Fantasy Football: Pre-Draft Running-Back Rankings
By Shaun Evans
Fantasy Football – Pre-Draft Running-Back Rankings
15. Leonard Fournette (Jacksonville Jaguars)
2018 Stats: 439 Yards | 5 TDs | 22 Receptions | 1 TDs
An unfortunate injury to his hamstring caused Leonard Fournette to miss half of the season and there are significant questions heading into a new year in Jacksonville. We know a healthy Fournette could be a very dangerous thing though as we saw in 2017 where he rushed for over 1,000 yards in just 13 games. The Jaguars struggled to create holes for their backs last season as they ranked 28th averaging 4.1 yards per carry so they will need a fully healthy Fournette to be a dynamic playmaker at the heart of the offense.
14. Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers)
2018 Stats: 728 Yards | 8 TDs | 26 Receptions | 1 TD
I am excited to see what this Green Bay Packers offense can do with a new head coach in place. Not only should we see Rodgers to Adams more but we should see Jones get utilized in a featured role. He has averaged 5.5 yards per carry his first two seasons now and doubled his touchdowns last season with eight. The Packers offensive line ranked 2nd last season, allowing Jones and their other backs to average 5 yards per carry.
13. Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals)
2018 Stats: 1,168 Yards | 8 TDs | 43 Receptions | 1 TD
The Cincinnati Bengals are in a pretty good situation with Mixon and Giovanni Bernard as they have two running-backs who could get the job done. Mixon doubled his touchdowns and increased his yards per carry average last season. He went from 4 touchdowns to 8 and then increased his 3.5 yards per carry to 4.9. He has also proven to Andy Dalton that he could be trusted as a receiver pushing his receiving yards to almost 300 in his first two seasons.
12. James Conner (Pittsburgh Steelers)
2018 Stats: 973 Yards | 12 TDs | 55 Receptions | 1 TD
No one knew what to really expect out of the Pittsburgh Steelers backfield last season when Le’Veon Bell kept to his word and sat out for the season. James Conner proved that he could be the next best thing for them. He recorded 973 yards on the ground while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Not only was he able to get the job done on the ground, he was pretty efficient through the air by recording 497 yards and averaging 9 yards per reception. I don’t think Steeler fans have anything to worry about with Le’Veon being in New York now.
11. Kerryon Johnson (Detroit Lions)
2018 Stats: 641 Yards | 3 TDs | 32 Receptions | 1 TD
The Detroit Lions and Matthew Stafford have been missing a key piece to their offense since Megatron retired. I’m not claiming Kerryon Johnson to be THAT piece but he is looking to be on the right track to being the kind of dynamic playmaker this team needs. In the 10 games that he played in last season he was able to rush for 641 yards while receiving for 213 yards. The end-zone visits weren’t what people hoped for but we should see an increase in them this season as his role in the offense expands. While Stafford and Johnson are bettering their relationship, the Detroit Lions added Danny Amendola to beef up their offense and give them more ways to spread out the defense.