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It's time to focus on some deep leagues. If your league is competitive, chances are each of the 12 teams will draft at least five running backs, which means there could be at least 60 backs off the board. Most of these guys are just lottery tickets and nothing will ever come of them. However, that was the story with Alfred Morris this time of year. Yes, the chance of a Alfred Morris repeat is about as likely as an ALF movie in 2015, but it's certainly possible.
I'll be giving an update to these rankings next month, so predictably there will be a slew of changes coming. I combined the first and second parts to make it a little easier on you guys. Here we go:
Other rankings so far:
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 |
Running Back | Comment | |
51 | Kendall Hunter | The Niners backfield is among the deepest in the league |
52 | Jonathan Dwyer | If Bell flops, Dwyer could sneak in and get 200 carries |
53 | Roy Helu | It's the ALF show, but at least Helu can catches a few passes should Morris go down |
54 | Montario Hardesty | Trent Richardson's workload makes him a candidate to get hurt this year |
55 | Pierre Thomas | No more Chris Ivory means he could get a ton of work with Ingram going down |
56 | Jonathan Franklin | Lacy isn't a lock to be the starter and Franklin can catch some passes |
57 | Ryan Williams | Even though he has talent, Williams can't catch a break |
58 | Denard Robinson | He's getting snaps QB, which could buoy his value in deeper leagues |
59 | Isaac Redman | He had 19 catches and 244 receiving yards in limited time last year |
60 | Ronnie Hillman | Hillman could get lots of catches on third down with room to grow into earlier down work |
61 | Mike James | A sneaky handcuff for Doug Martin owners |
62 | Shonn Greene | Still waiting for the report to emerge that his feet are actually made of lead |
63 | LaMichael James | He and Kaepernick would be a lot of fun, but just no opportunity |
64 | Toby Gerhart | A lot of people were hoping Gerhart could have some short-term value last year |
65 | Rex Burkhead | Green-Ellis isn't a lock to keep the goal-line work |
66 | Marcus Lattimore |
He gets a nice bump in dynasty leagues and could be Frank Gore's protege |
67 | Rashad Jennings | Was absolutely horrible with MJD went down and has fallen off a cliff |
68 | Willis McGahee | Surgery and a lot of miles on the tires is not a good look for Willis |
69 | Andre Ellington | Cardinals got a couple young backs as insurance to their oft-injured duo atop the depth chart |
70 | Knile Davis | A bruising back could get some TDs in a perfect world, but don't count on it |
71 | Stepfan Taylor | No bonus for having a similar name as Stefan Urkel |
72 | Kerwynn Williams | An under-the-radar player to watch with the Colts backfield not completely solidified |
73 | Kenjon Barber | Once DeAngelo Williams is out of town, Barber could be cutting upfield for the Panthers |
74 | Daniel Thomas | Looks like Lamar Miller is lapping Thomas for touches |
75 | DuJuan Harris | He had three months worth of buzz, then the NFL Draft happened |