Fantasy Football: Running back tiers for your 2022 season

If the running back position is getting more and more devalued in the NFL, it’s the exact opposite thing during our beloved game. Everyone that plays Fantasy Football knows that the most important position is running back because of how the points are divided and the scarce number of elite options, so getting the right guy in the first round is massively important.

Even when you play Points Per Reception (PPR) Leagues, you should go after a running back in the first round. It’s not about the number of points, but with many teams transitioning to a passing-orientated offense, the value of guys like Derrick Henry and Jonathan Taylor is even bigger. If you end the first two rounds without a starting running back on the roster, then you’re in massive danger. 

Health is another game-changer when drafting a running back. A personal example: in my friends’ Fantasy league in 2020, I had the first overall pick for the first time ever, and I got Christian McCaffrey with it. Sure enough, he was hurt for most of the season and my pick was worth nothing – I ended up missing the playoffs that season. Not only do you have to be lucky to find the best available guy but you also have to hope that he’ll stay healthy for the whole year.

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Let’s break down the 2022 fantasy running backs in tiers, explaining where you should be looking to draft any of them.

Tier 1: Elite running backs, top round 1

Members: Jonathan Taylor, Austin Ekeler, Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry.

It depends a lot on what you’re looking for when picking your running backs – and, especially, it depends on the type of league that you’re going to play. If it’s a standard-mode league, then this tier reduces to Taylor and Henry only; if it’s a PPR league, then Ekeler and McCaffrey also become part of Tier 1.

Henry and Taylor are the cream of the crop. The former led the league in touches and yards in 2019 and 2020, while Taylor took the lead over from his fellow AFC South back once the Titans’ star was hurt and missed half of the season. These two guys are set to put monster numbers in 2022 – not only they’ll be fighting for the award of best running back in the league, but their teams will be disputing the division crown.

Ekeler has improved his production every year since signing with the Chargers as an undrafted running back in 2017. He used to be just a third-down back but he’s now the number one in Los Angeles with a top-5 average draft position in most leagues. McCaffrey has enough talent to be the number one running back in the league and in fantasy as well, but he’s been struggling with his health since signing a contract extension and you have to be careful with him.

Tier 2: Great running backs, low round 1

Members: Najee Harris, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon.

If you miss the first tier and can ‘only’ pick one of these guys in the first round, don’t worry. They will all lead their teams in volume by a huge margin, which will obviously translate to more production and points for you.

Mixon and Cook offer some interesting value in the passing game as well, but their productions don’t match the levels of Ekeler and McCaffrey – they’re top-tier runners and the biggest share of points will come through the ground anyway. Harris isn’t a huge threat as a receiver but the Steelers’ passing offense is really bad. Just like in his rookie year, Harris will get a huge load of carries with consistent production and some occasional big games.

Tier 3: Good running backs, round 2

Members: D’Andre Swift, Javonte Williams, Alvin Kamara, Saquon Barkley. Aaron Jones, Leonard Fournette.

Now things get interesting.

You’d love to have any of these guys as your second running back, but they’re not the best option to lead your backfield. If that’s the case, you can count with some lucky breaks for guys like Saquon Barkley and Aaron Jones having an injury-free year with some huge numbers, or perhaps D’Andre Swift’s production improving to a 1,000-yard season with the offense improving as a whole.

All of these guys, though, have question marks outside of their talent. Javonte Williams will share the load with Melvin Gordon once again; Alvin Kamara is set to receive a suspension from the NFL for an incident during the Pro Bowl, while Leonard Fournette is out of shape and playing in an offense with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones as receivers.

Overall, it’s a good group. But you don’t want them to lead your team.

Tier 4: Intriguing running backs, high upside, starter potential, round 3-4

Members: Cam Akers, Ezekiel Elliott, James Conner, David Montgomery, Antonio Gibson, Josh Jacobs, Breece Hall, Travis Ettiene.

At this point, you surely have your number one back, even if it’s not what you wanted. Maybe you tried a different strategy and you got a wide receiver first and a tight end after. It’s all fair game here, but these guys should all be your number two back at least – if you’re one of those that likes to stack running backs, then they can be as far as your RB3.

This is a mix of unknowns (Hall, Ettiene) with proven veterans (Elliott, Gibson, Jacobs) and perhaps some surprises that can ascend to the levels of upper tiers (Akers, Conner) with the right amount of luck and snaps. Anyways, these are all consistent starters but their teams won’t depend on them as much as the first three tiers.

Tier 5: Low-upside starters, high-end backups, rounds 5+

Members: Elijah Mitchell, J.K. Dobbins, AJ Dillon, Damien Harris, Clyde-Edwards Helaire, Miles Sanders, Devin Singletary.

This is a mix of backups and inconsistent players who might break out two or three times per season – good luck finding the week that you can count on them. Sanders, Harris and Edwards-Helaire can explode through the passing game as well, but don’t count on them having too many touches per season; Mitchell is a fantastic back in Kyle Shanahan’s rushing offense but the coach likes to distribute the ball between more players.

Dillon is a backup, Singletary will share snaps with James Cook and J.K. Dobbins is returning from an ACL tear. All the players here have big question marks and they’re fine as backups, but their inconsistency will hurt your team in case you have them as starters.

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