Fantasy football running back tiers 2019
Running Back Tiers: Tier Two – Part 1
Dan
Le’Veon Bell – I loved him for awhile as a Steeler but it’s really hard to project how he’ll do sitting out an entire year. I think if utilized correctly, he has to be at the top of this second tier and could easily produce like a tier 1 guy.
James Conner – I really think he’s going to have a huge year and any reports of splitting carries and what not are ridiculous. The Steelers really don’t do that much and the offensive line is still one of the best in the league despite losing coach Munchak. I would be thrilled to snag Conner in the 2nd.
Nick Chubb – People are way overblowing the Kareem Hunt signing. Yes Hunt is good but he’s going to be out for awhile and Chubb is phenomenal. I expect the Browns offense to give Chubb a lot of opportunities, even more so with Duke Johnson now in Houston.
Todd Gurley – The guy was an absolute stud last year and I don’t think anyone truly knows what’s going on with his knee or how serious it is. I’ve seen reports of degenerative arthritis which would obviously be terrible but without knowing the true impact, you can’t downgrade Gurley much further beyond this after what he’s shown.
Joe Mixon – Incredibly talented runner AND pass catcher. My only hesitation with him is the Bengals are really not good. They have improved a bit at offensive line but that’s going from really bad to just bad and they’re going to be missing AJ Green for a bit so if I played against them, I’d stack the box up and go to town meaning Mixon may not fair quite as well as he otherwise would.
Dalvin Cook – Cook rounds out my tier 2 here because I just love this guy. Minnesota is going to run the ball a ton with an old school defensive coach. Cook is coming off an injury but he’s honestly a good value here if you get him late 2nd early 3rd. He can run and catch and do it all for them if you look back before he was hurt in his rookie campaign last season.
Joe
Damien Williams – returned to practice and looks to take over as the primary RB now that Kareem Hunt is gone. He posted top-10 RB numbers in the latter portion of 2018 and in this high octane offense, the possibilities are endless.
James Connor – He stepped in as a replacement for Le’Veon Bell last season and quickly turned into a bellcow RB1 behind one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Without Bell and Antonio Brown, I expect Connor’s already massive usage to increase and his production to rise.
Joe Mixon – Involvement in passing game has phased out Gio Bernard, who was his primary threat to start last season. The Bengals are also without AJ Green which could open up a heap of opportunity, just expect a good amount of negative game script.
Nick Chubb – Chubb has 8 games to cement his spot as the top dog in Cleveland while Kareem Hunt is suspended and I don’t see any way he doesn’t. He was dominant in both the ground and passing game as a rookie and should see an uptick in production in this new and improved offense.
Le’Veon Bell – While still a world-class talent, the situation Bell finds himself in in New York is a massive downgrade from Pittsburgh. With that said, he’ll be force-fed the ball and we know what he’s capable of, so getting his ceiling in the second round seems like a nice value.
Todd Gurley – Knee issues have plummeted the former #1 overall picks draft stock and the rumors of a timeshare don’t help, but he’s another world-class talent. He’s heavily involved in the passing and ground game as well as the red zone and if he slips to you in the late 2nd/early 3rd, he could be worth the gamble.