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 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Team | Player | Age |
1. | ATL | Bijan Robinson | 23.7 |
2. | DET | Jahmyr Gibbs | 23.5 |
3. | LV | • Ashton Jeanty | 21.8 |
4. | IND | Jonathan Taylor | 26.7 |
5. | LAR | Kyren Williams | 25.1 |
6. | LAC | • Omarion Hampton | 22.6 |
7. | BUF | James Cook | 26.0 |
8. | GB | Josh Jacobs | 27.6 |
9. | PHI | Saquon Barkley | 28.6 |
10. | TB | Bucky Irving | 23.1 |
11. | CLE | • Quinshon Judkins | 21.9 |
12. | MIA | DeVon Achane | 24.0 |
13. | JAC | Travis Etienne | 26.7 |
14. | DAL | Javonte Williams | 25.4 |
15. | NYJ | Breece Hall | 24.3 |
16. | SF | Christian McCaffrey | 29.3 |
17. | BAL | Derrick Henry | 31.7 |
18. | CIN | Chase Brown | 25.5 |
19. | CAR | Chuba Hubbard | 26.3 |
20. | SEA | Kenneth Walker | 25.0 |
21. | DET | David Montgomery | 28.3 |
22. | NE | • TreVeyon Henderson | 23.0 |
23. | SEA | Zach Charbonnet | 24.7 |
24. | NYG | • Cam Skattebo | 23.7 |
25. | TEN | Tony Pollard | 28.4 |
26. | MIN | Jordan Mason | 26.4 |
27. | CHI | D'Andre Swift | 26.7 |
28. | DEN | • RJ Harvey | 24.7 |
29. | NO | Alvin Kamara | 30.2 |
30. | PIT | Jaylen Warren | 26.9 |
31. | DEN | J.K. Dobbins | 26.8 |
32. | SF | Brian Robinson | 26.5 |
33. | JAC | • Bhayshul Tuten | 23.6 |
34. | HOU | • Woody Marks | 24.8 |
35. | WAS | • Jacory Croskey-Merritt | 24.5 |
36. | MIA | • Ollie Gordon | 21.7 |
37. | MIN | Aaron Jones | 30.8 |
38. | NO | Kendre Miller | 23.3 |
39. | ATL | Tyler Allgeier | 25.5 |
40. | KC | Isiah Pacheco | 26.6 |
41. | LAR | Blake Corum | 24.9 |
42. | PIT | • Kaleb Johnson | 22.1 |
43. | TB | Rachaad White | 26.7 |
44. | NE | Rhamondre Stevenson | 27.6 |
45. | CAR | Rico Dowdle | 27.3 |
46. | BAL | Justice Hill | 27.9 |
47. | NYG | Tyrone Tracy | 25.9 |
48. | PIT | Kenneth Gainwell | 26.6 |
49. | ARI | Trey Benson | 23.2 |
50. | WAS | Chris Rodriguez | 25.0 |
51. | KC | Kareem Hunt | 30.2 |
52. | GB | Emanuel Wilson | 26.4 |
53. | HOU | Nick Chubb | 29.8 |
54. | TEN | Tyjae Spears | 24.3 |
55. | BUF | Ray Davis | 25.9 |
56. | CHI | • Kyle Monangai | 23.3 |
57. | ARI | Emari Demercado | 26.7 |
58. | IND | • DJ Giddens | 22.1 |
59. | BUF | Ty Johnson | 28.0 |
60. | DAL | • Jaydon Blue | 24.7 |
61. | TB | Sean Tucker | 23.9 |
62. | CLE | • Dylan Sampson | 21.1 |
63. | PHI | Will Shipley | 23.1 |
64. | NYJ | Isaiah Davis | 23.6 |
65. | CIN | • Tahj Brooks | 23.4 |
66. | LAC | Hassan Haskins | 25.9 |
67. | NE | Antonio Gibson | 27.3 |
68. | IND | Tyler Goodson | 24.9 |
69. | CLE | Jerome Ford | 26.1 |
70. | JAC | • LeQuint Allen | 21.2 |
71. | NYJ | Braelon Allen | 21.7 |
72. | NO | • Devin Neal | 22.1 |
73. | KC | • Brashard Smith | 22.5 |
74. | LV | Zamir White | 26.0 |
75. | HOU | Dameon Pierce | 25.6 |
76. | SF | Isaac Guerendo | 25.3 |
77. | LAR | • Jarquez Hunter | 22.8 |
78. | CAR | Jonathon Brooks | 22.2 |
79. | GB | MarShawn Lloyd | 24.7 |
80. | PHI | AJ Dillon | 27.4 |
—Ian Allan