Fantasy Football: Pre-Draft Running-Back Rankings
By Shaun Evans
Fantasy Football – Pre-Draft Running-Back Rankings
25. Mark Ingram (Baltimore Ravens)
2018 Stats: 645 Yards | 6 TDs | 21 Receptions | 1 TD
Mark Ingram found a new home during the off-season with the Baltimore Ravens and they expect him to be a huge helping hand to their young quarterback Lamar Jackson. Ingram didn’t play a full season last year due to a suspension but he logged 12 games and rushed for 645 yards on the season while adding 170 yards through the air. We also have to remember that he played behind Alvin Kamara and was only used in certain situations. He averaged just 4.7 yards per carry last season and the Ravens offensive line allowed their backs to average 4.5 yards. A similar running system could help Ingram lead the backfield this season for Baltimore.
24. Lamar Miller (Houston Texans)
2018 Stats: 973 Yards | 5 TDs | 25 Receptions | 1 TDs
Lamar Miller is logging his third season with the Houston Texans and he has been nothing but consistent for them. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry while averaging 6.5 yards per reception last season and remains a key cog in one of the more dynamic AFC offenses. The Texans have Miller paired up with Deshaun Watson who is also mobile which makes it even more difficult for defenses to figure out who to watch for.
23. Phillip Lindsay (Denver Broncos)
2018 Stats: 1,037 Yards | 9 TDs | 35 Receptions | 1 TDs
By the end of this season we could see Phillip Lindsay being the head of this Denver Broncos offense because of the lack of weapons around him. Last season we saw Joe Flacco get benched for Lamar Jackson and now has a new home in Denver with a young and unproven core of pass-catchers which puts even more focus on Lindsay heading into the year. Lindsey was able to log over a thousand yards rushing while adding on 241 yards receiving all while averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 6.9 yards per reception. Royce Freeman is there to help take some of the load but expect Phillip Lindsay to be the main focal point of this offense.
22. David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals)
2018 Stats: 940 Yards | 7 TDs | 50 Receptions | 3 TDs
David Johnson has had a pretty “so-so” career so far due to injuries and inconsistency. In 2016 he was able to record 1,239 yards, while missing nearly all of 2017 due to injury before returning last season and racking up 940 yards. We could say he didn’t return as his old self but we should see some improvement once again in a new Arizona offensive attack with a dynamic Head Coach and new QB. He was utilized out of the backfield as a rusher and a receiver, logging close 1,500 yards for the entire season. The Arizona Cardinals did rank last though in average of yards per carry last season with just 3.8 but with a new offensive scheme we may be able to throw last years numbers out the window.
21. Marlon Mack (Indianapolis Colts)
2018 Stats: 908 Yards | 9 TDs | 17 Receptions | 103 1 TDs
The Indianapolis Colts were happy knowing Andrew Luck returned last year and especially when he started dominating. Now mixing a good quarterback like Andrew Luck with Marlon Mack can create a dangerous threat for all other defenses to game plan for. After logging just 12 games last season with the Colts, Mack is looking to improve his stats. He was able to record 1,011 yards from scrimmage last season with a total of 10 touchdowns. There was some talk about Nyheim Hines being able to take carries from Mack throughout last season but I can safely say that won’t be an issue this year as the Colts will rely on Marlon Mack through all 16 games.