The Best Side-by-Side RB Ranking Comparison From 10 Sources

When August comes around, questions about the impending school year flood my mind. What do I need to prepare before my students enter my classroom in two weeks? What choral skills do you want to instill in the first quarter? When are auditions for State? What student should I prank on the first day of school? What pieces align with each of my choirs needs, skills, and interests? How can I be more prepared for this academic year?

The beginning of August also sparks my annual deep dive into fantasy football. I find myself questioning what I want my draft strategy to be. Should I go Hero RB, taking a Top 5 back in the first round and ignoring the position for many rounds after? Will drafting an early QB be the right move or should I go with the ever-famous late-round quarterback strategy? Is Will Fuller still hurt? Do I draft Iowa TEs because I’m a Hawkeyes fan (Iowa-born and raised), because they dominate, or both?

Last week, I wrote my first articles and received stellar reviews from people I knew and strangers on the internet. It was a pretty legit feeling. I’m going to start writing two articles a week, starting with RBs and following up with WRs.

Check out my first article to understand what these studies are about; The Best Side-by-Side WR Ranking Comparison From 10 Sources.

*My favorite player in each tier based on the data alone (and no favoritism this time! That’s growth)

RB1 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Christian McCaffrey	1	1.0	1	1-1	0
Bijan Robinson	2	2.4	2	2-3	1
Breece Hall	3	2.6	3	2-3	1
Jonathan Taylor	4	4.7	4	4-6	2
Jahmyr Gibbs	5	4.9	4	4-7	3
Saquon Barkley	6	6.1	6	4-8	4
Kyren Williams	7	6.9	8	4-10	6
Derrick Henry	8	8.0	9	6-10	4
Travis Etienne Jr.	9	9.4	10	7-13	6
*Isiah Pacheco	10	9.9	9	8-12	4
De’Von Achane	11	10.9	11	8-16	8
James Cook	12	13.2	14	10-18	8

De’Von Achane stunned the world with 518 yards and 7 TDs on 45 total touches during Weeks 2-4 of the NFL season. Those compete with Madden numbers (well, when someone else is playing, not me though). He is in an offense that could capitalize on his talent and make him the overall RB1, but that is very unlikely with Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright in the backfield. There are much safer options out there and the rankings reflect that. 8 out of 10 sources have Achane in their Top 12, making CBS and ESPN the outsiders with him at RB13 and RB16. The ADP difference between RB8 and RB16 is roughly 30 draft slots. That’s an extreme difference when looking at the RB position.

RB2 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Rachaad White	13	13.4	12	12-17	5
Joe Mixon	14	14.5	13	12-17	5
Josh Jacobs	15	14.6	14	12-19	7
Alvin Kamara	16	15.7	18	11-18	7
Kenneth Walker III	17	16.8	16	16-20	4
*David Montgomery	18	19.2	20	15-22	7
Aaron Jones	19	19.3	19	15-25	10
James Conner	20	19.6	21	14-21	7
Rhamondre Stevenson	21	20.0	20	18-22	4
Zamir White	22	23.1	23	19-26	7
D’Andre Swift	23	24.0	22	22-27	5
Najee Harris	24	24.2	24	22-27	5

Unlike my first examination of the WR position, the RB2 tier does not contain broad ranges. Aaron Jones is the only player with a double-digit range. As a Packers fan, my heart aches to see him as a Viking… PPF is the only source ranking Jones in the Top 15 while CBS anchors his rankings at RB25. Six sources rank him between RB17-19, providing us with a good idea that no matter what sources your opponents are using, that is where he will more than likely be drafted.

RB3 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Raheem Mostert	25	25.0	30	18-34	16
Jaylen Warren	26	26.2	25	24-30	6
Tony Pollard	27	26.6	26	23-31	8
Brian Robinson Jr.	28	29.1	28	24-35	11
Jonathon Brooks	29	30.4	27	21-37	16
Javonte Williams	30	31.1	31	27-34	7
*Devin Singletary	31	31.1	29	29-34	5
Zack Moss	32	31.2	33	28-36	8
Tyjae Spears	33	31.2	29	27-36	9
Austin Ekeler	34	33.4	35	28-36	8
Gus Edwards	35	35.1	37	25-38	13
Ezekiel Elliott	36	35.8	36	29-42	13

I am tired of living in unprecedented times. I just want some normalcy but cannot even get that in fantasy. For the time since at least 2015 (as far back as I went), a rookie running back is not being ranked in the Top 24. According to recent reports, Jonathan Brooks hopes to star in his rookie debut around Week 3 or 4. His injury recovery and the Carolina offense he belongs to are scaring away all the sources but the NFL, ranking him at RB21. The Fantasy Footballers have Brooks ranked at RB37; the lowest ranking of the six sources to have Brooks outside the Top 30. If he wasn’t injured how different would his ranking be? 

