The Falcons general manager said the organization would not close any doors when working to fill out the quarterback position. I aim to find value at other positions like WR and QB because if I miss on a bet at those positions, I can always trade one of my RBs for a roster weakness during the season. Needing to replenish depth, the Cowboys should look into free agent defensive lineman Arden Key. The guy was a totally different player. It's not far-fetched to think the best two receiving backs in the league reside in the NFC South. Love they guys commitment and work ethic. Though he narrowly missed 1,000 yards last year, he chipped in with 50+ receptions out of the backfield for the third straight season. 40 and 31. 8 overall draft pick, assets required to get better fast. If you cough it up and give it to the other team, youre letting everyone down so I mean thats the No. Quarterback: 1-19 Running back: 1-49,. Carolina's offense is almost solely on the shoulders of McCaffrey, who may be the only back in the league more versatile than the Saints Kamara. Give him 325 carries and he'll give you 1,500 yards. The addition of Cam Akers shows the Rams arent sure they can count on Henderson as more than a committee running back. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2021" continues Sunday, Aug. 22. His second . The 2 rookies to keep am eye on are Javian Hawkins-Atlanta and Chuba Hubbard-Carolina. Ill be honest. Unthinkable! CMC is absolutely this years RB1. In 2019, he had his first 1,000-yard season with the Houston Texans but will be second-fiddle to Chris Carson in Seattle, although that should still afford him a decent number of carries in 2020. For his career, the bruising back out of Ohio State now has 6,384 rushing yards and another 1,957 receiving yards with 56 total touchdowns. Ollison and Brooks-James have combined for 33 career carries, and Hawkins and Huntley are rookies. It's that time of year again, when NFL players cast their votes to identify the best in the league heading into the 2022 NFL season. While the Saints' two-headed monster at running back gives them the advantage over most teams, Kamara may not even be the most dangerous back in his own division. Ive already ranked the top 100 fantasy running backs in the NFL, but why not break this down by division? Dwayne Washington . New Orleans Saints. 17. I dont care what the scoring of your league entails. Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey have been stars . Carolina's main loss behind McCaffrey was veteran back C.J. The former second-overall pick missed three games during 2019, followed up by missing 14 games after tearing his ACL in Week 2 of this past season. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. Tony Jones Top 125 Starting Pitcher Rankings for 2023 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Dynasty League Strategy for 2023, NL Spring Training Battles with Fantasy Relevance, 10 Players Most Likely to See Their ADP Change Based on Spring Training Performance, FantraxHQ 2023 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit, Top 300 Fantasy Baseball Dynasty Rankings, Compete for Cash Prizes in a Fantrax Classic Draft Contest, Get ready for the season with a mock draft on Fantrax.com, Create your own league or join an existing league with Fantrax Commissioner. Bruce Arians has already said that Fournette and Jones will battle it out for the starting job in camp, but both will play a lot when the season begins. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | Tampa Bay may not have a star in their room, but theyve been the smartest team in the South for allocating less resources to the least valuable position on the field. Simply put, the NFC South is an absolute terror at the running back position, as any opposing defense can readily attest. He barely played in three games a season ago and still scored 6 total touchdowns. Number one fumbling the ball, Elliott said when asked what his No. Who was the top rookie? Theyll hope Trenton Cannon, Rodney Smith, Reggie Bonnafon and Chuba Hubbard are able to step up. The sky is the limit for Jones as the clear No. 50 percent of the Panthers offensive plays went through him the prior season and when a player starts getting injuries from overuse, they generally don stop or go away. Coleman returns to the 49ers as part of their running back committee. Seven players 25 years old and younger make an appearance in the list, which is voted on by the players themselves, between Nos. Kamara, a 3rd-round pick from Tennessee in the 2017 draft, beat out McCaffrey for 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and is a vital part of the New Orleans offense. Nonetheless, the running game is important to every teams offense. Troymaine Pope. Montgomery has ideal traits for a Sean Payton offense, while Washington has flashed a few times in his career, and is a key special teamer. