The rankers at Dynasty League Football bring you the best dynasty fantasy football rankings every day of the year. That includes a Top 200 overall rankings, but we also provide deep positional rankings.
Once the key to winning your league, later the whipping boy for every analyst, running backs are making a comeback in fantasy football. Know which ones to target and which to avoid with our dynasty running back rankings.
Johnson’s 412 PPR points in 2016 were the most by any fantasy football running back since 2006. His touchdowns may fall off from the 20 he scored in 2016, but injury is the only real threat to his status as a high-end running back. He hasn’t missed a game in his two-year NFL career, but he suffered what would have been a multi-week injury in Week 17 of 2016. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians isn’t worried, saying in May that Johnson is “too young to overuse” and adding he wants to get Johnson 30 touches per game.
2. Le’Veon Bell
Despite a three-game suspension in 2015 for a marijuana-related DUI and another three-game suspension in 2016 for missing mandatory off-season drug tests, Bell has mostly avoided the “knucklehead” label. Heading into the final year of his contract, Bell is currently holding out for an extension. The Steelers have certainly used him like a workhorse back, but will they pay him like one? If not, will he be as productive in another offense?
https://twitter.com/BrianMaloneFF/status/894572581688406016
Elliott met and exceeded lofty expectations as a rookie in 2016, leading the NFL in rush attempts and rushing yards despite playing only 15 games. However, dynasty fantasy football players are rightfully wary of off-field concerns. Losing six games will sting, but the bigger concern is whether Elliott will right his path and stay on the field going forward. A less pressing (but still noteworthy) question is whether 2016 was a perfect storm of strong offensive line play and positive game scripts.
DLF writer Matt Price explained why Gordon was a buy low after a disappointing rookie season in 2015. Even Price may not have seen 2016 coming. Gordon finished as the RB5 in PPR points per game, producing 12 total touchdowns and more than 1400 scrimmage yards in only 13 games. The Chargers didn’t replace Danny Woodhead, leaving Gordon as the clear feature back. Still, the community isn’t sold on Gordon, calling him the most overrated dynasty running back.
Fresh off a five-year contract extension, Freeman is locked into what seems to be a perfect situation in Atlanta. Some worry about Mike Shanahan’s departure, but fantasy football running backs who have produced like Freeman don’t often flame out:
6. Todd Gurley
After a “nightmare” 2016, Gurley’s dynasty fantasy football owners are desperately trying to wake up. In his first four games as the Rams’ starter in 2015, Gurley ripped off four straight 100-yard performances. He’s had just one 100-yard game since, in 24 appearances. But hope is not lost. A new coaching regime and perhaps an increased role in the passing game could quickly turn Gurley back into an elite dynasty fantasy football asset.
Jaguars beat writer Mike Kaye predicts that Fournette will split carries with T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory early in the season. I don’t expect that to dampen Fournette’s fantasy value. He remains a popular choice for the 1.01 in dynasty rookie drafts and a late-second-round pick in startups.
Despite not taking over as the Bears’ starter until Week 4 of 2016, Howard finished as the RB9 in PPR points per game on the season. Howard was hyper-efficient and scored a surprisingly high number of touchdowns on a bad Bears offense. Both of those are reasons to worry he’s primed for a letdown in 2017. Still, he doesn’t turn 23 until November, and he has solidified himself as the top option for a run-heavy John Fox. He’ll get plenty of opportunities.
The Panthers gave us some clues about McCaffrey’s 2017 usage in his first preseason contest: seven carries, one target, plus some solid efforts in pass protection. No worry, he’ll be used as a receiver. If he can add 10 carries a game to his expected receiving production, he’ll be among the top 12 dynasty running backs again next offseason.
10. Jay Ajayi
From Week 6 on, Ajayi averaged 16.7 PPR points per game in 2016. The bulk of his production came in three straight games during the middle of the season:
Perhaps that’s why Ajayi is ranked behind Howard and Gurley, two other young runners with less than one full season of production. Or perhaps lingering questions about Ajayi’s knee are dampening rankers’ enthusiasm.
11. Joe Mixon
Mixon is perhaps the most divisive player in our dynasty running back rankings. Rookie and devy guru Ryan McDowell ranks him as the RB5, while Adam Tzikas, worried about competition in the Bengals backfield, ranks him as the RB16. Beat reports about Mixon, Jeremy Hill, and Giovani Bernard have been all over the map, so the lack of consensus shouldn’t be surprising.
