Fantasy football running back tiers 2019

Running Back – Tier Three – Part 1

Dan

Kerryon Johnson – Kerryon my wayward Johnson was one of my team names last year. It’s hard not to love this kid as he just pops off the screen when you watch film. Another guy who can run AND catch the ball who has the potential to take it to the house every single time he touches it. My only concern is similar to Mixon – the team he plays for.

Leonard Fournette – Fournette is a monster and is going later than I would have expected. Last year he was a first round pick but obviously didn’t produce thanks to injury and what not. He does have a history of lower body issues which is not what you want from a running back but he’s a workhorse in an improved offense.

Aaron Jones – I wrote him up in my Values and Sleepers article as a guy who I think could end up being a great value. Reports are he’s lost a ton of body fat and is catching the ball really well. Combine that with the fact he’s in a phenomenal offense with Rogers and consider me a fan.

Melvin Gordon – Somewhat similar to the Zeke situation but I have Zeke ranked much higher due to contract stipulations and nuances.

Gordon can actually afford to sit out and be a free agent like Bell did last year but to my understanding Zeke cannot as he would not be a free agent next season either which leads me to believe Gordon could stay out the whole year if he doesn’t get traded but Zeke will likely come back.

Marlon Mack – I’m a big fan of Mack but the Colts offense is in question now with Luck having calf strain issues. If Luck misses anytime, the entire offense goes down the drain really. Also, Mack isn’t that big of a pass catcher and they have Nyheim Hines likely taking some third down work from him which causes me some hesitation.

Devonta Freeman – Freeman is a workhorse who doesn’t have quite as much competition now with Tevin Coleman gone. The Atlanta offense is also excellent so I envision plenty of opportunity headed his way. He’s a steal in the late 3rd early 4th in my opinion.

Damien Williams – I have Damien much further down than most because people are just assuming anyone can fill the role in Kansas City and while that’s mostly true, I’m not convinced Williams will be the guy based on reports of injury and inability to practice coming from camp. He’s a bit too risky for my blood to bank a 2nd or 3rd round pick on as of now.

Joe

Dalvin Cook – Minnesota has a ground and pound mentality and now entering 2019 healthy, he should see all of the work he can handle in both the ground and passing game. The departure of Latavius Murray only increases his red-zone opportunities as well.

Kerryon Johnson – Johnson is one of the most electric backs in the league and blew up towards the end of last season. He’s lightning quick, great in the open field and can catch out of the backfield. Let’s just hope Detroit can stay in enough games to keep him consistently involved.

Melvin Gordon – The contract holdout is killing his stock, but if he can get traded before the regular season with enough time to familiarize himself with a new offense, he still offers the RB1 upside we’ve grown accustomed to. I just wouldn’t take that risk before the end of the 2nd round.

Marlon Mack – The Colts finally realized how good Mack is and his red-zone usage is off the charts. Add that to a fully healthy wide receiver core and a healthy Luck and he should have plenty of positive game script on the horizon as well.

Aaron Jones – A healthy Rodgers and a full off-season under a new coach and offensive scheme could be exactly what the doctor ordered here. Jones showed that he can be the go-to guy both on the ground and in the passing game out of the backfield and I fully expect him to turn into the every-down back in Green Bay.

Josh Jacobs – With no competition in the backfield and Antonio Brown taking some pressure off from the defenses, I expect Jacobs to hit the ground running with a ton of usage in his rookie season. He doesn’t have the Saquon upside, but the upside of a rock-solid RB2 seems reasonable.

Devonta Freeman – I may be higher on Freeman than my colleagues here, but he’s finally healthy and doesn’t have Tevin Coleman breathing down his neck in a timeshare. We could see an increase in usage in passing down situations and if he can hold off Ito Smith in the endzone, we could see a RB2 with RB1 upside in a high-octane offense.