The fantasy football season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to look at the running back rankings. With three-down workhorses becoming rarer and rarer, striking gold and finding the right guy could be the difference between missing the playoffs and winning your championship. There is a lot of risk in investing in such an injury-riddled position, but the upside alone justifies the selections.
Note: These fantasy football running back rankings are for PPR formats. If you’re playing in a league with a different scoring system, these rankings could vary.
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2023 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
Tier 1: Elite League-Winners
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Bijan Robinson
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Saquon Barkley*
Christian McCaffrey is a cheat code, and now he gets to play a full season in an offensive scheme that excels at bringing out the best in running backs. Barring injury, he’s the clear favorite to finish as the RB1 overall in every format. Bijan Robinson is a generational prospect and the only other prospects that were even remotely as good as him were Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley. Elliott finished his rookie season as the RB2, and Barkley was the RB1. Starring in a run-heavy system, the sky is the limit for this kid.
Bijan Robinson is the best RB prospect since _____
📺: 2023 #NFLDraft — Starts Thursday, April 27 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/Cz1tuOnFzt— NFL (@NFL) April 13, 2023
Jonathan Taylor had a rough year in 2022, but that’s largely because the Colts were a dumpster fire. He should be better with an improved quarterback situation and a healthy offensive line. Saquon Barkley has been an unstoppable force whenever he’s healthy, and assuming he actually plays in 2023, he’ll continue to be one of the best running backs in the game.
Tier 2: Locked and Loaded RB1
5. Nick Chubb
6. Austin Ekeler
7. Josh Jacobs
8. Derrick Henry
9. Tony Pollard
10. Rhamondre Stevenson
Nick Chubb might be the best pure runner in the game, and he’s in a perfect situation. He has a great offensive line, the best quarterback of his career, and nobody on the roster capable of stealing touches in the passing game. Honestly, he could easily be in the first tier of these fantasy football running back rankings. Austin Ekeler is getting older, but he’s still a three-down threat in one of the most dangerous offenses in the game. Josh Jacobs proved he can handle a massive workload last year, and Vegas will continue to run him into the ground.
Age will catch up to Derrick Henry one of these days, but I’m done betting against him. Tony Pollard has been the best running back in Dallas for quite some time, and he’ll finally have a chance to get that three-down workload he so clearly deserves. It feels strange trusting a New England Patriots running back in these rankings, but Rhamondre Stevenson was amazing last year, and the Patriots didn’t add any competition to replace the departed Damien Harris.
Rhamondre Stevenson gives the Patriots the lead!
📺: #NEvsLV on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/SuNPv0yZ94 pic.twitter.com/xeiqlVf4CM— NFL (@NFL) December 18, 2022
Tier 3: Elite Ceilings
11. Najee Harris
12. J.K. Dobbins
13. Kenneth Walker
14. Breece Hall
15. Aaron Jones
16. Travis Etienne
Najee Harris is basically just a younger Leonard Fournette – he’s not particularly great, but he gets the ball a lot, and volume is king in the fantasy football running back rankings. J.K. Dobbins is wildly efficient whenever he’s on the field, so if he can stay healthy, he should be an RB1. Kenneth Walker will handle the majority of the touches early in the season, but there is a very real concern that rookie Zach Charbonnet starts stealing goal-line touches and targets as the season progresses.
Breece Hall looked like one of the best running backs in the league prior to tearing his ACL. While most reports indicate that he’ll be healthy in 2023, it’s worth noting that the Jets are currently the favorites to sign Dalvin Cook, and they were reportedly willing to draft Jahmyr Gibbs with their first-round pick. That’s not something you do if you believe in your starter. Travis Etienne is a great runner, but he finished with low marks as a receiver, and the team just drafted Tank Bigsby in the third round.
Reminder 1: Doug Pederson did not draft Travis Etienne
Reminder 2: Travis Etienne was the RB23 in Points Per Game
Reminder 3: The Jaguars spent a 3rd Rounder on a running back
How much of a role will Tank Bigsby command? #DUUUVAL#DynastyWeek pic.twitter.com/oZxMdeotmG
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) June 17, 2023
Tier 4: Fine Starters
17. Miles Sanders
18. Jahmyr Gibbs
19. Dameon Pierce
20. Alexander Mattison
21. Dalvin Cook
22. Cam Akers
23. Joe Mixon
24. Isiah Pacheco
25. Rashaad Penny
26. James Conner
Miles Sanders might be playing with a chip on his shoulder, but unless he dramatically improves his pass-catching, he’s not going to be anything more than a middling RB2. Jahmyr Gibbs might start off slow due to the presence of David Montgomery, but he is considerably more talented. Once he earns the trust of the coaching staff, the sky is the limit.
Alexander Mattison isn’t the most talented player in the league, but the Minnesota Vikings believe he has what it takes to be a starter. Dalvin Cook’s final spot on the fantasy football running back rankings depends on his team fit. If Cook signs with the Dolphins, he’ll soar. If he lands with the Jets, he’ll probably slide down a bit.
Sean McVay wants Cam Akers to be the focal point of his offense, but we’ve yet to see Akers actually handle that type of workload on a consistent basis. Even if he is up for the challenge, do you really want too many pieces of this offense? Isiah Pacheco doesn’t catch passes, but the Chiefs move the ball so easily that he should be able to put up some fantasy-relevant performances on the ground.
Cam Akers is still just 23 years old and quietly finished 2022 with 3 straight games of 100+ yards rushing. pic.twitter.com/6zeavJQcgf
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) June 14, 2023
Tier 5: Gotta Play Someone
27. Rachaad White
28. Brian Robinson
29. David Montgomery
30. Zach Charbonnet
31. Alvin Kamara
32. Javonte Williams
33. Khalil Herbert
34. James Cook
35. D’Andre Swift
36. Antonio Gibson
Rachaad White did not look good between the tackles last year, but he has a nice set of hands. Baker Mayfield led the league in checkdown rate last year, so perhaps White can stumble his way to fantasy relevance. Brian Robinson is one of the better fantasy football sleepers out there and should provide a safe floor for Zero RB builds.
Kenneth Walker is more explosive, but Zach Charbonnet is better as a receiver and as a short-yardage back. Don’t be surprised if Charbonnet actually becomes the better option in the back half of the year. Alvin Kamara is going to serve a suspension at some point, but he’ll still be a solid start when on the field.
Javonte Williams is basically a more injured version of Cam Akers: great prospect profile, shined as a rookie, but suffered an injury and is still unproven. Also like Akers, Williams is playing in a terrible offense. One of the Chicago Bears running backs will drastically outplay their ADP, but it’s anyone’s guess as to who that actually is. Khalil Herbert is the best bet of the bunch, but all three could end up winning the starting job.
Rashaad Penny is a better running back than D’Andre Swift. As long as the two are healthy, Penny is the guy to own. Antonio Gibson, meanwhile, is a very talented player that Ron Rivera seemingly hates for no reason.
Main Photo: Dale Zanine – USA Today Sports
