joe-mixon-1400.jpg

There comes a point in every Fantasy football draft where you'll look at the running backs left on the board and realize you're not cool with starting any of them. Determining where that point depends on how risk-averse you are and what the scoring is in your particular league, but it's vital to building a winning roster. 

You don't have to worry about any of these things through the first three tiers at running back. Nearly every player among the 18 listed is considered reliable, though you might take issue with a rookie like Clyde Edwards-Helaire or an injury risk like James Conner being among them. That's OK, just scan them and know before your draft how many of those 18 you'd be OK starting. 

Then do the same with the fourth and fifth Tiers. Not feeling as many guys, right? The fewer of those running backs you like, the more running backs from the first three tiers you'll lean toward drafting. 

The remaining tiers are a mixture of guys whose names you'll recognize along with "lottery ticket" players who COULD become special if they land regular playing time. There's rarely a shortage of those running backs, just a shortage of patience from Fantasy managers who don't want to roster a guy who doesn't play every snap. You may find some backs you won't mind being patient with. Prioritize them along with the runners you'd be OK starting if you had to.

More tiers and strategies:

Dominate your Fantasy Football draft with our free Draft Kit, which gives you must-have sleepers, breakouts, busts, and rankings. Plus see the top players at each position, complete with winning projections. Get your Draft Kit now!
PPR: First Tier
Round 1
C. McCaffrey SF Christian McCaffrey SF
S. Barkley PHI Saquon Barkley PHI
E. Elliott LAC Ezekiel Elliott LAC
A. Kamara NO Alvin Kamara NO
PPR: First-and-a-half Tier
Round 1
D. Cook DAL Dalvin Cook DAL
C. Edwards-Helaire NO Clyde Edwards-Helaire NO
A. Ekeler WAS Austin Ekeler WAS
D. Henry BAL Derrick Henry BAL
J. Mixon HOU Joe Mixon HOU
M. Sanders CAR Miles Sanders CAR
J. Jacobs GB Josh Jacobs GB
PPR: Second Tier
Round 2
K. Drake GB Kenyan Drake GB
N. Chubb CLE Nick Chubb CLE
A. Jones MIN Aaron Jones MIN
J. Conner ARI James Conner ARI
C. Carson SEA Chris Carson SEA
PPR: Third Tier
Round 3
T. Gurley ATL Todd Gurley ATL
M. Gordon BAL Melvin Gordon BAL
PPR: Fourth Tier
Round 5
L. Bell TB Le'Veon Bell TB
C. Akers MIN Cam Akers MIN
K. Hunt KC Kareem Hunt KC
R. Mostert MIA Raheem Mostert MIA
D. Johnson NO David Johnson NO
J. Taylor IND Jonathan Taylor IND
PPR: Fifth Tier
Rounds 6-7
L. Fournette BUF Leonard Fournette BUF
M. Ingram NO Mark Ingram NO
A. Gibson NE Antonio Gibson NE
J. White NE James White NE
J. Dobbins LAC J.K. Dobbins LAC
Z. Moss CIN Zack Moss CIN
D. Swift CHI D'Andre Swift CHI
T. Cohen NYJ Tarik Cohen NYJ
D. Singletary NYG Devin Singletary NYG
D. Montgomery DET David Montgomery DET
J. Howard NO Jordan Howard NO
PPR: Sixth Tier
Round 8
M. Breida SF Matt Breida SF
P. Lindsay IND Phillip Lindsay IND
PPR: High-end backups
Rounds 9-10
B. Scott PIT Boston Scott PIT
M. Mack ARI Marlon Mack ARI
D. Henderson Jr. LAR Darrell Henderson Jr. LAR
A. Mattison LV Alexander Mattison LV
R. Jones DAL Ronald Jones DAL
T. Pollard TEN Tony Pollard TEN
L. Murray BUF Latavius Murray BUF
C. Edmonds TB Chase Edmonds TB
S. Michel LAR Sony Michel LAR
D. Harris BUF Damien Harris BUF
J. Kelley TEN Joshua Kelley TEN
K. Johnson PHI Kerryon Johnson PHI
PPR: Backups
Round 11+
B. Love WAS Bryce Love WAS
T. Coleman SF Tevin Coleman SF
N. Hines CLE Nyheim Hines CLE
J. McKinnon KC Jerick McKinnon KC
C. Thompson CHI Chris Thompson CHI
M. Brown LAR Malcolm Brown LAR
J. Robinson NO James Robinson NO
D. Williams NO Darrel Williams NO
A. Peterson SEA Adrian Peterson SEA
B. Snell DET Benny Snell DET
D. Johnson BUF Duke Johnson BUF
R. Armstead JAC Ryquell Armstead JAC
C. Hyde JAC Carlos Hyde JAC
J. Williams NO Jamaal Williams NO
Non-PPR: First Tier
Round 1
C. McCaffrey SF Christian McCaffrey SF
E. Elliott LAC Ezekiel Elliott LAC
S. Barkley PHI Saquon Barkley PHI
A. Kamara NO Alvin Kamara NO
D. Henry BAL Derrick Henry BAL
Non-PPR: First-and-a-half Tier
Round 1
D. Cook DAL Dalvin Cook DAL
C. Edwards-Helaire NO Clyde Edwards-Helaire NO
J. Jacobs GB Josh Jacobs GB
J. Mixon HOU Joe Mixon HOU
M. Sanders CAR Miles Sanders CAR
A. Ekeler WAS Austin Ekeler WAS
Non-PPR: Second Tier
Round 2
K. Drake GB Kenyan Drake GB
N. Chubb CLE Nick Chubb CLE
A. Jones MIN Aaron Jones MIN
J. Conner ARI James Conner ARI
C. Carson SEA Chris Carson SEA
Non-PPR: Third Tier
Between 35-50 overall
T. Gurley ATL Todd Gurley ATL
M. Gordon BAL Melvin Gordon BAL
R. Mostert MIA Raheem Mostert MIA
M. Ingram NO Mark Ingram NO
C. Akers MIN Cam Akers MIN
J. Taylor IND Jonathan Taylor IND
Non-PPR: Fourth Tier
Round 5
D. Johnson NO David Johnson NO
L. Fournette BUF Leonard Fournette BUF
L. Bell TB Le'Veon Bell TB
K. Hunt KC Kareem Hunt KC
J. Dobbins LAC J.K. Dobbins LAC
Non-PPR: Fifth Tier
Round 7
Z. Moss CIN Zack Moss CIN
A. Gibson NE Antonio Gibson NE
D. Montgomery DET David Montgomery DET
J. Howard NO Jordan Howard NO
D. Swift CHI D'Andre Swift CHI
J. White NE James White NE
M. Breida SF Matt Breida SF
M. Mack ARI Marlon Mack ARI
D. Singletary NYG Devin Singletary NYG
Non-PPR: Sixth Tier
Round 8
P. Lindsay IND Phillip Lindsay IND
T. Cohen NYJ Tarik Cohen NYJ
R. Jones DAL Ronald Jones DAL
Non-PPR: High-end backups
Rounds 9-10
S. Michel LAR Sony Michel LAR
D. Henderson Jr. LAR Darrell Henderson Jr. LAR
A. Mattison LV Alexander Mattison LV
T. Pollard TEN Tony Pollard TEN
D. Harris BUF Damien Harris BUF
C. Edmonds TB Chase Edmonds TB
L. Murray BUF Latavius Murray BUF
J. Kelley TEN Joshua Kelley TEN
K. Johnson PHI Kerryon Johnson PHI
Non-PPR: Backups
Round 11
B. Love WAS Bryce Love WAS
T. Coleman SF Tevin Coleman SF
B. Scott PIT Boston Scott PIT
M. Brown LAR Malcolm Brown LAR
J. Robinson NO James Robinson NO
D. Williams NO Darrel Williams NO
A. Peterson SEA Adrian Peterson SEA
B. Snell DET Benny Snell DET
R. Armstead JAC Ryquell Armstead JAC
C. Hyde JAC Carlos Hyde JAC
Non-PPR: Low-end backups
Round 12+
D. Washington MIA DeAndre Washington MIA
D. Evans CHI Darrynton Evans CHI
C. Hyde JAC Carlos Hyde JAC
R. Armstead JAC Ryquell Armstead JAC
N. Hines CLE Nyheim Hines CLE
D. Johnson BUF Duke Johnson BUF
B. Snell DET Benny Snell DET
I. Smith DAL Ito Smith DAL

So what Fantasy football sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which WR1 candidate can you wait on until late? Visit SportsLine now to get cheat sheets from the model that was all over Derrick Henry's huge season, and find out.