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August 22nd update: Draft season is here, so we’ve got an update to our standard running back rankings. We’ve also adding another voice to the rankings with Mr. Teddy Ricketson. We will continue to update often as we close in on Week 1 of the season.
We are a month away from real NFL football, but there is plenty of NFL news to go around, as preseason games and training camp are in full swing. That means these rankings are going to change as depth charts are solidified and injuries cause their usual havoc.
This group of rankings brings together non-PPR running backs. As usual, you want a running back who scores touchdowns and accumulates yardage and doesn’t rely on empty receptions for fantasy points.
Derrick Henry is the player that first comes to mind when you think non-PPR, as he’s a yardage and touchdown machine and doesn’t catch the ball that often. And Henry is a strong pick, but I prefer my running backs get work in the passing game as well as the rushing game. That puts other backs ahead of Henry for me, even if they are losing out on those easy PPR points.
It’s much harder to justify picking running backs who only see the field on passing downs though. We know they aren’t getting many goal line looks and they don’t get the PPR bump, which they need due to their lower usage.