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Dynasty Leagues

Gurley tops running backs

Grading the top 100 running backs for dynasty leagues

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
RkTeamPlayerAge
1.LARTodd Gurley24
2.DALEzekiel Elliott23
3.NYG• Saquon Barkley21
4.NOAlvin Kamara23
5.KCKareem Hunt23
6.LACMelvin Gordon25
7.ARIDavid Johnson26
8.CARChristian McCaffrey22
9.JACLeonard Fournette23
10.MINDalvin Cook23
11.CINJoe Mixon22
12.PITJames Conner23
13.CHIJordan Howard23
14.NOMark Ingram28
15.PITLeVeon Bell26
16.ATLDevonta Freeman26
17.TENDerrick Henry24
18.BALAlex Collins24
19.PHIJay Ajayi25
20.MIAKenyan Drake24
21.TBPeyton Barber24
22.SEAChris Carson24
23.NE• Sony Michel23
24.ATLTevin Coleman25
25.HOULamar Miller27
26.DET• Kerryon Johnson21
27.TENDion Lewis28
28.NEJames White26
29.LACAustin Ekeler23
30.SFMatt Breida23
31.NYJIsaiah Crowell25
32.SEA• Rashaad Penny22
33.DEN• Phillip Lindsay24
34.OAKMarshawn Lynch32
35.INDMarlon Mack22
36.GBAaron Jones23
37.WAS• Derrius Guice (inj.)21
38.CHITarik Cohen23
39.WASChris Thompson27
40.CLECarlos Hyde27
41.BUFLeSean McCoy30
42.DEN• Royce Freeman22
43.NYJBilal Powell29
44.WASAdrian Peterson33
45.PHICorey Clement23
46.GBJamaal Williams23
47.SFAlfred Morris29
48.BALJavorius Allen27
49.MINLatavius Murray28
50.CLE• Nick Chubb22
51.DETTheo Riddick27
52.CINGiovani Bernard26
53.JACT.J. Yeldon24
54.IND• Jordan Wilkins24
55.CLEDuke Johnson25
56.HOUD'Onta Foreman (inj.)22
57.ARI• Chase Edmonds22
58.IND• Nyheim Hines21
59.NYGWayne Gallman23
60.CARC.J. Anderson27
61.OAKDoug Martin29
62.JACCorey Grant26
63.DETLeGarrette Blount31
64.LARMalcolm Brown25
65.SFJerick McKinnon (inj.)26
66.BUFMarcus Murphy26
67.KCSpencer Ware26
68.GBTy Montgomery25
69.HOUAlfred Blue27
70.DALRod Smith26
71.OAKJalen Richard24
72.BUFChris Ivory30
73.OAK• Chris Warren (inj.)22
74.ATL• Ito Smith23
75.MIAFrank Gore35
76.DENDevontae Booker26
77.LAR• John Kelly21
78.PHIWendell Smallwood24
79.TBJacquizz Rodgers28
80.PHIDarren Sproles35
81.WASSamaje Perine23
82.NYJElijah McGuire (inj.)24
83.CARCameron Artis-Payne28
84.NERex Burkhead (inj.)28
85.MIN• Mike Boone23
86.SFKyle Juszczyk27
87.TB• Ronald Jones21
88.MIA• Kalen Ballage22
89.KCDamien Williams26
90.SEAMike Davis25
91.INDRobert Turbin28
92.NOMike Gillislee27
93.NEJeremy Hill (inj.)25
94.DETAmeer Abdullah25
95.PIT• Jaylen Samuels22
96.OAKDeAndre Washington25
97.CHIBenny Cunningham28
98.PITStevan Ridley29
99.INDJeremy McNichols22
100.ARIT.J. Logan24

Next week: Tight ends

—Ian Allan

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