The Giants host Carolina this week, and while few would think of that as a marquee matchup, in fantasy terms, it is. At least as it applies to the running backs starting for both teams, Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey has been in the league the past five seasons, Barkley four. In two of those (2018 and 2019) they were two of the very best running backs (NFL or fantasy). The last two have been injury-marred, and there are still questions about how they'll fare this year. But fortunately this matchup came early in the year; both are healthy now.
Barkley, certainly, was one of the stars of Week 1. Anyone who selected him in the second round (or later?) is feeling great about it right now.
McCaffrey put up more modest numbers, but at least he scored and played 80 percent of the time. A few months from now, maybe we'll be looking at both players as top picks in 2023.
Since McCaffrey entered the league in 2017, he's put up three of the top 52 fantasy seasons (PPR scoring), including the two very best. Barkley, in one fewer season, has two of that group. (Yes I extended it from 50 to 52 to sneak in another McCaffrey year, sorry.)
TOP RUNNING BACK SEASONS (PPR SCORING), 2017-2022 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | G | Run | No | Rec | TD | PPR | Rk |
2019 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 16 | 1387 | 116 | 1005 | 19 | 471.2 | 1 |
2018 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 16 | 1098 | 107 | 867 | 13 | 388.0 | 1 |
2017 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 15 | 1305 | 64 | 788 | 19 | 387.3 | 1 |
2018 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 16 | 1307 | 91 | 721 | 15 | 385.8 | 2 |
2020 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 15 | 932 | 83 | 756 | 21 | 377.8 | 1 |
2021 | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 17 | 1811 | 40 | 360 | 20 | 377.1 | 1 |
2018 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 14 | 1251 | 59 | 580 | 21 | 374.1 | 3 |
2018 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 15 | 883 | 81 | 709 | 18 | 354.2 | 4 |
2021 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 16 | 911 | 70 | 647 | 20 | 349.8 | 2 |
2017 | LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 15 | 1291 | 85 | 655 | 11 | 345.6 | 2 |
2020 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | 14 | 1557 | 44 | 361 | 17 | 343.8 | 2 |
2020 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 16 | 2027 | 19 | 114 | 17 | 337.1 | 3 |
2018 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 15 | 1434 | 77 | 567 | 9 | 331.1 | 5 |
2017 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 16 | 728 | 81 | 826 | 14 | 322.4 | 3 |
2019 | Aaron Jones, G.B. | 16 | 1084 | 49 | 474 | 19 | 318.8 | 2 |
2019 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 16 | 1357 | 54 | 420 | 14 | 315.7 | 3 |
2019 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 16 | 557 | 92 | 993 | 11 | 313.0 | 4 |
2021 | Najee Harris, Pitt. | 17 | 1200 | 74 | 467 | 10 | 300.7 | 3 |
2019 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 15 | 1540 | 18 | 206 | 18 | 300.6 | 5 |
2017 | Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 16 | 1327 | 53 | 455 | 11 | 297.2 | 4 |
2019 | Dalvin Cook, Min. | 14 | 1135 | 53 | 519 | 13 | 296.4 | 6 |
2021 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 16 | 1205 | 42 | 314 | 16 | 289.9 | 4 |
2017 | Melvin Gordon, LAC | 16 | 1105 | 58 | 476 | 12 | 288.1 | 5 |
2018 | James Conner, Pitt. | 13 | 973 | 55 | 497 | 13 | 284.0 | 6 |
2017 | Mark Ingram, N.O. | 16 | 1124 | 58 | 416 | 12 | 284.0 | 6 |
2018 | James White, N.E. | 16 | 425 | 87 | 751 | 12 | 276.6 | 7 |
2018 | Melvin Gordon, LAC | 12 | 885 | 50 | 490 | 14 | 275.5 | 8 |
2020 | David Montgomery, Chi. | 15 | 1070 | 54 | 438 | 10 | 266.8 | 4 |
2017 | LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 16 | 1138 | 59 | 448 | 8 | 265.6 | 7 |
2019 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 15 | 1152 | 76 | 522 | 3 | 261.4 | 7 |
2019 | Nick Chubb, Cle. | 16 | 1494 | 36 | 278 | 8 | 261.2 | 8 |
2020 | Aaron Jones, G.B. | 14 | 1104 | 47 | 355 | 11 | 258.9 | 5 |
2021 | James Conner, Ariz. | 15 | 752 | 37 | 375 | 18 | 257.7 | 5 |
2021 | Leonard Fournette, T.B. | 14 | 812 | 69 | 454 | 10 | 255.6 | 6 |
2020 | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 15 | 1169 | 36 | 299 | 12 | 254.8 | 6 |
2021 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 17 | 1002 | 47 | 287 | 12 | 254.1 | 7 |
2020 | James Robinson, Jac. | 14 | 1070 | 49 | 344 | 10 | 252.4 | 7 |
2019 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 14 | 797 | 81 | 533 | 6 | 250.7 | 9 |
2018 | David Johnson, Ariz. | 16 | 940 | 50 | 446 | 10 | 250.6 | 9 |
2019 | Mark Ingram, Balt. | 15 | 1018 | 26 | 247 | 15 | 246.5 | 10 |
2019 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | 13 | 1003 | 52 | 438 | 8 | 244.1 | 11 |
2018 | Joe Mixon, Cin. | 14 | 1168 | 43 | 296 | 9 | 243.4 | 10 |
2019 | Chris Carson, Sea. | 15 | 1230 | 37 | 266 | 9 | 240.6 | 12 |
2018 | Tarik Cohen, Chi. | 16 | 444 | 71 | 725 | 8 | 240.0 | 11 |
2021 | Antonio Gibson, Was. | 16 | 1037 | 42 | 294 | 10 | 237.1 | 8 |
2017 | Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 16 | 938 | 59 | 350 | 8 | 235.8 | 8 |
2020 | Josh Jacobs, L.V. | 15 | 1065 | 33 | 238 | 12 | 235.3 | 8 |
2021 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 13 | 898 | 47 | 439 | 9 | 234.7 | 9 |
2021 | Cordarrelle Patterson, Atl. | 16 | 618 | 52 | 548 | 11 | 234.6 | 10 |
2020 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 15 | 979 | 52 | 338 | 8 | 233.7 | 9 |
2021 | Aaron Jones, G.B. | 15 | 799 | 52 | 391 | 10 | 231.0 | 11 |
2017 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 16 | 435 | 80 | 651 | 7 | 230.6 | 9 |
It's a long season, so who knows if they'll put together the kind of years they've proved capable of. But it will be fun to watch them try on Sunday.
--Andy Richardson