Kenyan Drake played well on Thursday night, reminding everyone that his services will be for sale at the end of the season. He’ll be a notable back somewhere in 2020.
It might be in Arizona. He looked like a nice fit in that offense, with his speed and receiving ability. Three days after his trade out of Miami, he put up 162 total yards and a touchdown in a near-upset of undefeated San Francisco.
Drake is built more like a wide receiver (6-1, 211), so I don’t think he’ll ever be a heavy-duty back who’ll play 16 games. He’s not built for that kind of workload. But he makes plays. This is the same guy who scored on a key kickoff return to help Alabama win a college national title in this same building four years ago. And Drake authored the 2018 Play of the Year when he scored a walk-off touchdown to beat the Patriots, with Rob Gronkowski left lying on the ground.
Drake might be one of the top half-dozen pass-catching backs in the league.
Drake was largely unproductive in his three-plus years with the Dolphins, but it wasn’t all his fault. That’s the worst team in the league right now, without much of an offensive line. The previous year, Drake was handcuffed to Adam Gase, who doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing.
I’m not sure if Arizona will re-sign him. It has a pair of other capable backs (David Johnson, Chase Edmonds). But Drake will sign somewhere. I think he’ll be part of a one-two punch for some team. So as I update the rankings for dynasty leagues, I think he can start being considered about 25 running backs in. Would you rather have him than Devonta Freeman and Todd Gurley? I think that’s a conversation that can occur. (Gurley was about the best player in the league in the 2017-18 seasons, but with his knee issues, how much longer is he going to last?)
On the rankings below, I’m assuming PPR scoring. And with these being dynasty rankings, I’m looking not just at 2019 but the next few years.
In the case of Gurley, he’s got some here-and-now value, but he’s not a player I would want. I don’t think he’s even the best running back on his own team – Darrell Henderson to me looks like he’s better than Gurley right now and has a lot more tread left on his tires.
These rankings are a lot harder to put together, as you try to weigh future potential against what guys are doing right now. Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson, for example, are currently starting running backs, but there’s a decent chance each are in the final half season of their careers. Gore is 36.
On this one, I have a list of all the running backs. I go by gut feel on this one, scrolling down the list, moving guys up a few spots here and there.
I hit a position each Saturday. It was quarterbacks last week. Next week we’ll be back to wide receivers. To see previous rankings, see the “past issues” link on the right side of the page.
DYNASTY LEAGUE RUNNING BACKS | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Tm | Player | Age |
1. | NYG | Saquon Barkley | 22 |
2. | MIN | Dalvin Cook | 24 |
3. | CAR | Christian McCaffrey | 23 |
4. | DAL | Ezekiel Elliott | 24 |
5. | NO | Alvin Kamara | 24 |
6. | CLE | Nick Chubb | 23 |
7. | OAK | • Josh Jacobs | 21 |
8. | GB | Aaron Jones | 24 |
9. | CHI | • David Montgomery | 22 |
10. | TEN | Derrick Henry | 25 |
11. | IND | Marlon Mack | 23 |
12. | CIN | Joe Mixon | 23 |
13. | ARI | David Johnson | 27 |
14. | JAC | Leonard Fournette | 24 |
15. | PIT | James Conner | 24 |
16. | DEN | Phillip Lindsay | 25 |
17. | LAC | Melvin Gordon | 26 |
18. | PHI | • Miles Sanders | 22 |
19. | NYJ | LeVeon Bell | 27 |
20. | NE | James White | 27 |
21. | SEA | Chris Carson | 25 |
22. | BAL | Mark Ingram | 29 |
23. | BUF | • Devin Singletary | 22 |
24. | LAR | • Darrell Henderson | 22 |
25. | ATL | Devonta Freeman | 27 |
26. | NE | Sony Michel | 24 |
27. | LAC | Austin Ekeler | 24 |
28. | SF | Tevin Coleman | 26 |
29. | MIN | • Alexander Mattison | 21 |
30. | CHI | Tarik Cohen | 24 |
31. | SF | Matt Breida | 24 |
32. | ARI | Kenyan Drake | 25 |
33. | LAR | Todd Gurley | 25 |
34. | PHI | Jordan Howard | 25 |
35. | TB | Ronald Jones | 22 |
36. | GB | Jamaal Williams | 24 |
37. | DEN | Royce Freeman | 23 |
38. | SEA | Rashaad Penny | 23 |
39. | CLE | Kareem Hunt | 24 |
40. | HOU | Duke Johnson | 26 |
41. | DET | Kerryon Johnson | 22 |
42. | KC | LeSean McCoy | 31 |
43. | NO | Latavius Murray | 29 |
44. | PIT | Jaylen Samuels | 23 |
45. | KC | Damien Williams | 27 |
46. | HOU | Carlos Hyde | 28 |
47. | WAS | Derrius Guice | 22 |
48. | MIA | Mark Walton | 22 |
49. | TB | Peyton Barber | 25 |
50. | IND | Nyheim Hines | 22 |
51. | NE | • Damien Harris | 22 |
52. | DAL | • Tony Pollard | 22 |
53. | NE | Rex Burkhead | 29 |
54. | ARI | Chase Edmonds | 23 |
55. | NYG | Wayne Gallman | 25 |
56. | CAR | • Reggie Bonnafon | 23 |
57. | IND | Jordan Wilkins | 25 |
58. | ATL | Ito Smith | 24 |
59. | PIT | • Benny Snell | 21 |
60. | WAS | Adrian Peterson | 34 |
61. | CIN | Giovani Bernard | 27 |
62. | JAC | • Ryquell Armstead | 23 |
63. | BAL | • Justice Hill | 21 |
64. | BAL | Gus Edwards | 24 |
65. | OAK | DeAndre Washington | 26 |
66. | NYJ | Ty Montgomery | 26 |
67. | DET | Tra Carson | 27 |
68. | TEN | Dion Lewis | 29 |
69. | LAR | Malcolm Brown | 26 |
70. | DET | • Ty Johnson | 22 |
71. | LAC | Justin Jackson | 23 |
72. | UFA | Jay Ajayi | 26 |
73. | KC | Darrel Williams | 24 |
74. | WAS | Chris Thompson | 29 |
75. | SF | Raheem Mostert | 27 |
76. | CIN | • Trayveon Williams | 21 |
77. | MIA | Kalen Ballage | 23 |
78. | BUF | Frank Gore | 36 |
79. | KC | • Darwin Thompson | 22 |
80. | OAK | Jalen Richard | 25 |
81. | BUF | T.J. Yeldon | 26 |
82. | PHI | Boston Scott | 24 |
83. | CLE | Dontrell Hilliard | 24 |
84. | GB | • Dexter Williams | 22 |
85. | ATL | • Qadree Ollison | 23 |
86. | CAR | • Jordan Scarlett | 23 |
87. | SEA | C.J. Prosise | 25 |
88. | CHI | Mike Davis | 26 |
89. | ATL | Brian Hill | 23 |
90. | SF | Jeff Wilson | 23 |
91. | DET | J.D. McKissic | 26 |
92. | NYJ | Trenton Cannon | 24 |
93. | MIA | • Myles Gaskin | 22 |
94. | LAR | John Kelly | 23 |
95. | NYJ | Bilal Powell | 31 |
96. | UFA | Alfred Blue | 28 |
97. | MIN | Mike Boone | 24 |
98. | UFA | C.J. Anderson | 28 |
99. | DET | Paul Perkins | 24 |
100. | DEN | Theo Riddick | 28 |
—Ian Allan