RB4 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
Chase Brown	37	36.1	38	28-43	15
Jerome Ford	38	38.3	40	34-42	8
Nick Chubb	39	40.2	38	35-52	17
Trey Benson	40	40.2	40	37-45	8
Zach Charbonnet	41	41.0	39	39-44	5
*Blake Corum	42	42.6	41	39-47	8
Chuba Hubbard	43	44.5	48	39-48	9
Ty Chandler	44	45.0	43	38-50	12
Antonio Gibson	45	45.4	42	39-53	14
Tyler Allgeier	46	45.4	45	39-51	12
Rico Dowdle	47	45.5	43	40-54	14
Jaleel McLaughlin	48	48.4	49	44-54	10

All aboard the Chase Brown hype train being fueled by glowing reports from training camp! CBS is our train conductor, ranking him at RB28, ahead of his backfield counterpart who received a payday 4x that of Brown’s current contract, Zack Moss. CBS and Yahoo! are the only two rankings that have Brown higher than Moss. Last week, Moss was ranked ahead by an average of 10 spots of Brown. Depending on when your draft is and what sources your leaguemates use, keeping an eye on Chase Brown could be a league-altering decision. Goingfor2 is our caboose, ranking Brown at RB43 and Moss at RB31. 

RB5 TIER

PLAYER	RANK	Average	Mode	High/Low	Range
*MarShawn Lloyd	49	48.4	48	47-51	4
Kendre Miller	50	50.6	52	44-60	16
J.K. Dobbins	51	51.3	51	42-63	21
Ray Davis	52	52.3	53	47-58	11
Khalil Herbert	53	52.9	#N/A	46-64	18
Roschon Johnson	54	55.8	61	46-61	15
Elijah Mitchell	55	57.0	#N/A	49-66	17
Jaylen Wright	56	57.4	56	51-71	20
Kinami Vidal	57	58.0	57	45-68	23
Dameon Pierce	58	58.3	#N/A	54-64	10
Bucky Irving	59	60.8	61	54-73	19
Alexander Mattison	60	61.4	60	50-74	24

Before we dive into this tier’s talking point, can we be in awe that MarShawn Lloyd, in the RB5 tier,  has a range of 4? Only two other RBs outside the RB1 tier have that same range, Walker (RB17) & Stevenson (RB21). That’s the best range you’re going to see on a player ranked this low by a long shot.

Is there a new Kinami Code for the first time since the original debuted in 1986? The NFL’s rankings lead us to believe that could be the case, ranking Kinami Vidal at RB45 and his injury-plagued competition, JK Dobbins, at RB63. Besides CBS ranking Vidal at RB52, the rest of the rankings are between RB55-68. FantasyPros has the least amount of belief in the Kinami Code at RB68 and Dobbins at RB51. According to Sleeper’s redraft ADP, RB45’s ADP = 141.1 and RB68 = 223.3. Depending on your source and your leaguemate’s sources, he could be on the Round 12/13 turn or end up undrafted. That’s a huge difference that needs to be evaluated and monitored.

Some quick takeaways:

• The Top 11 RBs this year seem pretty set. James Cook, Rachaad White, and Joe Mixon are where the rankings get broader and settle into the RB2 tier
• Running back camp battles are fluid situations and figuring out who the right back to draft could get you this year’s Cam Akers or Kyren Williams
• Knowing your sources is one thing; knowing your opponents changes the game
• Players like D’Andre Swift, Devin Singletary, and Zach Charbonnet with low ranges should be the easiest to predict where they will be drafted in the majority of drafts
• Players like Aaron Jones, Gus Edwards, and Jaylen Wright must be watched more closely in drafts. Larger ranges, as described in the RB5 tier, can make the difference between a player being drafted or not
• Mock draft on various platforms to get used to different ADPs. The difference should shock you, especially in the later rounds
• I’m happy to have my first RB article done

Thank you for making it to the end of my first RB article! I am excited to see how these rankings fluctuate throughout the preseason and regular season. Always hit me up on Twitter (X) @topherk44 with any questions/comments/concerns/compliments/corgi puppies!

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