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Fantasy football running back tiers 2019

By Adam Strangis

Running Back Tiers: CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 9, 2018: Running back Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates after scoring a rushing touchdown in the third quarter of a game against the Cleveland Browns on December 9, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The play was nullified due to a penalty. Cleveland won 26-20. (Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
Running Back Tiers: CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 9, 2018: Running back Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers celebrates after scoring a rushing touchdown in the third quarter of a game against the Cleveland Browns on December 9, 2018 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The play was nullified due to a penalty. Cleveland won 26-20. (Photo by: 2018 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /
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Running Back Tiers
Running Back Tiers: NASHVILLE, TN – DECEMBER 30: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Running Back Tiers: Tier Four – Part 1

Dan

Josh Jacobs – Gruden has the nickname of a grinder for a reason. He’s old school and is going to pound the ball. He’s also been quoted as saying he wants Jacobs to win rookie of the year. I think they’re going to feed him the ball plenty and probably not entrust Carr to win them too many games unless he has to.

Derek Henry – He’s a big guy who runs hard and fast. He has some calf strain issues similar to Luck but they’re being downplayed so he could very will be healthy. His ceiling is great in games as he showed last year a few times but his floor is pretty terrible.

Sony Michel – I’m shocked at all the hate this guy has been getting this off-season and maybe it’s well founded but if it keeps putting his ADP down, I’m happy about it. Excellent offense, can catch the ball although hasn’t much, runs really well.

Chris Carson – Big fan of Carson but my only concern here is Rashad Penny stealing carries from him. Pete Carroll is not to be trusted.

Mark Ingram – The former Heisman trophy winner is still a good running back and he’s going to an offense that is going to run the ball more than anyone else in the league. Lamar Jackson will probably take some rushing touchdowns from him.

Lamar Miller – He’s the clear number 1 back in a good offense with Foreman gone now. He’s not as explosive as he used to be but he’ll catch some passes and get quite a few opportunities to score. Even if Duke Johnson contributes, Miller still has value.

Joe

Leonard Fournette – The talent here is off the charts but the injury history and anemic offense cap his ceiling and lower his floor significantly.

Mark Ingram – Transitioning to the RB1 on a run-heavy team with what I expect to be a lot of red-zone involvement has many high on Ingram.

Derrick Henry – His breakout last season gave me flashbacks to Doug Martin circa 2012, but the Titans continue to seem committed to letting Henry run with the offense. He’s an absolute beast that’s almost impossible to tackle and should he get 15+ carries per game, he’s as good of a RB2 as any.

Sony Michel – 6 touchdowns in 3 playoff games in 2018 could be a sign of things to come. He has standalone RB2/3 value with room for upside depending on how the timeshare shakes out in New England.

Phillip Lindsay – He burst onto the scene last year and seemed to be immune to game script given his involvement in the passing game, but Royce Freeman still looms and the Broncos offense is still bad. His talent alone makes him a fine RB2/Flex, but there is some risk.

James White – He will always be a back with value, even in a committee, given his massive involvement in the passing game. Solid PPR target and if Michel goes down, his stock only goes up.

Latavius Murray – Mark Ingram finished as a top-20 RB even after a 4-game suspension last year and Murray is stepping into the same role behind Kamara. Arguably the top handcuff in fantasy with standalone RB2 value at a discount.

Chris Carson – He has a ton of potential and comes with a ton of red-zone involvement on a run-first team. If he can manage to hold on to the ball (slight fumble issue in 2018), he could break away from the potential committee here and return nice flex value with RB2 upside.

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