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Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Fantasy Rankings Week 2: RB's

Running backs as always are a key position in fantasy football. With the potential as rushers and pass catchers, RBs provide a lot of points to fantasy owners, and often make up the majority of picks in the first few rounds of a draft. At the top of the draft there are some heavy-hitting backs, but I also think that some diamonds in the rough shine later in the second and third rounds and even later, that could bring No. 1 or No. 2 RB value.

First, let's take a look at how I did at the volatile RB position a year ago:

Picked No. 1 for 2016, Adrian Peterson. Actually finished: 131.Talk about off. Whew, Peterson getting hurt was not in the cards.
Picked No. 2 for 2016, Todd Gurley. Actually finished: 17.Whiff. Missed again. He disappointed in 2016.
Picked No. 3 for 2016, Lamar Miller. Actually finished: 18. He missed two games, but that really wasn't the whole reason for the drop. Brock Osweiler was. He's gone, thankfully.
 Picked No. 4 for 2016, Ezekiel Elliot. Actually finished: No. 2. Pretty good choice here. Zeke was a beast as a rookie.
Picked No. 5 for 2016, Mark Ingram. Actually finished: 9. Not off by too much. I banked on a big year from him, and he sort of delivered. Not expecting so this year.
Picked No. 6 for 2016, Devonta Freeman. Actually finished: 6. Spot on here. Expect more of the same in 2017.
Picked No. 7 for 2016, David Johnson. Actually finished: 1. I didn't completely buy into the David Johnson hype, and that was a mistake.
Picked No. 8 for 2016, Le'Veon Bell. Actually finished: 3. Can't believe he put up the numbers that he did whilst missing a chunk of games for being suspended.
Picked No. 9 for 2016, LeSean McCoy. Actually finished: 4. He rose even higher than I expected, but a decent pick.
Picked No. 10 for 2016, Thomas Rawls. Actually finished: 62. Just couldn't stay healthy. SAD!

As for 2017, my rankings are as follows:
1. David Johnson: He is a consensus No. 1. A great pass catcher with a ton of talent on a solid offense. He's the real deal.
2. Le'Veon Bell: If he can pull off even 80% of what he did last year this year, over a full season, he'll be up near the top.
3. Devonta Freeman: He just signed a big deal to be THE MAN in Hotlanta. He should be a stud for a few years for sure. Might need to jump into the 7th or 8th round to handcuff with Tevin Coleman, however.
4. LeSean McCoy: If healthy, Shady proved he can be a huge performer. Another that I'd snap up his handcuff (likely Jonathan Williams) too.
5. Melvin Gordon: He's also not a bet to stay healthy, but is in a good situation in LA, and could very well run near the top once again.
6. DeMarco Murray: Tennesee has one of the top OL's in the league, and Murray has at least one more season in him at an elite level. The addition of pass threats will help the Titans get more holes for Murray as well.
7. Isaiah Crowell: Another big, powerful back behind a great OL. Crowell is a true three-down back, and his pass catching will propel him up the ranks in 2017.
8. Jay Ajayi: Will not suffer with Jay Cutler at the helm. RBs have historically done well under Cutler and Adam Gase. Especially early on, expect the 'Phins to lean on Ajayi.
9. Christian McCaffrey: He is an exceptional talent. He is like a more athletic Danny Woodhead. The Panthers won't be afraid to give him the rock 20 times a game, which could mean big time production.
10. Danny Woodhead: Speaking of Woodhead. He may be old for a RB (32) and coming off an injury, but assuming he remains shifty and sure of hand, he could be productive as the top back for the Ravens.

Hope these rankings, which are for PPR formats are helpful. Next week we'll take a look the deepest position, WR.

Enjoy a few photos from our smugmug from Region 8C weekend 2 in Avon.

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