It’s time to discuss what makes for the heart of fantasy football, the RBs. Approximately about 15-17 of your 1st 2 rounds will be RBs, so if you want a good one, you are going to have to go for them early. This year, the RB list is very deep at the top end and numerous guys can end up in the top 5, with no one really standing out as of yet. So with that being said, let go over the Running Back Rankings and tiers for the 2015 NFL season.
Remember, these rankings are in the order of my personal preference, so if they are within the same tier, I think all of them will be around the same range from a fantasy point projections perspective, so feel free to choose who you prefer.
Tier 1 – Elite
Le’Veon Bell
Eddie Lacy
Jamaal Charles
LeSean McCoy
Matt Forte
Adrian Peterson
This is one of the rare years where a good argument could be made for any of the following backs to go #1 in your draft. It all depends on preference and league settings. All can catch passes, but Bell, Charles, and Forte excel in it. Lacy and Peterson are great for TD Heavy leagues and McCoy will probably get as much or more touches than anyone as he will be the bell cow work horse for the Bills this season. No matter who you get from this group with your 1st pick, you’ll be fine.
Tier 2 – Top 10
CJ Anderson
Marshawn Lynch
Jeremy Hill
DeMarco Murray
Gary Kubiak is the master of RBs and now his newest guy to make into a fantasy star is CJ Anderson. The only reason I don’t have him on the top list is because he hasn’t been doing it for enough games. Not much has to be said about Marshawn Lynch, BeastMode is the center of the Seahawks attack and that will not change this year, only concern is another year of age and body wear. Hill was a beast the 2nd half of last year, but also has to share some of the load with Giovani Bernard, who we’ll get to later. Murray is no longer behind the best offensive line, is in a new offense, and Ryan Mathews behind him, beware.
Tier 3 – Starters
Frank Gore
Lamar Miller
Latavius Murray
Justin Forsett
Jonathan Stewart
Alfred Morris
Arian Foster/Alfred Blue
I love Frank Gore for this year with that offensive juggernaut known as the Indianapolis Colts. I think he’ll be setup for a 12-15 TD type of year. I’ve always thought with more carries, Lamar Miller could be a top 10 back, he showed some of that last year. Murray, Forsett, and Stewart are all on 3 teams that want to highlight the run and don’t have too much depth behind them. Alf won’t get you much catches but he does what he does, around 1100 yards and 8 TDs. Foster will likely miss the 1st half of the season but he’s a great stash pick, Blue looks like he will be the starter in his place till he comes back.
Tier 4 – Next Best
Joseph Randle/Darren McFadden
TJ Yeldon
Chris Ivory
LeGarette Blount
Andre Ellington
Mark Ingram
Doug Martin
Close attention should be paid to the Cowboy’s 3rd preseason game, because the starter could be moved to the end of the 2nd tier. Their line is so good, I feel any back will get over 1000 yards and 10 TDs. Yeldon and Ivory are workhorses for their teams and barring injury, they’ll be very good #2 type RBs. Blount gets some yards, but his benefit will be TDs while playing on an offense led by Tom Brady. Ellington, when healthy, can rack up yards, but he’s not a big guy and won’t get you too much TDs. The Saints seem to be transitioning to a rushing offense and Ingram should be able to reap the benefits. Good reports about Martin coming out of camp, can he return to the muscle hamster of 3 years ago?
Tier 5 – Taking a Chance
Carlos Hyde
Melvin Gordon
Ameer Abdullah/Joique Bell
Tre Mason/Todd Gurley
Rashad Jennings
CJ Spiller
Devonta Freeman/Tevin Coleman
Bishop Sankey/David Cobb
Reggie Bush
Isaiah Crowell/Terrance West
Shane Vereen
If you take anyone from this group, you are taking a chance. They really shouldn’t be used as more than a flex spot guy or a bye week replacement. Carlos Hyde is on a questionable offense with that he splits with Reggie Bush. Gordon is a good player on a team with a horrible line. Abdullah and Bell, Mason and Gurley, Freeman and Coleman, Sankey and Cobb, and Crowell and West all are tandems that will likely suck the value out of each other. Jennings will be a 2 down back while Vereen comes in on passing downs. Spiller will also be in there on passing downs as he sits behind Mark Ingram.
Tier 6 – Talented Backups
Ryan Mathews
Knile Davis
James Starks
Ronnie Hillman
Jerick McKinnon
Danny Woodhead
These are the types of players that you take for 2 reasons. The 1st reason is you are in a large or deep league where RBs are at a premium, because if any of these guys start because of injury, they can produce solid numbers. The 2nd reason is if you have the starter to these guys, it’s always good to get their handcuff, even if you have to reach a round or 2 early for them. Mathews and Davis may get enough work as a backup to even be started when a lot of players are on their bye week.
Tier 7 – System Players
Dan Herron
Chris Johnson
DeAngelo Williams
Fred Jackson
Robert Turbin
Charles Sims
These are guys who really aren’t that good, but the offense they play in would allow them to be at least serviceable. The Colts, Cardinals, Steelers, Buffalo, Seattle, and Tampa Bay all either have offenses that are good or offenses that at least want to run the ball. Don’t expect too much from these guys, but like I said they could be serviceable.
Next up we’ll move on to the new stars of fantasy football, the WRs. Rule changes in the league over the past 10 years have made it almost impossible to stop and elite WR and tomorrow we’ll be talking about the top 60 WRs in fantasy football, so don’t miss it. Once again, if you have a draft before then, good luck and if you have any draft or fantasy football questions, I can be reached on twitter with the handle @Pacman453323.
