Running backs are and have been the backbone of a good fantasy roster. Even as receivers become more important in an increasingly pass-oriented league, the best running backs get off the board with the first picks. After the top stars are gone, it’s not always easy to find the right value for running backs – after all, there are so many good receivers in the middle rounds of every fantasy draft and format. With our RB Fantasy Rankings for the 2022 season, we want to help you always make the right pick and leave no value on the draft board.
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Before we jump into the rankings, a small note from me: Ranking players before each fantasy draft is a good way to keep track of time pressure. But even better are tiers, i.e. groups of players who have roughly the same value. They help you to see where the value currently lies in the draft and where you might leave it.
A small example to illustrate: You are “on the clock” and still have not picked a quarterback for your team. There are about four to five quarterbacks left on the board, though, all ranked in the same tier (let’s say Tier 2). The running backs, on the other hand, only have one option from their own tier, behind which there is a massive drop-off in quality.
In this case, it makes more sense to take the running back, even though it might be the third or even fourth on your team, since you can expect a Tier 2 quarterback to still be on the board in the next round is. It’s decisions like this that will help you keep value on the draft board and put together the best possible team.
If you’ve mastered this strategy, you’re now ready for our 2022 NFL Year Running Back Rankings – specifically designed for leagues where running backs get one point per reception (PPR). Here we go:
Tier 1: The Best of the Best (Elite)
1. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
2. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
3. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
For a long time I wrestled with myself whether I should include Ekeler in the top tier or not. I finally went for it because Ekeler just generates so much value in the passing game and plays in one of the best offenses in the league in 2022. Taylor is the no-brainer pick if you have the first pick in the fantasy draft, Henry follows close behind for me. And yes, Run CMC has been injured a lot over the years, but when he’s fit he’s just cheat code in fantasy land, plain and simple. In fact, his injury woes are the only reason McCaffrey won’t top the rankings again.
Repeating as a top-5 fantasy RB is difficult. Over the last 5 years, only 7 RBs (28%) repeated the following year.
2021 Top 5:
1. Jonathan Taylor
2. Austin Ekeler
3. Joe Mixon
4. Najee Harris
5. James ConnerPick Two — that are least likely to repeat in 2022 #FantasyFootball
— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) June 29, 2022
Tier 2: Workhorse backs among themselves
5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
6. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
8. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Najee Harris has the potential to be a first tier by this point next year, but two things need to happen for that to happen. First, Harris remains injury-free and able to shoulder the massive workload Pittsburgh is giving him. And secondly, the Steelers will find at least a solid solution to the quarterback question – that could well be Kenny Pickett, but we don’t know that as of today. So Harris falls in the second tier for me with established stars like Cook, Mixon and Chubb.
Tier 3: RB1 potential present
9. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
10. Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
11. D’Andre Swift. Detroit Lions
12. Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
14. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
15. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears
16. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
17. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
There are many running backs in Tier 3 who have the potential for an RB1 season but either face competition in their own backfield or play on a weak or very pass-heavy offense – both of which are associated with volume issues and as we know volume is behind as before the fantasy trump number one. Conner’s role will be particularly interesting: In his six starts with more than 75 percent snaps last year, he got three top 2 finishes. He could be a potential steal in this tier
James Conner averaged 23.3 PPR fantasy points in five games without Chase Edmonds last season
Are you drafting Conner as a RB1? ? pic.twitter.com/feli8qPF1W
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) March 14, 2022
Tier 4: Solid RB2s
18. Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
19. Breece Hall, New York Jets
20. Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers
21. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
22. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
23. Damien Harris, New England Patriots
24. Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
I have Hall significantly higher than many other rankings and could be completely wrong. Finally, the Jets have another talented young back on the roster in Michael Carter. But Hall showed in college at Iowa State that he has real three-down potential and can be a weapon, especially as a receiver from the backfield. The Jets didn’t invest a third-round pick in him for nothing (lots of draft money for an RB), so I’ll try to get Hall in as many leagues as possible.
Tier 5: RB3s with RB1/2 potential
25. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
26. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
27. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
28. A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers
29. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
30. Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
31. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
32. Melvin Gordon III, Denver Broncos
33. Rashad Penny, Seattle Seahawks
34. Ronald Jones II, Kansas City Chiefs
The RB situation in Kansas City is one of the most compelling camp issues from a fantasy perspective. Will Ronald Jones Completely Take Over CEH’s Early-Down Snaps? Do the two share the carries? And who gets the valuable goal line role? Questions that still need to be answered. As of today, I have Edwards-Helaire a few spots above Jones, but the former Buccaneer is the most talented runner on the roster. If he gets his receiving and pass protection problems under control, Jones even has RB1 potential in the still strong offense in KC.
2022 Ronald Jones giving me 2021 James Conner vibes:
-Veteran RB that most of fantasy community simply views as bad at football
-Enters open depth chart as fairly clear RB2 at worse
-New offense is v good
-Chance for 10+ TDs even without pass-game role
-ADP RB3/RB4 in fantasy– Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) April 14, 2022
At the end of the rankings, I can give you a little tip for the late rounds in fantasy drafts. Do not draft players whose roles in their offense are clearly defined and whose ceiling is therefore limited – classic third-down backs like Giovani Bernard do not have enough value in most leagues to ever get past your starters, even if they are in a slump .
Instead, it’s all about finding the best “handcuffs” in the back rounds – i.e. backup RBs on good offenses who would take over the role almost one-to-one if the starter in front of them were injured. The “creme de la creme” of these options are already in the ranking (Pollard, Hunt and Co.), but Alexander Mattison or Darrell Henderson should also be on your list of priorities late in the draft. These players are instant starters when their time comes, making them far more valuable to your team than the world’s Giovani Bernards.
And now it’s your turn: Which ranking do you not agree with at all? Who flies under the fantasy radar for you and who gets overrated? Feel free to write us your opinions via our social channels such as Facebook and Instagram.