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Dynasty Leagues

For whom will Bell toil?

Updrafted long-term running back rankings

Where will LeVeon Bell go in drafts next summer? He’s a great player, he’s only 26, and I imagine he’ll find a team willing to pay him close to $20 million per year. But there are a lot of good running backs out there.

If I were walking into a draft today for a dynasty league, Bell wouldn’t be one of the first dozen running backs I would select. There are too many other good players at that position. Many aren’t quite as talented as Bell, but they’re younger and locked into more favorable situations. Aaron Jones, for example, isn’t quite a Bell-like talent, but he’s explosive and starting for a Green Bay offense that should be good for years.

Ranking Bell, of course, is difficult when he doesn’t yet even have a team. Time will tell where he lands. The Jets might be the front-runners to sign him, and that wouldn’t be a great situation. If he were to sign with the Dolphins, he potentially could be playing with a team with a new coach, new offense and new quarterback.

Below is my updated attempt at ranking the top 100 running backs for dynasty league purposes. I’m assuming standard scoring, and I’m assuming teams would be allowed to keep players indefinitely.

Of the running backs in my top 10, Melvin Gordon (25) and Todd Gurley (24) are the older. Of my top 16, all of the other running backs are no older than 23 years old except Bell and David Johnson (who are both 26). It’s a young man’s position.

These are dynasty rankings, so I’m trying to keep 2019 and 2020 very much in mind. Of the top 100, 11 of the running backs definitely won’t play again this season. One isn’t even on a team (C.J. Anderson).

DYNASTY RANKINGS, RUNNING BACKS
RkTeamPlayerAge
1.LARTodd Gurley24
2.NYG• Saquon Barkley21
3.DALEzekiel Elliott23
4.KCKareem Hunt23
5.LACMelvin Gordon25
6.PITJames Conner23
7.NOAlvin Kamara23
8.CARChristian McCaffrey22
9.CLE• Nick Chubb22
10.CINJoe Mixon22
11.ARIDavid Johnson26
12.GBAaron Jones23
13.MINDalvin Cook23
14.PITLeVeon Bell26
15.NE• Sony Michel23
16.DET• Kerryon Johnson21
17.JACLeonard Fournette23
18.SFMatt Breida23
19.NOMark Ingram28
20.DEN• Phillip Lindsay24
21.INDMarlon Mack22
22.CHIJordan Howard24
23.ATLTevin Coleman25
24.CHITarik Cohen23
25.ATLDevonta Freeman26
26.SEA• Rashaad Penny22
27.NEJames White26
28.WAS• Derrius Guice21
29.TENDerrick Henry24
30.BALAlex Collins24
31.TENDion Lewis28
32.MIAKenyan Drake24
33.NYJIsaiah Crowell25
34.PHIJay Ajayi25
35.SEAChris Carson24
36.LACAustin Ekeler23
37.DEN• Royce Freeman22
38.HOUD'Onta Foreman22
39.CLEDuke Johnson25
40.BUFLeSean McCoy30
41.IND• Nyheim Hines22
42.HOULamar Miller27
43.TBPeyton Barber24
44.PHI• Josh Adams22
45.MINLatavius Murray28
46.SFJerick McKinnon26
47.ATL• Ito Smith23
48.WASChris Thompson28
49.CINGiovani Bernard26
50.LARMalcolm Brown25
51.NYJElijah McGuire24
52.TB• Ronald Jones21
53.DETTheo Riddick27
54.OAKJalen Richard25
55.GBJamaal Williams23
56.NERex Burkhead28
57.IND• Jordan Wilkins24
58.OAKMarshawn Lynch32
59.WASAdrian Peterson33
60.KCSpencer Ware26
61.MIAFrank Gore35
62.PHIWendell Smallwood24
63.JACT.J. Yeldon25
64.NYGWayne Gallman24
65.PIT• Jaylen Samuels22
66.BALJavorius Allen27
67.OAKDoug Martin29
68.MIA• Kalen Ballage22
69.JACCarlos Hyde27
70.ARI• Chase Edmonds22
71.PHICorey Clement24
72.SEAMike Davis25
73.OAK• Chris Warren22
74.DENDevontae Booker26
75.UFAC.J. Anderson27
76.SFRaheem Mostert26
77.CIN• Mark Walton21
78.HOUAlfred Blue27
79.LAR• John Kelly22
80.BUFChris Ivory30
81.DETLeGarrette Blount31
82.CARCameron Artis-Payne28
83.BALGus Edwards23
84.SFKyle Juszczyk27
85.NEJeremy Hill26
86.DALRod Smith26
87.BALTy Montgomery25
88.JACCorey Grant26
89.TBJacquizz Rodgers28
90.KCDamien Williams26
91.NYJBilal Powell30
92.PITStevan Ridley29
93.MINAmeer Abdullah25
94.BUFMarcus Murphy27
95.MIN• Mike Boone23
96.WASSamaje Perine23
97.BALKenneth Dixon24
98.LACJustin Jackson22
99.SEAJ.D. McKissic25
100.DETZach Zenner27

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index