Fantasy Football: Pre-Draft Running-Back Rankings
By Shaun Evans
Fantasy Football – Pre-Draft Running-Back Rankings
20. LeSean McCoy (Buffalo Bills)
2018 Stats: 514 Yards | 3 TDs | 34 Receptions | 0 TDs
LeSean McCoy has had a very up and down career but last year was on track to be his worst year yet. He only played 14 games and logged 752 yards from scrimmage in those games, finding the end-zone just three total times. The bright side though is that when McCoy plays a full season he gives it his all and usually cracks 1,000 yards rushing.
The Bills did add Frank Gore during the off-season and that could actually help in keeping McCoy ready with fresh legs as Gore does not mind to run. This is a situation where I would be looking to handcuff the pair.
19. Adrian Peterson (Washington Redskins)
2018 Stats: 1,042 Yards | 7 TDs | 20 Receptions | 1 TDs
Oh boy! Adrian Peterson found some fresh legs before the 2018 season it seems as the man rushed for over 1,000 yards once again since his injury in 2016. While the Washington Redskins don’t have too many bright spots on their offense, we do know that AP is one. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry while averaging 10.4 yards per reception.
Some thought Chris Thompson would take some shine away from Peterson but those people were wrong as he is not allowing anyone to take his spot any time soon. The Redskins have to rely on Colt McCoy or Case Keenum in the pocket which means they could be opting to run the ball some more.
18. Chris Carson (Seattle Seahawks)
2018 Stats: 1,151 Yards | 9 TDs | 20 Receptions | 0 TDs
Seeing a different running-back other than Marshawn Lynch these past two years in Seattle was a weird thing but Chris Carson did not disappoint. He was able to rush for 1,151 yards while recording 163 yards receiving. He averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 8.2 yards per reception and having Russell Wilson as his quarterback helped take the pressure off him a bit. The offensive line allowed for their running-backs to average the 6th most yards per carry also with 4.8 YPC. Chris Carson wasn’t able to log a full 16 games last season so as long as he comes in to week 1 healthy and prepared, expect the young running-back to improve on stats.
17. Jordan Howard (Philadelphia Eagles)
2018 Stats: 935 Yards | 9 TDs | 20 Receptions | 0 TDs *Chicago Bears
In a very short stint in Chicago, Jordan Howard was a pretty consistent running-back with just one “down” year which he rushed for under 1,000 yards barely. The Philadelphia Eagles were in a desperate need of finding a solid running-back this off-season and were able to trade for Howard. Statistics wise Howard has seen a decrease in yards rushed but with this being a contract year, he should be looking to run extremely hard. While Howard averaged 3.7 yards per carry last season, the Eagles weren’t much better as their offensive line allowed their backs to average 3.9 yards per carry.
16. Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans)
2018 Stats: 1,059 Yards | 12 TDs | 15 Receptions | 0 TDs
A man on a mission in his career is who Derrick Henry is. Every year he has improved and has taken on more of the work load as he started 12 of 16 games last season.He averaged 4.9 yards per carry while averaging just 6.6 yards per reception. He was also close to tripling his visits to the end zone last season with 12 touchdowns. The Titans line was also pretty solid at opening up gaps as they averaged 4.5 yards per carry.