. These yards will only add to his allure as the yards and touchdown potential he will gain here could push him well up in running back fantasy rankings for 2019.
Tier Six
This tier is another one which seems to be a dead spot for potential breakouts. Derrius Guice leads off the tier and he may not even be ready to start the season. While he has been cleared to return to practice, he is still not cleared for game action.
Teammates Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders both find their way into this group as well. They will cannibalize each other's production early in the season and it will not be beneficial to anyone to roster and play both of them. This leads to guessing which one to draft and which one to play.
The best bet in this tier seems to be a handcuff, albeit a handcuff with standalone value. Latavius Murray in New Orleans is going to have touchdown potential this season. Whether Alvin Kamara gets hurt or not, the Saints want to run, and they do it so well. In five of the last seven seasons, the Saints have led the league in rushing touchdowns. This means whether he is the second back in the committee or not, Murray could provide a top-24 season much like Mark Ingram has done in the past. Getting him in the ninth round is a steal in standard formats. Just imagine if Kamara gets injured and misses time? Murray would be a top-15 fantasy back weekly.
Tier Seven
Now it gets really ugly. LeSean McCoy may not be the starter, or even rostered by Buffalo to start the season. Ronald Jones is, well, Ronald Jones. And Kalen Ballage is on a bad offense that still has Kenyan Drake, who is more involved in the passing game.
If you want to choose anyone from this tier the choice is Austin Ekeler. Yes, he will share time with Justin Jackson until Melvin Gordon returns. But even when, or if Gordon does return, Ekeler still holds value. He is a true three-down back and, on those drives, or plays where Gordon is taken out, he will fill into the offense. Not to mention he has the trust of Philip Rivers. Something which cannot be overstated when talking about getting playing time for a team in today's NFL.
His price is still rising due to the even more likely scenario of Melvin Gordon missing time. But if you can get him, he is the one to go after here.
The Rest
Peyton Barber looks to still be the back to own in Tampa Bay. With Andre Ellington showing poorly in preseason and Ronald Jones II just being bad, it will fall to Peyton Barber to provide any sort of run game for the Buccaneers in 2019.
If you are digging even deeper for backs in the draft, the pickings are slim. One name to look hard at though is Royce Freeman. Although he was beaten out by Phillip Lindsay last season, the Broncos are going to give him another shot this season. Even if it turns out to be a true committee situation, at this point in drafts he still holds a lot of value. If the small Lindsay gets injured? You have a back who will get all the run and by default be a top 20 performer.
A few others to consider: players like Jaylen Samuels, James White, and Jalen Richard are ok. But they are better for PPR leagues with their pass-catching specialties. But if those receptions turn to touchdowns, they could return some value.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
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.
