The top three in our rankings, (David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott) will likely be the top three picks in most standard-league drafts. (Update: Obviously not after news of Elliott’s suspension.) You can argue about the order, but it’s tough to argue with the names. After that, it’s all about touches, and the guys expected to be workhorses (at least by the 2017 definition) get big boosts in value.
The biggest wild cards on this list are rookies Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon, and Christian McCaffrey. It’s asking a lot for one of them to be “This Year’s Ezekiel Elliott”, but they’re all remarkably talented. Fournette has the clearest path to touches, but the other three could see their stocks rise and fall considerably based on what happens in the preseason.
MORE RANKINGS:Quarterback | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
There are obviously myriad factors that go into ranking running backs, and with week-to-week matchups and situations more important than anything, preseason rankings should be viewed more as a risk calculation. Sure, you might be irrationally high on someone (Samaje Perine? Ameer Abullah?) – and if they get a Week 1 starting job and stay healthy, they will blow past our current ranking for them – but it’s important to hedge your bets and mix in some “safer picks” with your reaches.
Again, no position will see more preseason updates than RB, so check back frequently as we adjust players and add analysis to the rankings below.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2017 fantasy football cheat sheet
