The Fantasy Footballers Top 10 RB Rankings Recap
The Footballers started working through their rankings heading into draft season for 2020. The top-10 RBs episode dropped this past weekend including some lively discussion on what could go wrong in 2020. Here’s the rank for each Fantasy Footballer as well as their current ADP in BestBall drafts.
For more discussion and full video profiles on each player, check out the award-winning Ultimate Draft Kit.
1. Christian McCaffrey– Andy: 1 / Jason: 1 / Mike: 1
Current ADP: 1.01 / RB1
He’s the 1.01. Not much discussion needed here. Despite a new coaching regime and a new QB in Teddy Bridgewater, there is no question that he’s on another level. Consider that 44% of his total fantasy production was via the air and his 141 targets would have been 8th among WRs. Heck, only 18 Wide Receivers in NFL history have had 116 catches in a season. Oh, and by the way, he’s a RUNNING BACK. You’re getting two players in one and his chances of repeating as the RB1 are higher than almost any top positional player ever.
2. Ezekiel Elliott– Andy: 2 / Jason: 2 / Mike: 3
Current ADP: 1.03 / RB3
It’s unreal how consistent Zeke has been since coming into the league. He’s averaged 19.2 fantasy points per game & 24 touches per game through 56 games. Sometimes he feels boring because the ceiling games weren’t there in 2019 especially when Dallas blew their opponents out and Tony Pollard stepped in. But he’s safe and attached to an offense that led the NFL in yards per play. He was the only RB without a bust game according to our consistency metrics and he led the NFL in Red-Zone Rushing Attempts at 3.8 per game. He’s as safe as they get.
3. Saquon Barkley– Andy: 3 / Jason: 3 / Mike: 2
Current ADP: 1.02 / RB2
The quads apparently are getting even bigger this offseason… Barkley struggled with injury early last season but from Week 7 on, he was the RB5. However, before destroying in Weeks 15 and 16, he was the RB18. No-one questions the talent and his ceiling is clearly the RB1 but new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett isn’t the most encouraging piece of news. During his time in Dallas, Garrett’s teams were in the bottom-10 of RB market share. Does Daniel Jones take a step forward? He’s a lock for 300 touches and one of the true workhorses in fantasy. The biggest question is in dynasty: CMC or Saquads for the 1.01?
4. Dalvin Cook– Andy: 4 /Jason: 5 /Mike: 4
Current ADP: 1.07 / RB6
After totaling 1,600 yards and 13 TDs on the ground, Cook established himself as a top tier RB in 2019. The stats are incredible: he was the RB2 from Weeks 1-14, the 3rd most goal-line carries (despite missing 2 games), 2nd in fantasy points per game, and the 4th most evaded tackles. The question is: will he stay healthy? Despite the offseason concerns with the contract, he’s worth the investment in the mid-first round. The Footballers recommended grabbing Alexander Mattison in the 8th or 9th round as an insurance policy given Cook’s injury history.
5. Clyde Edwards-Helaire– Andy: 7 / Jason: 6 / Mike: 5
Current ADP: 2.03/RB10 (will update soon as Bestball drafts adjust)
Let’s get hyped! CEH vaulted up the rankings with the news Damien Williams is opted out the 2020 season due to health concerns for his family. He’s the weapon Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes hand-picked for this offense and now he will be given the keys to the RB1 driver’s seat. Jason claimed his ceiling is a top-3 RB and his TD equity is absurdly high for someone who is a rookie. He’s worth a 1st round draft pick as you ride the train of one of the best offenses in the NFL.
6. Alvin Kamara– Andy: 8 / Jason: 4 / Mike: 6
Current ADP: 1.04 / RB4
It felt like Kamara completely underwhelmed last year due to the fact he regressed mightily in the TD department. He nosedived from 34 ten-zone rushes in 2018 to only 14 last season and only four goal-line carries, 37th among RBs. He should bounce-back behind a great offensive line and an efficient offense led by Drew Brees. From Week 10 on, he was the RB8. Oh, and mark him down for 81 receptions. For three straight years, that’s been his exact total. Hopefully, the big plays will come again although last year his aDOT was -0.35 yards, also known as behind the line of scrimmage. He’s still elite.
Getty Images / Jonathan Bachman
7. Derrick Henry– Andy: 5 / Jason: 9 / Mike: 7
Current ADP: 1.05 / RB5
Get out of the way! Henry averaged a league-leading 102.7 yards per game and in yards after contact. When Ryan Tannehill took over last season, Henry was unleashed and was a league-winner for those that believed in him in the 4th round. Jason noted that it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he finishes with 20 TDs in 2020! The offensive line lost OT Jack Conklin so there’s some concern in terms of continuity. Also, he’s a non-factor in the passing game so if game scripts change this year. But he’s a first-round draft pick for sure.
8. Josh Jacobs– Andy: 6 / Jason: 11 / Mike: 9
Current ADP: 2.07 / RB9
Andy is cooking here and believes Jacobs is ready to take a step into the next tier of elite RBs. For the first half of the season, he already was there. From Weeks 1-11, he was the RB8. According to PFF, Jacobs had the MOST Forced Missed Tackles on Rushing Attempts in the NFL although he played in just 13 games! The one knock on Jacobs was the lack of work in the passing game as Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington somehow were preferred. If Jacobs sees a slight bump to 35-40 receptions in 2020, he’s worth the investment in the second round.
9. Miles Sanders– Andy: 13 / Jason: 7 /Mike: 10
Current ADP: 2.08 / RB12
Miles Sanders is rising and Jason is riding shot-gun on the hype train. He was 7th in Yards Per Touch among RBs and came on strong at the end of the year including winning people some #FootClanTitles. If Sanders is the work-horse back in Philadelphia, you are getting a steal at his ADP. Doug Pederson never has utilized his running backs in this way but he’s also never spent the draft capital on an RB until Sanders. His floor with the passing down work is safe but the lack of goal-line work and TDs is a slight concern. For a more in-depth discussion on Sanders, check out the Fire + Ice episode.
10. Aaron Jones– Andy: 10 / Jason: 12 / Mike: 8
Current ADP: 2.05 / RB10
Rounding out the 10 of the top-10, the Packers’ Aaron Jones was a fantasy force last year. He has the Packers franchise record of 23 TDs in 18 games (includes playoffs) including a couple of monster four TD games. On the other hand, Jones also had five games with less than seven points, most among the top-24 RBs. Jason claimed that he doesn’t trust Coach Matt LaFleur and there clearly can be room for major TD regression. Regardless, Jones has shown a ceiling in fantasy and could be more a solid RB2 than RB1 in 2020.
Comments
Someone’s going to have to explain to me how Sanders is actually supposed to be a workhorse back and not just Jordan Howard 2.0 – at the end of last season I think Sanders was benefiting from a system that was desperate to give anyone the work due to injuries. Sure it was great for last year, but this team no longer has the same vacated targets it did last season. And now I feel like there are legitimate target share concerns for the team.
Of Wentz 604 targets: 235 of them (39%) went to TEs, which was the 2nd highest in the league. With target-hog DeSean Jackson back and a brand-spankin-new 1st round WR… How is there going to be enough receptions for Sanders? He’s not even the only pass catching running back on the team.
Philadelphia doesn’t funnel offensive momentum through individual players like other teams do. It’s just not conductive for fantasy.
Astronaut 1: so you’re saying Philly is a RBBC?
Astronaut 2: always has been.