ezekiel-elliott-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,

RB strategies

For years, I've been called "a running back guy." Is that a bad thing? Of course not, silly! Why not load up on the position that scores more Fantasy points than pass catchers, or is the most valuable trade commodity, or is the most prone to injuries? Why not build up a roster with guys who could go from zeroes to heroes thanks to an injury or a benching? And don't you usually have to start at least two running backs in your league?  

Put it on my tombstone: 

HERE LIES
DAVE RICHARD
FATHER
HUSBAND
RUNNING BACK GUY

So, for me, the question isn't whether or not to collect running backs on Draft Day, it's HOW to do it. 

I'd normally suggest going over the running back tiers (or any set of rankings you like) to get an idea of just how many running backs in the talent pool you'd trust in your lineup, but the reality is that most Fantasy drafters are going to aggressively take rushers this year because of the depth at wide receiver, quarterback and even tight end. Literally every round of 12-team-or-fewer leagues can you find someone at those positions you'd at least tolerate having on your team. 

You can't quite say the same about running backs, especially once you get to Round 6 or 7 and you're staring at part-time players who might have low ceilings. So if you DON'T load up early, have some antacid nearby because you're not gonna feel so good taking running backs you'd need to start later than that. That's my preferred strategy this year. 

My least preferred strategy is waiting to take a running back until that Round 6 or 7 range. That's called Zero RB, you know, and I feel like it'll mean zero Fantasy points from your running backs if you go that route in 2020. There are just too many unpredictable backfield splits with solid players. Maybe you could make the case for waiting at running back and beginning the year with a duo like Jordan Howard and Marlon Mack, but it's not ideal when the rest of your league is taking better running backs early and not missing out much on other positions.  

So allow me to pitch you on a modified version of that. I like to call it Solo RB. Instead of ignoring running backs through your first five or six picks, you take just one. One guy to be the crown jewel of your backfield while you farm others during the draft and season via mid- to late-round picks and waiver-wire adds. In the case of Solo RB, the lone weak spot in your lineup is the second running back you start each week.

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!

A year for insurance

Let's take this moment to talk about COVID-19 and the impact it figures to have on running backs. You should already know that running backs tend to get injured at a higher rate than their skill-position counterparts. Now we're throwing in the threat of testing positive for COVID-19, which is something that can happen to anyone in football, or in life. 

If you draft a running back who ends up missing time because of COVID-19, you'd love to have his backup ready to go. Not all backups are created equally -- do you really think Reggie Bonnafon can replicate Christian McCaffrey's stats? -- but the real-life backups who can produce close to what the starters in front of them can are worth taking. This year especially, it's wise to have the guy behind the guy on your bench. Here's how I have the handcuff options ranked for 2020.

Skip the rookies? 

There were no offseason programs or minicamps, training camps are sure to have limited practices, and there are no preseason games. It sure puts all rookies in a tight spot. 

The good news for running backs is that the things they'll be asked to do figure to be things they've done for years -- namely follow their blockers and run. That should come naturally, especially after adapting to the speed of the NFL game. It's stuff like pass protection, learning routes and developing chemistry with the quarterback figures to limit the playing time of most rookies right away. Those who proved their efficiency in college on passing downs won't have a learning curve as steep. Sadly, the only ones we can confidently say that about are Clyde Edwards-Helaire, D'Andre Swift, Cam Akers and Antonio Gibson.  

If you prefer your running backs with track records, then it's fine to bypass the rookie class. But there's loads of potential with several who could do what Miles Sanders and Devin Singletary did last year and break out in the second half of the season. Again, your own patience should be a factor. 

