Running Back Rankings - Standard Leagues

Running back is frequently the most volatile position in fantasy football. If you can hit on the high-pick studs and find the right values in the later rounds at this position, then you will have a big advantage over your fellow league mates. Here is how I would rank the running backs in standard leagues.

	Player	Team
1	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks
3	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers
4	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
5	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
6	Demarco Murray	Philadelphia Eagles
7	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals
8	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears
9	Lamar Miller	Miami Dolphins
10	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos
11	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo Bills
12	Justin Forsett	Baltimore Ravens
13	Frank Gore	Indianapolis Colts
14	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints
15	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins
16	Ameer Abdullah	Detroit Lions
17	Melvin Gordon	San Diego Chargers
18	Jonathan Stewart	Carolina Panthers
19	Andre Ellington	Arizona Cardinals
20	Latavius Murray	Oakland Raiders
21	Joseph Randle	Dallas Cowboys
22	LeGarrette Blount	New England Patriots
23	Chris Ivory	New York Jets
24	Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers
25	Tevin Coleman	Atlanta Falcons
26	T.J. Yeldon	Jacksonville Jaguars
27	C.J. Spiller	New Orleans Saints
28	Doug Martin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29	Todd Gurley	St. Louis Rams
30	Isaiah Crowell	Cleveland Browns
31	Rashad Jennings	New York Giants
32	Tre Mason	St. Louis Rams
33	Shane Vereen	New York Giants
34	Arian Foster	Houston Texans
35	Danny Woodhead	San Diego Chargers
36	Giovani Bernard	Cincinnati Bengals
37	Joique Bell	Detroit Lions
38	Duke Johnson	Cleveland Browns
39	Ryan Mathews	Philadelphia Eagles
40	Bishop Sankey	Tennessee Titans
41	Alfred Blue	Houston Texans
42	Khiry Robinson	New Orleans Saints
43	David Cobb	Tennessee Titans
44	Darren McFadden	Dallas Cowboys
45	Matt Jones	Washington Redskins
46	Devonta Freeman	Atlanta Falcons
47	Charles Sims	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
48	Ronnie Hillman	Denver Broncos
49	Jerick Mckinnon	Minnesota Vikings
50	Knile Davis	Kansas City Chiefs

RB1 Tier (1-12)

Le'Veon Bell: Even with the 2-game suspension, there is no bigger difference maker at the running back position.

Marshawn Lynch: Four straight seasons with 1200+ rush yards and 10+ touchdowns makes him the safest pick.

Eddie Lacy: Stud running back on one of the league's best offenses. Jordy Nelson injury might help him.

Adrian Peterson: Not sure if year off will help or hurt him, but he is a freak of nature, so not doubting he'll finish in the top 5.

Jamaal Charles: Concerns of his workload being reduced won't stop the Chiefs from channeling the offense through him.

Demarco Murray: Won't get nearly as many touches as last year, but will be lead dog on highest volume offense. Still only 27 and a tremendous talent.

Jeremy Hill: Gio won't be a threat to his carries. NFL's leading rusher over final nine games in 2014.

Matt Forte: Not going to catch 100 passes again and his ypc took a dip, but still an every down back on a team that needs him.

Lamar Miller: RB9 last year without getting 20 or more carries. Even if coaching staff won't give him more, he's still going to do damage. Top 5 potential if given more carries.

C.J. Anderson: Skeptical about lofty expectations, but can't deny his situation and fantasy production last year.

LeSean McCoy: Finished with 1300 rushing yards last year and is now the entire Buffalo Bills offense. Should still be a good fantasy running back.

Justin Forsett: Perfect fit for their running scheme and Trestman as the new offensive coordinator means more receiving production.

RB2 Tier (13-24)

Frank Gore: 32 years old and still looked fresh last season. Indianapolis offense is prime for fantasy running back production.

Mark Ingram: Centerpiece of a more run-based Saints offense. Will get plenty of looks at the end zone.

Alfred Morris: Their offense is in shambles, but Morris has topped 1000 yards and 7+ touchdowns in every year of his career.

Ameer Abdullah: I think he's going to take the starting job and never look back. Very talented and a great fit for a running-back friendly offense.

Melvin Gordon: Has been quiet since preseason started, but is in a great situation as a home-run hitting early-down back.

Jonathan Stewart: IF***** he stays healthy, will be a high-end RB2 as the workhorse running back with Deangelo Williams gone.

Andre Ellington: Injury concerns are apparent. Was amazing as a rookie and was inefficient and injured last year, but still produced good fantasy numbers when on the field. High risk/high reward.

Latavius Murray: Showed his potential in limited playing time last year, and will have the chance to carry the load this year.

Joseph Randle: Huge opportunity and perfect situation. Cowboys seem intent on getting McFadden and Dunbar carries, though.

LeGarrette Blount: Has 15 touchdowns in his last 16 games as a Patriot.

Chris Ivory: 19th-best RB in standard leagues in 2014. Might be better in Chan Gailey's spread.

Carlos Hyde: Has looked good in preseason, but will the Niners be competitive enough for a two-down back to put up big numbers?

RB3 Tier (25-36)

Tevin Coleman: A lot of upside in a good offense, though he will lose some work to Freeman.

T.J. Yeldon: Going into a bad offense, but will most likely be the every-down back.

C.J. Spiller: Much better for PPR. Still will be a good flex in the Darren Sproles role for the Saints.

Doug Martin: Looks like he's somewhat back, but their offensive line is a big issue and he won't play on third downs.

Todd Gurley: Uber talented, but coming off an ACL injury so Rams will be careful with him.

Isaiah Crowell: The best pure running talent on the Browns. Had eight touchdowns as a rookie last year.

Rashad Jennings: Favorite for lead back duties in the Giants backfield if he can stay healthy.

Tre Mason: Should benefit from Gurley being eased in.

Shane Vereen: The passing down back who might be more if Jennings goes down or struggles.

Arian Foster: Reports coming out that he may be back by the end of September. Could be a huge steal.

Danny Woodhead: Finished as the 19th-best standard league RB in 2013. Will adopt the same role.

Giovani Bernard: He should get around 10 touches per game. Will that be enough for him to become a good flex player?

RB4 Tier (37-50)

Joique Bell: Dealing with various injuries as he enters his age-29 season. Abdullah looks like he will siphon a lot of touches.

Duke Johnson: Is good enough to be the starter, but will be resorted to passing down work with Crowell as the starter to begin the season.

Ryan Mathews: Might be a good flex player if Chip Kelly gives him the touches. Massive upside if Murray goes down.

Bishop Sankey: Titans might use four running backs on game days.

Alfred Blue: Not very good, but will get a lot of touches with Foster out.

Khiry Robinson: Probably the most talented third string running back in the league. Will be a difference maker if Ingram goes down.

David Cobb: Titans might use four running backs on game days.

Darren McFadden: Hasn't been good the last few years and it doesn't seem like that will change.

Matt Jones: Third-down back for the Skins, who might be behind a lot this year.

Devonta Freeman: I think he will be resorted to change of pace duties behind Coleman.

Charles Sims: The third-down back for the Bucs. Won't get much work on second and first down.

Ronnie Hillman: Legitimate threat to Anderson's stronghold on the starting job. Talented running back, though doesn't have the body type to be a feature back.

Jerick Mckinnon: Very talented, but will be limited to a low number of touches with AP back.

Knile Davis: Don't understand the clamoring for him as he owns a 3.5 career ypc. Needs a Charles injury to be relevant.