Positional Tiers 1.0: QB Tiers | RB Tiers | WR Tiers | TE Tiers
As a position, running backs matter. They've always mattered. For Fantasy they matter because they're highly productive thanks to their workloads, they're the best trade currency out there, and there are enough good ones to go around.
That means Fantasy players have plenty of strategies when it comes to drafting them, and your league's scoring system will play a huge role in what strategy you go with.
PPR RB Tiers 1.0
ELITE | NEAR-ELITE | HIGH-RISK HIGH-REWARD |
ROUND 1 | ROUNDS 2, 3 | ROUNDS 3, 4 |
Alvin Kamara | Le'Veon Bell | Phillip Lindsay |
Saquon Barkley | David Johnson | Derrick Henry |
Christian McCaffrey | James Conner | Sony Michel |
Ezekiel Elliott | Joe Mixon | Marlon Mack |
Melvin Gordon | Nick Chubb | Leonard Fournette |
| Todd Gurley | Josh Jacobs |
| Damien Williams | David Montgomery |
| Dalvin Cook | James White |
| Aaron Jones | Chris Carson |
|
| Kerryon Johnson |
| | |
VERY GOOD | NO. 3 RBs/LESS UPSIDE | HIGH-POTENTIAL BACKUPS |
ROUND 5 | ROUNDS 6-7 | ROUND 8 |
Devonta Freeman | Tarik Cohen | Peyton Barber |
Mark Ingram | Lamar Miller | Rashaad Penny |
Tevin Coleman | LeSean McCoy | Ito Smith |
Miles Sanders | Jordan Howard | Carlos Hyde |
Kenyan Drake | Derrius Guice | Latavius Murray |
|
| Darrell Henderson |
| |
|
MID-POTENTIAL BACKUPS | BENCH DEPTH | BENCH DEPTH |
ROUNDS 9-10 | ROUND 11+ | ROUND 11+ |
Ronald Jones | Jamaal Williams | Kareem Hunt |
Austin Ekeler | C.J. Anderson | Adrian Peterson |
Alexander Mattison | Justice Hill | Royce Freeman |
Jaylen Samuels | Devin Singletary | Matt Breida |
D'Onta Foreman | Dion Lewis | Nyheim Hines |
Jerick McKinnon | Kalen Ballage | Jalen Richard |
|
| Chase Edmonds |
In PPR, where wide receiver and tight end values rise with the value of catches, the top-two tiers of rushers are pushed into early Round 3 and further pushes the third and fourth tiers down the line. Fantasy drafters will still chase running backs, but there's a little less pressure because there are enough of them who catch the ball and can accrue useful Fantasy points that way. I'm going for three running backs through six rounds in PPR.
Non-PPR RB Tiers 1.0
ELITE | NEAR-ELITE | HIGH-RISK HIGH-REWARD |
ROUND 1 | ROUND 2 | ROUND 3 |
Ezekiel Elliott | James Conner | Sony Michel |
Saquon Barkley | Le'Veon Bell | Aaron Jones |
Alvin Kamara | David Johnson | Phillip Lindsay |
Christian McCaffrey | Joe Mixon | Derrick Henry |
Melvin Gordon | Nick Chubb | Leonard Fournette |
| Todd Gurley | Marlon Mack |
| Damien Williams | Josh Jacobs |
| Dalvin Cook | |
| | |
VERY GOOD | NO. 3 RBs/LESS UPSIDE | HIGH-POTENTIAL BACKUPS |
ROUNDS 4-5 | ROUNDS 6-7 | ROUNDS 8-9 |
David Montgomery | Lamar Miller | Rashaad Penny |
Chris Carson | Tarik Cohen | Ito Smith |
Kerryon Johnson | Kenyan Drake | Carlos Hyde |
Mark Ingram | Jordan Howard | Latavius Murray |
Tevin Coleman | LeSean McCoy | Darrell Henderson |
Devonta Freeman | Derrius Guice | Ronald Jones |
Miles Sanders | Peyton Barber | Alexander Mattison |
James White | Jaylen Samuels | |
MID-POTENTIAL BACKUPS | BENCH DEPTH | BENCH DEPTH |
ROUNDS 9-10 | ROUND 11+ | ROUND 11+ |
D'Onta Foreman | Justice Hill | Adrian Peterson |
Austin Ekeler | Devin Singletary | Dion Lewis |
Jamaal Williams | Kalen Ballage | Matt Breida |
C.J. Anderson | Kareem Hunt | Chase Edmonds |
Jerick McKinnon | Royce Freeman | Tony Pollard |
It's a different story in Non-PPR. he first two tiers of running backs will get you through the first two rounds there. You'll want to land at least one of them as either a cornerstone for your team or as a very good starter to match with the receiver you chose as the squad's cornerstone instead. Most drafters will begin taking one running back and one wide receiver. If running backs mean anything to you at all, taking three within the first five rounds — and two in the first four — should set you up nicely for a well-built roster.
Is Zero RB still a thing? It is, and it's not a bad way to go if you're picking late in Round 1/early in Round 2 in full PPR. You could kick off a team with DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Kelce and Julian Edelman and still find roster-filling running backs later on. It's a lot less appealing in non-PPR when receptions become meaningless, and it's borderline insanity to do it when there's an elite-tier running back staring you in the face, so rule it out if you have an early first-round pick.
Because running backs are so vital to Fantasy Football success, it's still recommended to get a lot of them. If you have six bench spots, aim for at least six on your roster. Seven or eight bench spots? Aim for seven. Remember, each running back you take represents potential, even the ones who begin the season as backups. Never draft a running back you're not excited about, and never draft a running back who you'd probably drop after one or two dud games to begin the year.
Draft for opportunity, draft for potential, and draft youth. Then be as patient as you can.
