Fantasy football: 2020 RB Rankings (21-40) with Projections
By Ben Grivas
Tier 7
Don’t draft players from Tier 7 unless your RB2 is Derrius Guice. This tier is full of players who are in major timeshares and all have a very unlikely chance of developing into a player in which you can confidently start in your lineup. However, they do exist, and will score fantasy points, so they must be ranked. This tier is right above the handcuffs and below the players with a decent shot to break out.
33. 57. Scouting Report. RB. Chicago Bears. Tarik Cohen. player. Pick Analysis
Rushing: 85 carries, 340 rushing yds, 1 rushing TD
Receiving: 90 targets, 69 receptions, 522 receiving yds, 3 receiving TDs
Scoring: 177.8 PPR points, Half-PPR rank 38, standard rank 40
Tarik Cohen finished as the RB27 in PPR despite everything going wrong last year. The Bears fell apart on both sides of the ball and Cohen still managed to put up flex numbers. I expect him to improve, but not reach his 2018 RB11 heights, as that year he put up unsustainable numbers. He’s a safe pick to outperform his ADP, but not a league winner by any means. Unlikely the rest of this tier, I would actually want to draft him.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 34. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. RB. Ronald Jones II. player. 48
Rushing: 186 carries, 781 rushing yds, 6 rushing TDs
Receiving: 40 targets, 32 receptions, 272 receiving yds, 1 receiving TD
Scoring: 177.3 PPR points, Half-PPR rank 32, standard rank 32
Ronald Jones may not be too exciting, but he has a chance to lead the Tampa backfield, making him very fantasy relevant. He’s on a high paced offense that should leave him with plenty of touchdowns, but he’s likely only a flex play in relevant matchups. Ke’Shawn Vaughn will likely earn the starting job at some point, which has the potential to make Jones borderline droppable.
Scouting Report. New England Patriots. player. 47. Pick Analysis. RB. Sony Michel. 35
Rushing: 235 carries, 940 rushing yds, 8 rushing TDs
Receiving: 20 targets, 12 receptions, 190 receiving yds, 1 receiving TD
Scoring: 167 PPR points, Half-PPR rank 33, standard rank 29
After starting his career with RB35 and RB31 finishes, Sony Michel isn’t in a good place headed into 2020. The backfield is crowded, the new quarterback with take away carries, and Michel hasn’t displayed the talent people expected when he was drafted. There is no real reason to target Sony Michel in drafts.
36. Miami Dolphins. Matt Breida. player. 59. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. RB
Rushing: 150 carries, 690 rushing yds, 2 rushing TDs
Receiving: 50 targets, 40 receptions, 336 receiving yds, 1 receiving TD
Scoring: 158.1 PPR points, Half-PPR rank 36, standard rank 37
Matt Breida has averaged 5.0 YPC in his career, but he’s been running behind the 49ers elite offensive line, with a well-rounded offense to distract the defense and keep his legs fresh for every carry. This won’t happen with the Dolphins, who are a bad football team, and Breida’s not even the starter. He should get the receiving work, but not the goal line work, making him only actually useful in fantasy if Jordan Howard gets injured, or if he somehow phases Howard out of the offense.
player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. RB. Kerryon Johnson. 37. 50. Detroit Lions
Rushing: 173 carries, 779 rushing yds, 4 rushing TDs
Receiving: 37 targets, 27 receptions, 227 receiving yds, 1 receiving TD
Scoring: 155.6 PPR points, Half-PPR rank 35, standard rank 35
Kerryon Johnson’s best case scenario is that D’Andre Swift is eased into the offense slowly, extending Kerryon’s window as the starter a few more weeks. He plays well, and has a few good fantasy games, winning some owners tight matchups from their flex spot. However, this best case scenario still involves Swift taking away major touches at some point, likely at least the entire back half of the season. Kerryon will be a potential asset for a few weeks, then will split too many carries to be useful to fantasy owners.