RB Rankings: Updated Expert Insights and Comparisons From 10 Sources

Today, students entered my classroom for the first time in the 24-25 school year. There’s always something reassuring about the first day of school. A certain level of control within the first day and first couple weeks is aptly named “the honeymoon period.” Students tend to color inside social and behavioral lines long enough that we deem some classes “stud” and “easy” ones. Come mid-September, some of those classes become busts. The grade books are burdened by D’s & F’s, office write-ups cramp hands, and the personal alcohol budget continually increases.

Sound familiar? Being a teacher at the start of the year and fantasy players before the preseason share some commonalities. Seeing how the Minnesota Vikings are falling apart, Jahmyr Gibbs has an ankle injury, and Brandon Aiyuk’s situation still isn’t figured out, I’d say we are out of “the honeymoon period.”

Check out my first article to understand what this study is about; The Best Side-by-Side WR Ranking Comparison From 10 Sources.

*My favorite player in each tier based on the data alone

RB1 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Christian McCaffrey	1	1.0	1	1-1	0
Breece Hall	2	2.4	2	2-3	1
Bijan Robinson	3	2.6	3	2-3	1
Jonathan Taylor	4	4.3	4	4-6	2
Jahmyr Gibbs	5	5.8	5	4-10	6
Saquon Barkley	6	6.2	6	4-8	4
Kyren Williams	7	7.0	6	5-10	5
*Derrick Henry	8	8.5	9	5-13	8
Isiah Pacheco	9	9.2	9	8-11	3
Travis Etienne Jr.	10	9.2	9	6-13	7
De’Von Achane	11	11.3	11	8-16	8
James Cook	12	12.9	12	10-18	8

Derrick Henry sticks out in this group because his range doubled from last week. The Fantasy Footballers and CBS have moved Henry out of their Top 10, even after the Gibbs injury, while Yahoo! boosted him to RB5 overall, one ranking ahead of Gibbs. As redraft season falls upon us, keep up to date with the rankings you and your league mates use. RB5’s ADP = 13 while RB11’s = 25.9 according to Sleeper’s redraft ADP. If you are in a 3rd round reversal draft and have pick 12, here is how that could pan out: 

Pick 12 = RB Henry Pick 13 = WR Wilson Pick 25 = RB Jacobs

Pick 12 = RB Gibbs Pick 13 = WR Wilson Pick 25 = RB Henry

I know which one I like better (the option on the right, like lesbe honest)

RB2 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Rachaad White	13	13.4	13	12-17	5
Josh Jacobs	14	14.2	15	11-18	7
Joe Mixon	15	14.6	14	12-17	5
Alvin Kamara	16	15.8	17	11-20	9
*Kenneth Walker III	17	15.9	16	15-17	2
David Montgomery	18	19.1	19	16-21	5
James Conner	19	19.5	21	14-22	8
Aaron Jones	20	20.1	19	15-26	11
Rhamondre Stevenson	21	20.2	20	18-25	7
Zamir White	22	22.9	23	18-26	8
D’Andre Swift	23	24.3	22	22-29	7
Najee Harris	24	24.3	23	22-29	7

I’m sorry to report this tier is boring, especially compared to last week. Jacobs/Mixon and  Conner/Jones switched spots. Stevenson’s range increased by 3, but his average only went down by 0.2. Walker’s range shrank from 4 to 2. There is nothing new to report, but I imagine I will eat those words by the end of August.

RB3 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Raheem Mostert	25	24.4	19	19-33	14
Jaylen Warren	26	26.6	27	24-31	7
Tony Pollard	27	26.7	24	21-32	11
Javonte Williams	28	28.6	29	25-35	10
Brian Robinson Jr.	29	28.9	28	24-36	12
Devin Singletary	30	30.2	31	27-34	7
Tyjae Spears	31	31.2	31	29-35	6
Jonathon Brooks	32	31.9	33	21-37	16
Zack Moss	33	32.3	32	27-35	8
*Austin Ekeler	34	33.1	35	28-35	7
Chase Brown	35	35.1	35	31-41	10
Gus Edwards	36	35.2	36	25-39	14

This tier has some shakeups in it! Chase Brown, the spotlight player in the RB4 Tier last week, has moved up to the RB3 Tier. Ezekiel Elliott has dropped a tier. But, Javonte Williams needs to be discussed. His average last week was 31.1 and has now jumped to 28.6. Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life is the only source ranking Javonte at RB30 or lower. Compare that to last week when my employer, Goingfor2, was the only source who had Javonte at RB29 or higher (Proud of you, Geoff and company). Fantasy heads are warming up to the idea that Javonte could be more productive this season. Are you?

