Devy 100 – Five Star Running backs

Rob Willette

Fantasy football is an inexact science. Numerous factors can conspire to make even the surest of things an uber-bust (looking at you, Trent Richardson). Take this one level down to the college ranks, and you’re really engaging in a mostly futile exercise which involves interpreting how college talent translates to the NFL. This leads to an incredibly high bust rate and immortalizes individuals like Jamie Harper in the Hall of Disappointment.

This is the third annual installment of The Devy 100, an endeavor which embraces the Sisyphus-esque journey known as a devy league. Rather than a standard, mundane numbered list, this breaks 100 players into tiers. As an ode to recruiting rankings, they’ve been assigned a star ranking. A brief description of each star ranking and how I perceive them below:

  • Five Star: The elite. They look poised to become high NFL draft picks and have the skills to become annual fantasy contributors.
  • Four Star: These are potentially elite players. They just have one flaw – be it inexperience, modest physical tools, or limited production – which prevents them from joining the top tier.
  • Three Star: These are individuals I would not be actively pursuing in standard, smaller devy leagues. However, in larger leagues they merit a roster spot and at the least they’re someone worth monitoring.

There are, of course, players who don’t fit any of these criteria but we’re not talking about them in an article. We continue with five star players at running back.

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Leonard Fournette, RB LSU Tigers

You can believe Leonard Fournette is a touch overrated while also acknowledging he is an excellent prospect. The two are not mutually exclusive, and it is where I land with the back many have dubbed the next elite prospect at the position. Despite a bullish figure and very good straight line speed, I do not see Fournette as having an overall explosive physical profile; I will be very curious how he tests. However, he’s nearly impossible to bring down when he’s getting downhill and I do feel he made strides with some of his footwork as a sophomore; he looked smoother in traffic and accelerated with more force out of his cuts. With an ability to handle a heavy workload and relatively soft hands, he’s a potential three-down workhorse out of the gate, which is rare and makes him a highly coveted devy prospect.

Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford Cardinal

There was a serious market overcorrection on Christian McCaffrey. After being largely overlooked following limited usage as a true freshman, McCaffrey exploded onto the devy scene as he became one of college football’s most dominant weapons. While the market took extreme action – and you could argue I have done the same here – I have a lot of faith in McCaffrey becoming a serious contributor at the NFL. While not the bruising workhorse a la Fournette, he’s an incredibly versatile athlete who could thrive as a runner and a receiver at the next level. His open-field wizardry is paralleled by few in college football; his feet and body work in sync and allow him to explode for big plays and shimmy through tight spaces. Even if you don’t buy him as a lead back at the next level, there’s plenty of reason for optimism. He gets an added bonus in return leagues.

Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State Seminoles

Personally, there’s nobody on this list I enjoy watching more than Dalvin Cook. He may be the most natural runner in all of college football and his ability to hit the home run is evident every time he touches the ball; he’s the proverbial one step away on each and every play. It is his explosion which separates him from most backs. Few can accelerate as he can and despite a smaller frame, he will deliver a pop at the point of contact. You’ve already heard a ton about the esteemed 2017 running back class, so I’ll try not to bore you with a verbose rundown of its glory. However, one beautiful thing about the class is the fact it offers so many different types of talents. Cook is the cream of the crop when it comes to home run threats; his speed and agility will make him a nightmare to corral even as the defensive talent is ramped up. He’s an elite prospect with room to grow.

Nick Chubb, RB Georgia Bulldogs

Nick Chubb is not going to be for the risk-averse. While all signs thus far have been positive, a devastating knee injury suffered last October has many treating him with a hands-off approach early in drafts. Many point to Marcus Lattimore as a reason to be reticent, but the two situations have few parallels. We’ve seen Chubb outperform Todd Gurley as a true freshman before dominating college football once again as a sophomore prior to succumbing to injury. With brute strength, supreme athleticism, and pass catching ability, he has as few warts as anyone when evaluating on-field play. Much like Fournette, he has the game which can wear a defense down over the course of sixty minutes, though I prefer his talent to the LSU star. I see more creativity out of the backfield from Chubb and less reliance on simply being a better athlete than most on the football field. With elite production, plus physical tools, and a well-rounded game, Chubb sits atop my list of devy running backs despite all the concerns around the knee. He is that good and warrants the hype.

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rob willette