The bottom line

  • As usual, running back is the thinnest position on Draft Day. 
  • As usual, running backs are still the hottest Fantasy commodity. 
  • Expect the majority of Fantasy drafters to take running backs early to shore up the position. 
  • Drafting insurance policies is more recommended than ever thanks to COVID-19.
  • It's recommended everyone should end their drafts with at least 40% of their roster being running backs.
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. Cook DAL Dalvin Cook DAL
PPR: First-and-a-half Tier
Round 1
C. Edwards-Helaire KC Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC
M. Sanders DAL Miles Sanders DAL
J. Mixon HOU Joe Mixon HOU
PPR: Second Tier
Round 2
A. Ekeler WAS Austin Ekeler WAS
K. Drake GB Kenyan Drake GB
D. Henry BAL Derrick Henry BAL
J. Jacobs GB Josh Jacobs GB
N. Chubb HOU Nick Chubb HOU
A. Jones MIN Aaron Jones MIN
PPR: Third Tier
Round 3
J. Conner ARI James Conner ARI
C. Carson SEA Chris Carson SEA
M. Gordon BAL Melvin Gordon BAL
PPR: Fourth Tier
Rounds 4-5
L. Bell TB Le'Veon Bell TB
T. Gurley ATL Todd Gurley ATL
R. Jones DAL Ronald Jones DAL
D. Singletary NYG Devin Singletary NYG
L. Fournette BUF Leonard Fournette BUF
D. Swift CHI D'Andre Swift CHI
K. Hunt KC Kareem Hunt KC
D. Johnson NO David Johnson NO
PPR: Fifth Tier
Round 6
M. Ingram NO Mark Ingram NO
R. Mostert LV Raheem Mostert LV
C. Akers SEA Cam Akers SEA
J. Taylor IND Jonathan Taylor IND
PPR: Sixth Tier
Rounds 7
T. Cohen NYJ Tarik Cohen NYJ
D. Montgomery DET David Montgomery DET
J. White NE James White NE
PPR: Seventh Tier
Rounds 8
D. Henderson Jr. LAR Darrell Henderson Jr. LAR
J. Dobbins DEN J.K. Dobbins DEN
J. Howard NO Jordan Howard NO
A. Gibson NE Antonio Gibson NE
PPR: High-end backups
Rounds 9-10
B. Scott PIT Boston Scott PIT
D. Harris BUF Damien Harris BUF
M. Breida SF Matt Breida SF
Z. Moss CIN Zack Moss CIN
M. Mack ARI Marlon Mack ARI
A. Mattison MIA Alexander Mattison MIA
P. Lindsay IND Phillip Lindsay IND
T. Coleman SF Tevin Coleman SF
N. Miller-Hines LAC Nyheim Miller-Hines LAC
B. Love WAS Bryce Love WAS
K. Johnson PHI Kerryon Johnson PHI
T. Pollard TEN Tony Pollard TEN
L. Murray BUF Latavius Murray BUF
C. Edmonds WAS Chase Edmonds WAS
PPR: Solid Backups
Rounds 11+
A. Dillon PHI AJ Dillon PHI
D. Washington MIA DeAndre Washington MIA
A. Peterson SEA Adrian Peterson SEA
R. Armstead JAC Ryquell Armstead JAC
D. Evans BUF Darrynton Evans BUF
D. Johnson BUF Duke Johnson BUF
C. Hyde JAC Carlos Hyde JAC
J. Kelley TEN Joshua Kelley TEN
J. McKinnon KC Jerick McKinnon KC
I. Smith DAL Ito Smith DAL
B. Snell DET Benny Snell DET
K. Vaughn SF Ke'Shawn Vaughn SF
S. Michel LAR Sony Michel LAR
L. McCoy TB LeSean McCoy TB
D. Williams NO Darrel Williams NO
A. McFarland MIA Anthony McFarland MIA
M. Brown LAR Malcolm Brown LAR
J. Williams NO Jamaal Williams NO
G. Bernard TB Giovani Bernard TB
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
D. Cook DAL Dalvin Cook DAL
Non-PPR: First-and-a-half Tier
Round 1
C. Edwards-Helaire KC Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC
J. Jacobs GB Josh Jacobs GB
M. Sanders DAL Miles Sanders DAL
J. Mixon HOU Joe Mixon HOU
N. Chubb HOU Nick Chubb HOU
Non-PPR: Second Tier
Round 2
K. Drake GB Kenyan Drake GB
A. Ekeler WAS Austin Ekeler WAS
A. Jones MIN Aaron Jones MIN
J. Conner ARI James Conner ARI
C. Carson SEA Chris Carson SEA
Non-PPR: Third Tier
Round 3
M. Gordon BAL Melvin Gordon BAL
L. Bell TB Le'Veon Bell TB
T. Gurley ATL Todd Gurley ATL
R. Jones DAL Ronald Jones DAL
Non-PPR: Fourth Tier
Rounds 4-5
L. Fournette BUF Leonard Fournette BUF
M. Ingram NO Mark Ingram NO
D. Singletary NYG Devin Singletary NYG
D. Johnson NO David Johnson NO
D. Swift CHI D'Andre Swift CHI
R. Mostert LV Raheem Mostert LV
C. Akers SEA Cam Akers SEA
Non-PPR: Fifth Tier
Round 6
J. Taylor IND Jonathan Taylor IND
D. Montgomery DET David Montgomery DET
K. Hunt KC Kareem Hunt KC
Non-PPR: Sixth Tier
Rounds 7
J. Howard NO Jordan Howard NO
J. Dobbins DEN J.K. Dobbins DEN
D. Henderson Jr. LAR Darrell Henderson Jr. LAR
Non-PPR: Seventh Tier
Round 8
M. Mack ARI Marlon Mack ARI
M. Breida SF Matt Breida SF
P. Lindsay IND Phillip Lindsay IND
Z. Moss CIN Zack Moss CIN
D. Harris BUF Damien Harris BUF
A. Mattison MIA Alexander Mattison MIA
T. Cohen NYJ Tarik Cohen NYJ
T. Coleman SF Tevin Coleman SF
Non-PPR: High-end Backups
Rounds 9-10
J. White NE James White NE
B. Scott PIT Boston Scott PIT
T. Pollard TEN Tony Pollard TEN
L. Murray BUF Latavius Murray BUF
C. Edmonds WAS Chase Edmonds WAS
A. Dillon PHI AJ Dillon PHI
A. Gibson NE Antonio Gibson NE
B. Love WAS Bryce Love WAS
K. Johnson PHI Kerryon Johnson PHI
Non-PPR: Solid Backups
Round 11+
A. Peterson SEA Adrian Peterson SEA
D. Washington MIA DeAndre Washington MIA
D. Evans BUF Darrynton Evans BUF
C. Hyde JAC Carlos Hyde JAC
J. Kelley TEN Joshua Kelley TEN
R. Armstead JAC Ryquell Armstead JAC
N. Miller-Hines LAC Nyheim Miller-Hines LAC
S. Michel LAR Sony Michel LAR
D. Johnson BUF Duke Johnson BUF
B. Snell DET Benny Snell DET
I. Smith DAL Ito Smith DAL
L. McCoy TB LeSean McCoy TB
K. Vaughn SF Ke'Shawn Vaughn SF
A. McFarland MIA Anthony McFarland MIA
D. Williams NO Darrel Williams NO