clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Fantasy Football 2013: PPR Running Back Rankings Part 2

There are some interesting running backs to take later in standard drafts. As always, upside is often the trump card when it comes to filling out your bench.

Ryan Mathews kicks off the second installment of PPR Running Back Rankings
Ryan Mathews kicks off the second installment of PPR Running Back Rankings
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

We're back with part two and as important as it is to get yourself one or two studs, cleaning up late in the draft on running backs can go a long way. By the time November comes around, it's usually a case of the haves and have nots for running backs in fantasy leagues. If you're lacking a back and looking to acquire one as your fantasy trade deadline approaches, there will be a target on your back that even Tim Tebow could hit.

Personally, I've always made the upside factor a huge part of how I will rank the the backup runners. That means teams with productive offensives and/or having injury-prone starters will be intriguing teams to target in fantasy drafts.

Part 1 was yesterday, but in the interest of simplicity, I just threw it on here to make it a one-stop shop for those of you that missed it. We'll be back with Part 3 tomorrow. Here we go:

Other rankings so far:

Quarterback

Running Back Comment
1 Adrian Peterson His 1,322 rushing yards in the second half would have ranked seventh on the year
2 Doug Martin TB's D should be better and Martin Scoreseasy will be a focal point; 49 receptions last year
3 Arian Foster Slightly worried about the hamstring issues and Ben Tate
4 C.J. Spiller C.J Thriller and his 6.0 YPC from last year should be extremely busy with a rookie at QB
5 Ray Rice He was second among RBs with 61 catches, but Bernard Pierce is a threat for touches
6 LeSean McCoy Chip and Eagles are going to run a ton, but Bryce Brown is still there
7 Trent Richardson As long as he can avoid injury, he'll be an absolute workhorse with plenty of receptions
8 Steven Jackson A perfect fit for the Falcons and should be a safe bet for 40 catches and 10+ TD if healthy
9 Matt Forte Receptions should come in bunches with Marc Trestman calling the shots
10 Marshawn Lynch The receptions won't be there, but Seattle is going to score a ton of points this year
11 Jamaal Charles Andy Reid turned LeSean McCoy into a stud and should do the same with JC
12 Alfred Morris He ranked second in rushing yards and rushing TDs
13 Chris Johnson An improved offensive line has to help his cause and his schedule is nice
14 Reggie Bush If not for the concern of injuries, Bush would crack the top 10 of PPR rankings
15 Darren McFadden Ditto
16 DeMarco Murray Cowboys were 31st in rushing last year and hopefully that changes for Murray's sake
17 David Wilson Yards are going to be there, but Andre Brown should vulture some scores
18 Darren Sproles Sean Payton says he'll run more, which could end up dropping Sproles' 75 receptions
19 Chris Ivory He looks to be in line for a featured gig and nobody can call him a sleeper at this point
20 Stevan Ridley Shane Vereen's 18 touches in the two playoff games is a bit scary, especially with Ridley's fumbling issues
21 Lamar Miller He says he's rushing for 1,500 yards; talk is cheap, but the opportunity is there
22 Montee Ball Remember when Joseph Addai was a beast? Montee could be that guy
23 Maurice Jones-Drew It's tough to count on a guy with injury concerns while on a terrible offense
24 Frank Gore He turned 30 this week and with his 2,226 career touches, the end is near
25 Le'Veon Bell Huge opportunity for him to get tons of touches for the Steelers

Running Back Comment
26 Ryan Mathews Chances are someone in your league will be reaching for him and there's still some upside
27 Vick Ballard He's in front of Donald Brown and the Colts are going to score points this year
28 Jonathan Stewart DeAngelo Williams likely to be cut in June, but J-Stew was terrible down the stretch with a 3.3 YPC in the last eight games
29 Isaiah Pead A disastrous rookie year isn't enough to give him plenty of sleeper appeal
30 Rashard Mendenhall The Cardinals were dead last in rushing last year and playing the Niners and Seahawks twice doesn't help
31 Bernard Pierce If Ray Rice goes down, Pierce would be a top-five back
32 Shane Vereen He saw more touches late in the season and could be in a timeshare with Ridley
33 Bryce Brown One of the best pickups in fantasy leagues last year and fits Chip Kelly's stretch-play style
34 Eddie Lacy The receptions won't be there and the Packers' rushing attack has been a wasteland for years
35 Giovani Bernard BenJarvus Green-Ellis isn't a starting-caliber NFL back, but Bengals focusing on aerial attack
36 Ben Tate If you draft Arian Foster, Tate is a must 'cuff
37 Fred Jackson His 3.8 YPC is small potatoes to Spiller's 6.0
38 Andre Brown Not a stretch to think he can score 10 TDs
39 Zac Stacey The Rams backfield will be one of the most watched position battles in training camp
40 Mikel LeShoure He's an interesting handcuff for those that take the plunge on Bush
41 Mark Ingram Sean Payton fixing to run more and Ingram might get 250 touches
42 Michael Bush Not a great fit with Trestman's offense; merely a handcuff
43 Daryl Richardson Even though he had a 4.8 YPC, his numbers trended down as the year progressed
44 BenJarvus Green-Ellis No thanks
45 Ahmad Bradshaw He's unlikely to be a starter on whatever team he signs with
46 DeAngelo Williams He'll be cut and picked up by some team
47 Marcel Reece He proved to be a PPR beast in November with 23 catches and 270 receiving yards
48 Danny Woodhead Third down looks to be his for San Diego and Ryan Mathews is far from safe on first and second down
49 Christine Michael The Seahawks must like him a lot to take him and push Robert Turbin down the depth chart
50 Joseph Randle He's having thumb surgery could cost him time with the Cowboys, but PPR upside will be there for OK State product