RB4 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Jerome Ford	37	37.0	38	33-39	6
Ezekiel Elliott	38	37.2	37	30-43	13
Nick Chubb	39	40.2	37	36-51	15
Zach Charbonnet	40	41.2	40	37-48	11
Trey Benson	41	42.2	44	38-45	7
Blake Corum	42	42.4	41	39-47	8
Chuba Hubbard	43	42.8	45	39-46	7
*Rico Dowdle	44	44.7	39	39-53	14
Ty Chandler	45	44.7	47	38-47	9
Antonio Gibson	46	44.9	47	40-49	9
Tyler Allgeier	47	45.8	46	41-52	11
J.K. Dobbins	48	48.0	42	42-56	14

Welp. The Kinami Code from last week’s RB5 Tier seems to be broken. He might not even make the team. That opens up the Chargers backfield to be led by Edwards and Dobbins. I feel like they’ve teamed up together before… J.K. Dobbins rose to the RB4 Tier this week, shrinking his range from 21 to 14, his average bumped up from 51.3 to 48.0, and his lowest ranking elevating from 63 to 56. While teammate Edwards remains an entire tier above him, watch for Dobbins to continue to climb the rankings, possibly dropping Edwards down in the process.

RB5 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Jaleel McLaughlin	49	49.7	48	47-55	8
MarShawn Lloyd	50	50.9	51	48-56	8
Ray Davis	51	51.6	55	42-55	13
Kendre Miller	52	52.1	52	44-60	16
Khalil Herbert	53	54.0	#N/A	45-67	22
Roschon Johnson	54	55.3	54	49-61	12
*Jaylen Wright	55	56.8	56	49-69	20
Bucky Irving	56	57.4	#N/A	49-68	19
Dameon Pierce	57	57.8	57	52-65	13
Braelon Allen	58	57.9	56	54-63	9
Elijah Mitchell	59	59.1	58	51-72	21
Audric Estime	60	62.3	64	57-67	10

Braelon Allen enters the RB5 Tier for the first time and after watching his preseason debut, 7 out of 10 sources moved him up in their rankings. Rightfully so. FantasyPros moved him from RB65 to RB54, PFF boosted him from RB65 to RB56, and Yahoo! launched him from RB71 to RB57. RB71’s ADP = 251.3 and RB57’s ADP = 191.8 on Sleeper in redraft leagues. He just moved up 60 spots in Yahoo!’s rankings IN A WEEK y’all. However, Fantasy Life had already keyed in on Allen, ranking him at RB55 last week and moving him up one to RB54. Keep an eye out for sources who have outliers earlier in the game. They could be on to something.

Some quick takeaways:

• The RB2 Tier, known lovingly as the “dead zone,” is pretty dead right now. 
• Watch for top players to have weird fluctuations like Derrick Henry. This won’t be the last time it happens before the season starts.
• Knowing your sources is one thing; knowing your opponents changes the game
• Some of these lower-tiered backfield battles are drastically changing the late-round RB landscape. Continue to keep an eye on them, especially during preseason games.
• Players with larger ranges create tough landing spots and less predictability. Start knowing which large-ranged players you are willing to draft closer to the higher side of the range and ones that you are okay with falling to the lower end of their range, knowing you more than likely will not draft them.
• Knowing your sources is one thing; knowing your opponents changes the game.

Keep an eye out for my WR rankings article on Saturday. Thank you for reading! I’m hella thankful you did.

Always hit me up on Twitter (X) @topherk44 with any questions/comments/concerns/compliments/legal ways to pay off my student debt that don’t require me to make more money or budget my finances any better!

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