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USATSI

If you avoided every running back who had any sort of injury concerns, you would be a Zero-RB truther like no other because injury risk is inherent to the position and nearly everyone in the tiers below has some sort of recent concern. At this time last year I would have added that only Derrick Henry seems to have proven impervious to the injury bug. We all saw how that turned out.

With that being said, it's one thing to trust a back who has been a star but also suffered injuries in the past. It's another to have a back tiered as high as I have J.K. Dobbins when he's coming off a torn ACL and has such a short track record. And though they aren't tiered as high, you could ask the same questions about Cam Akers and Travis Etienne in the two tiers below Dobbins.

To Dobbins' credit, he was the No. 15 back in Fantasy over the second half of his rookie season. But honestly, the reason I have him ranked so high is just about what happened before and after that season. Before, he was one of the very best prospects in a loaded 2020 draft class. After, the Ravens opened up their offense, specifically throwing 34 more passes to their running backs than they did in the prior two seasons. 

Considering the team spent the summer before the 2021 season extolling Dobbins' pass-catching prowess, I have high expectations for what he'll do as a pass catcher this season. That, in addition to his elite efficiency as a rusher, gives him top-12 upside this year. And he'll just be 23 at the start of the season, younger than Najee Harris. 

Akers and Etienne will also be 23 at the start of the season, but that's where the similarities seemingly end. Akers missed most of the season with a torn Achilles, but miraculously recovered in time to contribute to the Rams' Super Bowl run. He didn't look like himself in the playoffs, but I'm hopeful the offseason gets him back to the form that saw him produce 708 yards of total offense in his final six games (including the playoffs) of the 2020 season.

Etienne didn't even take a snap in the NFL before his foot injury, but Jacksonville is hoping to have him full speed for OTAs, which is way ahead of James Robinson's timetable. I don't think Etienne could be a workhorse like Akers and Dobbins, but he does have Alvin Kamara upside in the passing game if Doug Pederson can get Trevor Lawrence on track.

All three of these backs have huge boom potential and could be a starting back for another three-to-four seasons on a contender. They're also one injury away from drawing the dreaded "injury prone" label and losing value because of it. Judging based on consensus values, I'm buying Dobbins, selling Akers, and holding Etienne for the time being.

Here are my updated Dynasty running back tiers as of March: