Some compete in dynasty leagues, and that demographic can be forgotten about as we all scour the waiver wire for guys who’ll be good on Sunday or for the next few weeks. With dynasty, some time is spent looking not at the next few years, trying to identify players who are backups now but who might become starters in the future.
I hit one position each weekend. I’m going with running backs this time, and it’s a position dominated by younger players. Of the top 13 on my personal board, the oldest two are David Johnson and Melvin Gordon, who are 26 and 25 years old. Only one of the others in the top 13 is older than 23.
Mark Ingram is the elder statesman in the top 25, at 28 years old. Only three others in the top 25 are in the back half of their 20s: LeVeon Bell and Devonta Freeman are both 26, and Lamar Miller is 27.
Bell is the most compelling player on this list. When he’s in the right offense, he’s capable of being a top-5 back, but can he find a team. The Steelers have been unwilling to sign him to a contract worth more than $14.5 million per year. Can he find a team that wants to pay him much more? He’s had some injury issues, and he’s been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. More notably, most teams tend to prefer to use younger, cheaper players at that position.
I went with Todd Gurley as the top back. He’s good, and I like the offense he’s in. Ezekiel Elliott is younger and maybe better, but he’s on a team where they don’t seem to know what they’re doing offensively.
Rookies are tagged with black dots. I included a few players with long-term injuries, and they come with the “(inj.)” designation. Three of those backs seem to have a reasonable chance of putting up top-25 numbers next year: Derrius Guice, D’Onta Foreman and Jerick McKinnon.
Speaking of McKinnon, rankings here are based on standard scoring. McKinnon arguably could be ranked 20 spots higher if we were to assume PPR scoring – his value is more as a James White type pass catcher than as a player who’ll crank out 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
DYNASTY RUNNING BACKS | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Team | Player | Age |
1. | LAR | Todd Gurley | 24 |
2. | DAL | Ezekiel Elliott | 23 |
3. | NYG | • Saquon Barkley | 21 |
4. | NO | Alvin Kamara | 23 |
5. | KC | Kareem Hunt | 23 |
6. | LAC | Melvin Gordon | 25 |
7. | ARI | David Johnson | 26 |
8. | CAR | Christian McCaffrey | 22 |
9. | JAC | Leonard Fournette | 23 |
10. | MIN | Dalvin Cook | 23 |
11. | CIN | Joe Mixon | 22 |
12. | PIT | James Conner | 23 |
13. | CHI | Jordan Howard | 23 |
14. | NO | Mark Ingram | 28 |
15. | PIT | LeVeon Bell | 26 |
16. | ATL | Devonta Freeman | 26 |
17. | TEN | Derrick Henry | 24 |
18. | BAL | Alex Collins | 24 |
19. | PHI | Jay Ajayi | 25 |
20. | MIA | Kenyan Drake | 24 |
21. | TB | Peyton Barber | 24 |
22. | SEA | Chris Carson | 24 |
23. | NE | • Sony Michel | 23 |
24. | ATL | Tevin Coleman | 25 |
25. | HOU | Lamar Miller | 27 |
26. | DET | • Kerryon Johnson | 21 |
27. | TEN | Dion Lewis | 28 |
28. | NE | James White | 26 |
29. | LAC | Austin Ekeler | 23 |
30. | SF | Matt Breida | 23 |
31. | NYJ | Isaiah Crowell | 25 |
32. | SEA | • Rashaad Penny | 22 |
33. | DEN | • Phillip Lindsay | 24 |
34. | OAK | Marshawn Lynch | 32 |
35. | IND | Marlon Mack | 22 |
36. | GB | Aaron Jones | 23 |
37. | WAS | • Derrius Guice (inj.) | 21 |
38. | CHI | Tarik Cohen | 23 |
39. | WAS | Chris Thompson | 27 |
40. | CLE | Carlos Hyde | 27 |
41. | BUF | LeSean McCoy | 30 |
42. | DEN | • Royce Freeman | 22 |
43. | NYJ | Bilal Powell | 29 |
44. | WAS | Adrian Peterson | 33 |
45. | PHI | Corey Clement | 23 |
46. | GB | Jamaal Williams | 23 |
47. | SF | Alfred Morris | 29 |
48. | BAL | Javorius Allen | 27 |
49. | MIN | Latavius Murray | 28 |
50. | CLE | • Nick Chubb | 22 |
51. | DET | Theo Riddick | 27 |
52. | CIN | Giovani Bernard | 26 |
53. | JAC | T.J. Yeldon | 24 |
54. | IND | • Jordan Wilkins | 24 |
55. | CLE | Duke Johnson | 25 |
56. | HOU | D'Onta Foreman (inj.) | 22 |
57. | ARI | • Chase Edmonds | 22 |
58. | IND | • Nyheim Hines | 21 |
59. | NYG | Wayne Gallman | 23 |
60. | CAR | C.J. Anderson | 27 |
61. | OAK | Doug Martin | 29 |
62. | JAC | Corey Grant | 26 |
63. | DET | LeGarrette Blount | 31 |
64. | LAR | Malcolm Brown | 25 |
65. | SF | Jerick McKinnon (inj.) | 26 |
66. | BUF | Marcus Murphy | 26 |
67. | KC | Spencer Ware | 26 |
68. | GB | Ty Montgomery | 25 |
69. | HOU | Alfred Blue | 27 |
70. | DAL | Rod Smith | 26 |
71. | OAK | Jalen Richard | 24 |
72. | BUF | Chris Ivory | 30 |
73. | OAK | • Chris Warren (inj.) | 22 |
74. | ATL | • Ito Smith | 23 |
75. | MIA | Frank Gore | 35 |
76. | DEN | Devontae Booker | 26 |
77. | LAR | • John Kelly | 21 |
78. | PHI | Wendell Smallwood | 24 |
79. | TB | Jacquizz Rodgers | 28 |
80. | PHI | Darren Sproles | 35 |
81. | WAS | Samaje Perine | 23 |
82. | NYJ | Elijah McGuire (inj.) | 24 |
83. | CAR | Cameron Artis-Payne | 28 |
84. | NE | Rex Burkhead (inj.) | 28 |
85. | MIN | • Mike Boone | 23 |
86. | SF | Kyle Juszczyk | 27 |
87. | TB | • Ronald Jones | 21 |
88. | MIA | • Kalen Ballage | 22 |
89. | KC | Damien Williams | 26 |
90. | SEA | Mike Davis | 25 |
91. | IND | Robert Turbin | 28 |
92. | NO | Mike Gillislee | 27 |
93. | NE | Jeremy Hill (inj.) | 25 |
94. | DET | Ameer Abdullah | 25 |
95. | PIT | • Jaylen Samuels | 22 |
96. | OAK | DeAndre Washington | 25 |
97. | CHI | Benny Cunningham | 28 |
98. | PIT | Stevan Ridley | 29 |
99. | IND | Jeremy McNichols | 22 |
100. | ARI | T.J. Logan | 24 |
Next week: Tight ends
—Ian Allan