Running Backs are at the center of many draft debates these days. Do I draft an RB in the first 4 rounds or do I wait and go zero running back? I personally love the zero running back, but you cannot force a strategy during your draft, that will just screw you up. I am a strong believer in taking what is the best available with each pick, but I will lean towards the WR every time I have to decide between 2 guys. I prefer to take backs when the fall to me, so it is important to know what the value of each back is. So to help you decide when to take a back I have compiled my list of running back rankings. This list is based on a PPR scoring format.
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Bye Week | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Johnson | ARI | 9 | Number 1 in PPR, Number 2 in Standard |
| 2 | Todd Gurley | LA | 8 | Pretty sure he saw a lot of stacked boxes last year so that does not scare me. |
| 3 | Lamar Miller | HOU | 9 | He will finally be used and we will finally see how good this kid really is. |
| 4 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | 7 | Ran hard in first action, interesting to see if he can do that for 16 games. Looked real good though. |
| 5 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | 6 | Until he actually slows down I wont believe he will. |
| 6 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | 11 | He wont repeat last year, but even with 50 less points he would still be #1 RB and with 100 less he is #7 |
| 7 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | 8 | Finished in the top 50 last year, only played in 5.5 games. Think about that. |
| 8 | Mark Ingram | NO | 5 | Would be top 5 if I felt good about him playing 16 games. |
| 9 | Doug Martin | TB | 6 | Great year last year, but falls a little as team balances the offense. |
| 10 | Jamaal Charles | KC | 5 | Not sure he should be this high, but just could not drop him out of top 10. |
| 11 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | 11 | Put up or shut up time. |
| 12 | Eddie Lacy | GB | 4 | Still looks too heavy to me, but ran well vs SF |
| 13 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | 10 | One last hoorah for him and it just might be a good one. |
| 14 | Carlos Hyde | SF | 8 | SF needs him, badly. They will need to lean on him, so by volume he could be good. |
| 15 | Latavius Murray | OAK | 10 | OAK offense is getting better every week it seems. Low end RB1 very possible. |
| 16 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | 9 | Hard to say bounce back for a guy that scored 12 TD's last year, but should be a better runner this year. |
| 17 | Melvin Gordon | SD | 11 | I feel like he is more prepared this year. Not trying to rely on just talent. |
| 18 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | 5 | I am not sure I buy in to RBBC here, but could easily be wrong. |
| 19 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | 13 | He will be used more than he was in Philly, but less than Dallas. |
| 20 | Matt Forte | NYJ | 11 | Contributes in too many different ways to just drop off and disappear. |
| 21 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | 9 | |
| 22 | Duke Johnson | CLE | 13 | |
| 23 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | 10 | |
| 24 | Danny Woodhead | SD | 11 | |
| 25 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | 7 | |
| 26 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | 4 | |
| 27 | Arian Foster | MIA | 8 | |
| 28 | Frank Gore | IND | 10 | |
| 29 | Charles Sims | TB | 6 | |
| 30 | Matt Jones | WAS | 9 | |
| 31 | Jeremy Langford | CHI | 9 | |
| 32 | Chris Ivory | JAC | 5 | |
| 33 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | 5 | |
| 34 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | 13 | |
| 35 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | 8 | |
| 36 | Theo Riddick | DET | 10 | |
| 37 | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | 8 | |
| 38 | Christine Michael | SEA | 5 | |
| 39 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | 11 | |
| 40 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | 8 | |
| 41 | Shane Vereen | NYG | 8 | |
| 42 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | 11 | |
| 43 | James White | NE | 9 | |
| 44 | Justin Forsett | BAL | 8 | |
| 45 | Jordan Howard | CHI | 9 | |
| 46 | Devontae Booker | DEN | 11 | |
| 47 | Derrick Henry | TEN | 13 | |
| 48 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | 6 | |
| 49 | C.J. Prosise | SEA | 5 | |
| 50 | Darren Sproles | PHI | 4 |
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