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports. Rodney Smith The other nine are . He now will share carries with Carlos Hyde but should still be the Seahawks main runner and biggest producer. Im anticipating a negative game script with the running game, considering theyll be down in plenty of 4th quarters. The reason I dont have him higher is that I had to discount the fact that we dont know who the starting QB will be. Though his days as an elite runner may be behind him, Zekes durability and well-rounded ability were on display in 2020. However, in 13 games he only managed to get 39 carries. It's that time of year again, when NFL players cast their votes to identify the best in the league heading into the 2022 NFL season. Theres even more to do about whether or not running backs matter entering the year. New Orleans Saints collapse continues on Thanksgiving with fourth straight loss, Tom Brady gets Rob Gronkowski back, Buccaneers back in win column, Saints' Sean Payton defends 'super aggressive' approach after fans boo clock management, Why Saints quarterback Jameis Winston isn't motivated by revenge vs. Jackson is the most electrifying player in the league. Who is the best? panthers I would take our 3rd guy (Gio) and likely 2nd guy (Fournette or Rojo) over any other teams backups. New Orleans Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) and defensive end Carl Granderson (96) defends on the play at Bank of America Stadium. 4 on this list. This backfield is chaos and I hate it. Quarterback: 1-19Running back: 1-49, 80-89Wide receiver/tight end: 1-49, 80-89Offensive line: 50-79Defensive line: 50-79, 90-99Linebacker: 1-59, 90-99Defensive backs: 1-49Kicker/punter: 1-19. He would have easily been a 1000 yard back if not for CoRead more , Youre seeing our RBs the same way I do Dr.D. NFC South . Among the 12 backs who made our top 10 list, based on ties, Michael Turner (29), Steven Jackson (27) and Frank Gore (27) rank as the old men. Today we compare the running games of each team in the NFC South, with the opening of training camp right around the corner. 30-21? When hes on the field, theres no disputing that Saquon Barkley is one of the best five running backs in football. Ted Cottrell, Rudy Redmond and Lee Calland talk about their time as professional football players, activism and life after the game ends, The former Falcons linebacker founded the Crockett Foundation in 2002. It was Thomas and he's solid. That wont change. He'll be back in 2022, and James Robinson (his only real competition for . He has speed and power, just needs to keep working to find his role. They finished RB39 and RB15, respectively, last year. His 643 rushing yards in eight games put him on a pace for nearly 1,300 yards. You can almost guarantee a youngster will step up this season that isnt on our preseason list of top running backs. Michael Smith. Pollard is only going to get better as his role in the offense expands. (via @Giants) pic.twitter.com/yNFOW1WoZQ. He has terrific vision, amazing balance, incredible speed, and plenty of elusiveness. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hubbard was a solid mid round choice and could prove to be a capable #2but hes just that right now: an unproven mid-round rookiebasically their version of KeShawn Vaughn last season. bucs Atlanta to tack on more money to their cap savings in 2023 with the release of the veteran quarterback. Its usually the hot hand that will get a majority of the carries in a specific game, so its hard to project their totals. During Barkleys last extended action in 2019, he was able to have an extremely productive season despite being a part of one of the worst offenses in the NFL. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Kenyan Drake, Cardinals. With that in mind, Michael Robinson provides his ranking of the top 10 active undrafted players heading into the 2022 season. Perhaps Im being too bearish on Davis outlook, but RB34 for his situation this year doesnt seem out of the question. Tony Brooks-James Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. Falcons GM takes AtlantaFalcons.com behind the scenes of one of the most important moments for draft prospects at the combine: The formal interview. He's coming off a season in which he had 12 sacks, 18 QB hits and four forced fumbles while notching seven turnovers caused by pressure (most in the NFL), according to Next Gen Stats. Say what?! So far, there are has been a wide array of veterans (and rookies) electing to take advantage of this new rule. His on-field play has been exceptional throughout his career, which is why he's in the No. The veteran NFL running back has been in the league. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. 12. If folks watch the game, theyd see that RoJo has some real skills running the ball inside and out with power, cutting and balance. The latter question aside, there are plenty of valuable assets in the backfield of every NFL team. Its for this reason that my favorite strategy is to draft a running back with my first 4 picksregardless of league style (redraft, dynasty, etc.). The highly-anticipated return of Saquon Barkley to the field in 2021 should refamiliarize the general fan with one of the most talented all-around backs in the league. If Zeke wants to regain his All-Pro form, his number one priority must be protecting the football. Hes recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and combined for 25 rushing touchdowns the past two seasons. Set it, and forget it. Davis finished the year with career highs in snaps, carries (165), yards (642), touchdowns (six) catches (59), receiving yards (373) and receiving touchdowns (two). Of course, with Alvin Kamara still around it doesn't much matter who the No. 11. ALVIN KAMARA, SAINTS. Though he took a step backward in terms of average yards per carry in Year 2, Jacobs added more dynamics to his game in 2020. Travis Etienne (JAC): 23 years old, James Robinson (JAC): 23years old. Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams This is it. Antonio Gibson showed tons of promise in his rookie season, and JD McKissic is coming off a career year. Christian McCaffrey He was hurt visually all of last year, and while Im obviously not projecting that this year, his handcuff would be Chubba Hubbard should that happen again. Ezekiel Elliott is coming off the worst season of his career, but the sixth-year pro seems well on his way to a huge bounce-back season. What Kamara gives the Saints as a receiver is very difficult to replace. Mandatory Credit: Derick Hingle-USA TODAY Sports. Folks get hung up on statistics and focus more than they should on the pass catching aspect. Freeman should be back healthy for 2019, and the Falcons are a better team with him on the field. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images), Sep 15, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny (20) runs on a, Sep 15, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny (20) runs on a thirty seven yard touchdown run against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. DAndre Swift, Detroit Lions 40 and 31. Cowboys rumors: No progress towards Leighton Vander Esch deal, Donovan Wilson deal unlikely. 10 after earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. With just 3 fumbles to his credit, hes also a sure-handed first-down machine for Las Vegas. Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey have been stars since entering the league in 2017, and Devonta Freeman should be healthy after missing much of the 2018 season. Carolina was held below 100 yards rushing seven times last season and went 2-5 in those contests. Anderson. AS you noted, McCafferty was injured most of last season and I believe his imjuries were attributable to overuse. Odds & lines subject to change. Our resident cover man, Jason McCourty, ranks his top 10. Ito Smith carried the ball 90 times for 315 yards and four scores during his rookie season, and Brian Hill ran wild in a Week 16 game against the Panthers, gaining 115 yards on just eight carries. The age listed under each player's name is the age he will be on Sept. 9. Instead well turn to running backs, where two teams in the division have a star ball carrier, while the other two rely on a committee approach to steer their run game. Not saying it shouldnt be factored in, but both Karama and McCaffrey are valued more for their pass receiving prowess than their still good running accomplishments. I know everyone is waiting for wide receiver rankings, but well wait to see what happens with Julio Jones first. Steven Jackson . Who has the best running backs in the NFC East? Hes somehow managed to record at least 81 receptions in each of his first four seasons with the Saints while also rushing for 3,340 yards on the ground. They also look for improved play from their young offensive line to establish their running game and have a more balanced offensive attack. Sanders got off to a slow start, but still finished with some decent numbers. With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com. 1 in Green Bay. C.J. 2023 PewterReport.com All Rights Reserved. It's for this reason that my favorite strategy is to draft a running back with my first 4 picksregardless of league style (redraft . After rushing for more than 1,100 yards in 2018, he topped that with 1,230 in 2019. Until then, however, weve only seen enough from one rookie running back to crack the top 32 in the NFL entering the season. Garrett is a big reason why the Cleveland Browns' defense has improved in each of the last two seasons, jumping from 30th in total defense in 2018 to 22nd in 2019 to 17th in 2020. In his first two seasons, he's recorded 2,518 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns (including the playoffs), evidence that he deserves to be considered among the game's elite, thanks to a combination of his size (6-foot-4, 229 pounds), near-Olympic-caliber speed and confidence. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports. Mike Davis was RB18 last year splitting carries with Todd Gurley. Kamara gained 1,592 combined yards last season and scored 18 touchdowns. Hunt was terrific in Kansas City for his first two seasons, totaling well over 2,100 yards on the ground and 16 touchdowns. A surprisingly large player for his size at 59, 208, Jones lowers the boom just the same as hell skirt by second-level defenders with speed. 1 running back in 2020. And I still really like Vaughn. Shouldnt both be equally important? I stand by that, but after the CMC gap, Alvin Kamara is in the next tier. The Cowboys get to pair Elliott with one of the better backup running backs in football in Tony Pollard. The former second-round pick rushed for 867 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and scored six touchdowns on the ground. To go from barely average regular season play to elite in the playoffs was one of the weirdest things Ive seen in my time watching football. 27. Dec 29, 2019; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) runs after a reception in the third quarter. 