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Top Fantasy Football Running Backs 2018: Todd Gurley Tops, Saquon Barkley Top Rookie

Jim Saranteas
08/15/2018 5:33PM ET

In fantasy football, the running back position must be the most exciting position to fill on your roster. Nowadays, coaching staffs expect running backs to be all-around producers, not just on the ground but through the air. That’s why the past few seasons we’ve had a resurgence in the position, especially among the younger running backs. It means most fantasy football team owners will have ample opportunity to pick one or two top running backs. During a season, it gets interesting as injuries set in.

As most fantasy football leagues are twelve-team leagues, we’ll focus on the top twelve running backs, then rank the next best twelve and so on, until we reach running backs who’ll likely need an injury to become relevant outside of the bye weeks.

1. Todd Gurley II                   Rams

2. Ezekiel Elliott                    Cowboys

3. Le'Veon Bell                     Steelers

4. David Johnson                Cardinals

5. Kareem Hunt                    Chiefs

6. Saquon Barkley               Giants

7. Alvin Kamara                    Saints

8. Leonard Fournette          Jaguars

9. Melvin Gordon                 Chargers

10. Dalvin Cook                   Vikings

11. Devonta Freeman         Falcons

12. Jordan Howard              Bears

No real surprises here. The top workhorse running backs are all in the top five. It helps Ezekiel Elliott that the Cowboys' passing game is expected to struggle with the roster losses of Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. Based on the preseason game the other night, David Johnson looks to be in mid-season form.

Alvin Kamara gets a boost in value since Mark Ingram will be out for the first four games of the season. If you’re surprised Jordan Howard is in the top twelve, don’t be. As second year quarterback Mitch Trubisky continues to develop in his second season, the Bears will still lean heavily on Howard. If Trubisky breaks through as some expect, Howard could have a career season. Saquon Barkley is hands down the number one rookie to have on your fantasy football roster.

13. Jerick McKinnon           49ers

14. Derrick Henry                 Titans

15. Alex Collins                    Ravens

16. Joe Mixon                       Bengals

17. Christian McCaffrey      Panthers

18. LeSean McCoy              Bills

19. Kenyan Drake                Dolphins

20. Lamar Miller                    Texans

21. Rashaad Penny               Seahawks

22. Jay Ajayi                          Eagles

23. Ronald Jones II            Buccaneers

24. Rex Burkhead                Patriots

This is a great group of fantasy football RB2s for twelve team leagues. As for the first six, you’ll likely see them all produce RB1-type numbers most weeks. Jerick McKinnon, Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Christian McCaffrey, and Ronald Jones are favorites to contend for a top twelve finish at season’s end.

25. Royce Freeman            Broncos

26. Mark Ingram                   Saints

27. Jamaal Williams             Packers

28. Marlon Mack                   Colts

29. Dion Lewis                     Titans

30. Marshawn Lynch          Raiders

31. Kerryon Johnson          Lions

32. Isaiah Crowell                Jets

33. Tevin Coleman              Falcons

34. Carlos Hyde                   Browns

35. C.J. Anderson                Panthers

36. Sony Michel                   Patriots

Not to be out done, Royce Freeman looks like a player who should unseat teammate Devontae Booker as the team’s starter. This means fantasy football team owners should target Freeman not Booker. As for the rest, they should all have significant roles in the offense but be splitting time with someone else. Without an injury or a substantial role in the passing game (especially in ppr leagues) their impact on the bottom line of fantasy football games may be insignificant except in certain weeks.

Note, Marshawn Lynch (and maybe even Carlos Hyde) should be more valuable for scoring touchdowns than producing significant yards between the twenties. Avoid Lynch in dynasty leagues except in the late rounds.

And Sony Michael is being over drafted (fifth to sixth round) as a low end RB3 in fantasy football. Michael is a tremendous talent. However, he’s not alone in the Patriots backfield, i.e., Rex Burkhead and James White. Plus, we’ve seen many talented running backs go to the Patriots but not excel. This is not the running back you want on a winning fantasy football team. The Patriots' offense runs through Tom Brady --- period. Treat Sony Michael as a low end RB3 for fantasy football draft purposes.

37. Matt Breida*                    49ers

38. Tarik Cohen                   Bears

39. Devontae Booker          Broncos

40. Giovani Bernard            Bengals

41. Nick Chubb                    Browns

42. Duke Johnson Jr.          Browns

43. Corey Clement               Eagles

44. Jordan Wilkins               Colts

45. Aaron Jones                   Packers

46. Ty Montgomery              Packers

47. Chris Thompson            Redskins

48. Bilal Powell                    Jets

Most of these players have one thing in common: they can catch the football out of the backfield or in open space. Among this group,Giovanni Bernard is an intriguing fantasy football draft prospect. With the Redskins' Derrius Guice done for the season, the Redskins could look to trade for Bernard who knows their playbook. The Redskins' Chris Thompson should continue to have a significant role at least on passing downs.

In PPR leagues, rank Christian McCaffrey and Chris Thompson five spots higher and Duke Johnson ten spots higher than they are ranked above.

“ * “ denotes an injury at the time of writing.