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Long-term rankings for running backs

The top 80 running backs for dynasty leagues

At the running back position, change tends to come quick. More so than at other positions, guys can go from starter to IR to right out of the league in a hurry.

James Conner, Joe Mixon, Austin Ekeler. Training camps opened with these guys looking like starters; now it’s possible none of them will ever step on an NFL field again. Najee Harris is out for the year. It’s the most physically demanding position in a tough sport.

So a draft board can be roughed up in a hurry. I haven’t looked at my dynasty rankings for running backs in a month, and they’ve been gutted pretty good. I’ve spent the last hour shuffling the guys around (going off gut feel), and I’ve got four big movers up into the top 20 – guys who not only moved but moved significantly.

Quinshon Judkins: There was the off-field drama all summer, with an ex-girlfriend accusing him of assault, but he was never charged and has been running effectively. He’s a physical runner, and he looks like he’s for real. He was the third running back drafted in April, and he’s playing like it. He’s only 22, and the Browns will get things sorted out at some point (won’t they?).

Travis Etienne: Liam Coen turned around Tampa Bay’s running game last year, and he’s doing the exact same thing for the Jags. Entering camp, I wasn’t sure if Etienne would be the team’s best, 2nd-best or 3rd-best running back. They also had Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten, making it look possible Etienne might be traded. But he’s their guy, and he’s ripping it up right now.

Javonte Williams: He signed a one-year deal worth $3 million, and that’s looking like a steal. He’s running just fine, seeming past the major knee injury that derailed him in Denver. Williams is only 25 years old.

Breece Hall: I don’t love Hall right now. He’s on a lesser team with a running quarterback (in Justin Field’s last nine starts, he’s scored 8 of his team’s 9 rushing touchdowns.) But Hall is still immensely talented, and he’s only 24. I think I like 24-year-old Hall, with the half-dozen seasons that are still coming, rather than better-right-now 29-year-old Christian McCaffrey or 31-year-old Derrick Henry.

Following rankings assume PPR scoring, with teams allowed to keep players indefinitely. I’m thinking of a 12-team league, with each team rostering maybe 6-7 running backs. With rankings, trying to strike a balance between what they’re doing right now versus the what they’ll be doing in coming seasons.

I touch on dynasty rankings every Saturday during the regular season, rotating between the four notable positions. To see the most current lists at the positions, use the “past issues” navigation tools.

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DYNASTY LEAGUE RUNNING BACKS
RkTeamPlayerAge
1.ATLBijan Robinson23.7
2.DETJahmyr Gibbs23.5
3.LV• Ashton Jeanty21.8
4.INDJonathan Taylor26.7
5.LARKyren Williams25.1
6.LAC• Omarion Hampton22.6
7.BUFJames Cook26.0
8.GBJosh Jacobs27.6
9.PHISaquon Barkley28.6
10.TBBucky Irving23.1
11.CLE• Quinshon Judkins21.9
12.MIADeVon Achane24.0
13.JACTravis Etienne26.7
14.DALJavonte Williams25.4
15.NYJBreece Hall24.3
16.SFChristian McCaffrey29.3
17.BALDerrick Henry31.7
18.CINChase Brown25.5
19.CARChuba Hubbard26.3
20.SEAKenneth Walker25.0
21.DETDavid Montgomery28.3
22.NE• TreVeyon Henderson23.0
23.SEAZach Charbonnet24.7
24.NYG• Cam Skattebo23.7
25.TENTony Pollard28.4
26.MINJordan Mason26.4
27.CHID'Andre Swift26.7
28.DEN• RJ Harvey24.7
29.NOAlvin Kamara30.2
30.PITJaylen Warren26.9
31.DENJ.K. Dobbins26.8
32.SFBrian Robinson26.5
33.JAC• Bhayshul Tuten23.6
34.HOU• Woody Marks24.8
35.WAS• Jacory Croskey-Merritt24.5
36.MIA• Ollie Gordon21.7
37.MINAaron Jones30.8
38.NOKendre Miller23.3
39.ATLTyler Allgeier25.5
40.KCIsiah Pacheco26.6
41.LARBlake Corum24.9
42.PIT• Kaleb Johnson22.1
43.TBRachaad White26.7
44.NERhamondre Stevenson27.6
45.CARRico Dowdle27.3
46.BALJustice Hill27.9
47.NYGTyrone Tracy25.9
48.PITKenneth Gainwell26.6
49.ARITrey Benson23.2
50.WASChris Rodriguez25.0
51.KCKareem Hunt30.2
52.GBEmanuel Wilson26.4
53.HOUNick Chubb29.8
54.TENTyjae Spears24.3
55.BUFRay Davis25.9
56.CHI• Kyle Monangai23.3
57.ARIEmari Demercado26.7
58.IND• DJ Giddens22.1
59.BUFTy Johnson28.0
60.DAL• Jaydon Blue24.7
61.TBSean Tucker23.9
62.CLE• Dylan Sampson21.1
63.PHIWill Shipley23.1
64.NYJIsaiah Davis23.6
65.CIN• Tahj Brooks23.4
66.LACHassan Haskins25.9
67.NEAntonio Gibson27.3
68.INDTyler Goodson24.9
69.CLEJerome Ford26.1
70.JAC• LeQuint Allen21.2
71.NYJBraelon Allen21.7
72.NO• Devin Neal22.1
73.KC• Brashard Smith22.5
74.LVZamir White26.0
75.HOUDameon Pierce25.6
76.SFIsaac Guerendo25.3
77.LAR• Jarquez Hunter22.8
78.CARJonathon Brooks22.2
79.GBMarShawn Lloyd24.7
80.PHIAJ Dillon27.4

—Ian Allan

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