12. LeSean McCoy
McCoy earns the distinction of “highest ranked old dude” among dynasty running backs. Perhaps one of the most unappreciated fantasy football producers, McCoy has finished as an top-12 RB in PPR points per game six of his seven seasons since 2010. He shows no signs of slowing, as he registered a career high 5.4 yards per carry in 2016. But as dynasty owners know too well, the end doesn’t always knock before opening the door:
13. Dalvin Cook
The last rookie in our top 20 dynasty running back rankings, Cook has fallen due to a slow 40-yard dash and a questionable landing spot in Minnesota. But Cook is listed atop the Vikings running back depth chart, and if he lives up to his pre-draft optimism, he’ll turn Latavius Murray into a (very expensive) backup.
14. DeMarco Murray
But for an ill-fated stint with Chip Kelly, Murray likely would be nestled next to LeSean McCoy in the table above. Murray has finished as a top-six fantasy football running back three of the past four seasons, but youngster Derrick Henry is champing at the bit to take his job. Plus, Murray has a history of hamstring issues, and he’s sidelined right now as he recovers from the latest one. I know they’re not the same player, but I can’t help wondering whether Murray’s career arc will look like Arian Foster’s.
15. Lamar Miller
Not long ago, dynasty fantasy football players were salivating at the prospect of Miller leaving Miami and playing for a coach who would treat him like the workhorse he appeared to be. Now they’re hoping that he can return to the explosive, low-volume star he was before Bill O’Brien ran him into the ground. Rookie D’Onta Foreman will lighten Miller’s load going forward, capping his upside but hopefully preserving him for a few seasons of high-end RB2 production.
16. Derrick Henry
Henry looked like a future star in limited 2016 opportunities. He looked like a stud coming out of college, too. And it’s a question of when, not if, he takes over for DeMarco Murray as the Titans’ lead back. He has as much potential (and risk) as any of the rookie running backs ranked above him, so he’s a potential bargain for dynasty owners willing to wait a little longer to see what they have.
17. Carlos Hyde
The “Joe Williams is Kyle Shanahan’s guy!” narrative had stifled Hyde’s value for much of the offseason. Now that Hyde is dominating in practice, the buzz is shifting. But he still plays for the 49ers, who figure to be one of the worst teams in the league—again. To outproduce his dynasty running back ranking, he’ll need a boatload of carries or a new role in the passing game.
18. Isaiah Crowell
Though he’s officially an NFL veteran, Crowell doesn’t turn 25 until January. He is the clear lead dog over Duke Johnson, with Johnson now likely to see substantial snaps as a slot wide receiver. But don’t discount Crowell as a pass catcher. He tallied 40 receptions in 2016. He’ll likely see poor game scripts again in 2017, but the Browns offensive line should help compensate.
19. Tevin Coleman
Coleman’s future is uncertain after the Falcons signed Devonta Freeman to a five-year contract extension. Coleman produced as a high-end RB2 on limited touches in 2016, but don’t expect him to sustain his touchdown rate. Barring a Freeman injury, owners should hope for mid-to-low RB2 production until Coleman hits free agency before the 2019 season.
20. Mark Ingram
Ingram can’t win for losing. He finally produces as an RB1 for a full 16 games, and then the Saints draft Alvin Kamara and sign Adrian Peterson. Ingram could be a cap casualty after 2017, and I don’t think his dynasty owners would mind if he got away from Sean Payton, but by then he’ll be heading into his age-29 season. New Orleans has supported multiple fantasy football running backs in the past, but Ingram will need to be the lead in the Saints’ backfield committee to justify his dynasty ranking.
For more information on the top dynasty players, check out all of our complete Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings which include positional rankings, IDP rankings and dynasty rookie rankings. All rankings include sorting and filtering features, comments by rankers, tiers, and more.
Also be sure to check out our industry leading Dynasty ADP as well as our new MFL Rookie ADP with data drawn from real dynasty leagues on MyFantasyLeague.
- The 2023 Dynasty Fantasy Football Season Has Begun - January 6, 2023
- Get DLF, 4for4, Fantasy Life App & Betsperts for FREE - August 9, 2022
- 2022 DLF Reader Survey - August 1, 2022
What do you think of Ingram as someone to target in a trade? The online dynasty trade tools I’ve looked at still favor him fairly high, with equivalent WR values ranging from Landry to Shepard.