1 back in the second half of last season on their Super Bowl run. KeShawn Vaughn Despite having a solid season on the ground, Sanders receiving totals did drop drastically. He's still going to get plenty of carries in a ball-control offense and could even get some time at fullback. Buccaneers, Alvin Kamara reaches milestone while helping Saints stop Seahawks, Loss of Christian McCaffrey, Jaycee Horn overshadows Panthers' 3-0 start, Former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen says son's heart 'reaching its end', Carolina Panthers NFL draft picks 2021: Analysis for every selection, Former New York Giants safety could play key role for Bucs in Super Bowl 2021, Ex-Jets coach Todd Bowles goes from green to greener pastures with Bucs, Tom Brady's success with Buccaneers sparks mixed reaction in New England, Previously covered NFC South for ESPN.com, Covered Panthers for The Charlotte Observer from 1999-2008, Began journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990. Reggie Bonnafon Where do the two Arizona Cardinals lead backs in James Conner and Chase Edmonds . (Note: This list only reflects players taking advantage of the new rule change and not a number swap that would have previously been permitted). However, he only had one regular season game last year with more than 14 carries. A quality running back is a scarce fantasy asset. Who is the best? What everybody is missing from Mike McCarthys recent comments about the Cowboys offense, Kellen Moore. Listen to the latest from Cards Wires Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. The Cowboys may wind up losing two key defenders this offseason. 12:07 left in this one. Chubb is no stranger to big plays and has scored 30 total touchdowns in just three seasons. Its taken him a couple seasons, but hes our best pure runner. Hoover's not quite as dominant a blocker as Mughelli, but he's been very solid and dependable for a long time. We are looking at overall depth right not starters? Which 10 players make up Nos. Chase Edmonds . He might not lead the division in rushing because of the addition of Hyde, but he enters the season as the best of the West. Atlanta Falcons. Hes 28 years old, and getting his first real shot at being a starting running back for the entire season. Get the comprehensive list of every Running Back for each NFL pro football team. Cooks 2019-2020 stretch is among the best two-year stretch of RB performance weve seen in recent memory. Hes recorded 43 scores on the ground and another 15 through the air, proving to be a touchdown machine in the Saints offense. Javian Hawkins With today's high-flying NFL offenses, it's a golden era for pass catchers. In advance of the finale, Adam Schein provides his own personal top-10 list. Please enter a valid email and try again. Pro Football Network, LLC. The 27-year-old Fournette is a 6-foot and 228-Lb. Its fair to question if this drop in pass-catching production was more due to the instability and poor play at the quarterback position rather than Sanders individual production. bulldozer with underrated open field agility. Players ranked 40-11 will be revealed Sunday over the course of three hours -- each one-hour episode unveiling a new set of 10 honorees -- beginning at 4 p.m. Brown is a solid short-yardage back to have on the roster. Michael Carter led film session with running backs as RB coach Taylor Embree and wife welcomed baby . Aside from the addition of Andre Ellington and the loss of JacQuizz Rodgers this offseason, Tampa Bay has pretty much stood pat at the position. Expect him to be an even bigger part of Tampa Bay's . Have to say the addition of Bernard was a surprise and a significant upgrade over McCoy. Mason Stokke. Cameron Artis-Payne is back after carrying the ball 19 times for 69 yards and a touchdown last season, and the Panthers added draft pick Jordan Scarlett and former Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield to the position group this offseason. Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas We'll continue our NFC South positional rankings today with running backs. 1 focus is this season. Dwayne Washington also returns to the Saints' backfield after carrying the ball 27 times for 154 yards last season. GO HEAD, @saquon!159 Total Yards, 2 Touchdowns, and a souvenir for a fan in the 1st half! Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports. Pretty fair rankings. July 23, 2021 4:45 pm MT. Fantrax was one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites of 2020, and were not stopping now. How do we rank the running backs in the division entering 2020? The second-year man, out of . Michael Turner, Atlanta. Jan 5, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings during the second quarter of a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Peyton Barber will return after leading the team with 234 carries for 871 yards and five touchdowns. Unfortunately for Barkley, since playing in all 16 games during his rookie year in 2018, hes had some trouble staying on the field. Atlanta has been held to less than 100 yards rushing in 22 of their last 32 games, including 12 games last season. As a team, the Giants scored 17 points or fewer in half of their games. 15. Last year, Kamara rushed for under 1000 yards with under 800 yards receiving. Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams 1. Elliott spoke back in July about how not fumbling is his No. Keith Smith When you carry the ball, you kind of carry the whole hope of the whole team, organization and fan base. David Montgomery, Chicago Bears LB Von Miller, . Everyone will remember his 29-carry, 220-yard performance in the playoffs, but he will still be a member of the running back committee in Kyle Shanahans offense. This man is the alpha and the omega of fantasy running backs. Let's face it: it is easier to trust a star running back on the upswing of his career than one on his last legs. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens He was a mere 4 yards away from 1,000 yards in his rookie season, but more impressively, has averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his entire career. Brad Hoover, Carolina. //