2022 fantasy football running back PPR rankings: How to draft RBs

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Now we’re getting into the real meat and potatoes of fantasy football. After covering quarterback and tight end rankings, it’s time for the running backs.

Unlike in real NFL football, running back is arguably the most important position in fantasy, so much so that different schools of thought have emerged on how to attack it. Are you a robust RB drafter (one who fills the slots early and combats the scarcity of the position) or a zero-RB drafter?

We like the middle-ground “hero RB” strategy – take a rock-solid back in the first two rounds, then look for value later in the draft. Especially in a points-per-reception league, which these rankings are designed for, you can’t afford to wait on receivers or tight ends until the third or fourth round. So get your guy, then blast away at the pass catchers (receiver rankings coming next week).

Without further ado, here are the RB rankings. Overall average draft position (ADP) included, based on Fantasy Pros’ average.

2022 Fantasy Football running back rankings (PPR)

1. Christian McCaffrey, Panthers (ADP: 2.8)

If you play in a PPR league, McCaffrey should be the No. 1 overall pick. The hesitation is understandable since he has only played in 10 games over the last two years due to injury. The thing about injuries is that everyone gets them – especially running backs. Jonathan Taylor has only missed one game in his two NFL seasons, so everyone considers him “safer” – but McCaffrey hadn’t missed any in his first three seasons before suffering a variety of ailments in 2020 and 2021.

McCaffrey is probably still more likely to get injured than some of his counterparts – track records mean something – but probably not as much as everyone thinks. He’s had a high-ankle sprain, a shoulder injury, and a hamstring injury – not a nagging knee or something that can linger over several seasons. He’s also still just 26 and theoretically spry enough to overcome.

Perhaps most importantly, he has been spectacular in the games he has played in the past two years. If you expand his stats over that span to a 17-game pace, he would have finished with 1,971 total yards, 92 catches, and 13.6 total touchdowns. There’s no performance risk with McCaffrey – it’s all about if he can make it through the season in one piece. You’re playing to win, right? If healthy, McCaffrey gives you a better chance to win your league than anyone else.

2. Jonathan Taylor, Colts (ADP: 1)

Taylor is the no-brainer No. 1 pick in non-PPR, and it’s neck-and-neck with McCaffrey in half-point. But, in a PPR format, he doesn’t have the same upside. Matt Ryan replaces Carson Wentz at quarterback in Indy this year, and the coaching staff clearly trusts Ryan to throw the ball more. That should make it hard for Taylor to get 332 rush attempts again, and 20 touchdowns is always a tough feat to repeat. No one would be shocked if he has another all-world season, and you can make a good argument for him as the 1.02 in PPR – but some statistical regression is likely coming.

3. Austin Ekeler, Chargers (ADP: 3)

Speaking of touchdown regression, Ekeler also scored 20 times in 2021, so he, too, should be coming back down to Earth in that department. The part of Ekeler’s game that is sustainable is pass volume – he averaged over 6.3 targets per game over his last three seasons. He also set a career-high in rush attempts (206) in 2021, and more than doubled his red zone rush attempts (42 last year) under new head coach Brandon Staley. He’s my fifth-ranked player overall, behind the McCaffrey, Taylor, Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson.

4. Alvin Kamara, Saints (ADP: 15.6)

We remember Alvin Kamara, right? You know, the guy who has been a top-10 PPR running back in all five of his professional seasons, and – pay attention here – doesn’t look like he will be suspended? His ADP took a hit when the NFL floated a six-game suspension following a nightclub incident in Vegas, but with appeals getting delayed, the league looks unlikely to dole out punishment until 2023. It feels like ADP still hasn’t caught up, with Kamara firmly in the second round.

In a down year in 2021 – which saw Ian Book and Trevor Siemian quarterbacking the Saints at times – Kamara still managed 1,337 yards and nine total touchdowns. He also averaged over five targets in the games he played with Jameis Winston, so don’t worry about a huge drop-off without Drew Brees. I don’t know why he’s not going in the first, but he’s a stone-cold steal in the second round.

5. Dalvin Cook, Vikings (ADP: 7.6)

Cook has never played a full season, but he has played in 11+ games every year since he tore his ACL in 2017. So, while he has been a bit frustrating, he has never destroyed your season if you took him in the first. Now that the Vikings hired an offensive-minded head coach in Kevin O’Connell – who employed an under-center, power run style with the Rams in 2020 – a career season could be in the works before he hits the 28-year-old milestone where many of his peers fall off.

6. Derrick Henry, Titans (ADP: 5)

Henry has a litany of red flags: he’s 28, he doesn’t catch passes, he’s coming off a foot injury, he has touched the ball almost 1,000 times in the last three years, A.J. Brown is gone, and the Titans’ offense appears to be in decline. The Titans can’t really afford to run him into the ground anymore, and unless the increase in pass volume in the first half of last season was no fluke (he was one reception away from his career high through just eight games), his days of being a dominant RB1 may be over. In PPR, I’d wait until the second round.

7. Saquon Barkley, Giants (ADP: 21.8)

Barkley struggled in his first year after an ACL tear, averaging 3.7 yards per carry, but he’s now another year removed – both from the knee injury and one of the worst offenses in recent NFL history under Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, and Freddie Kitchens. Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka should figure out creative ways to get Saquon in space, and with Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay, and Sterling Shepard all oft-injured, Barkley could legitimately threaten for 100 targets. There is risk here, but if the reports that he looks like his old self are true, there is also a league-winning upside. Perhaps the best second-round target in fantasy football.

8. Najee Harris, Steelers (ADP: 7.6)

Harris has a much wider range of outcomes than the other guys we’ve listed. We’ve only seen him in a very strange offense, led by a statuesque, 500-year-old Ben Roethlisberger, who peppered Harris with short targets since he couldn’t throw downfield. Mitch Trubisky will be under center until he gets replaced by Kenny Pickett (my guess is Week 3), but both are more mobile. That should lead to an increase in overall efficiency in the run game – Harris’ YPC was a brutal 3.9 in 2021, and that should improve – but a decrease in pass attempts. There’s no competition for carries, and he’s an elite talent, but he’s also dealing with a possible Lisfranc injury. I’d wait until the second round.

9. D’Andre Swift, Lions (ADP: 15)

Swift’s 2021 season was a tale of two halves as a pass catcher. He averaged 7.4 targets per game in his first seven games, and only went under six once. In his final six games, he averaged 4.3 targets per game, and only went over five once. His downturn in targets coincided with Amon-Ra St. Brown’s late-season explosion, but with D.J. Chark and a healthy T.J. Hockenson also in the fold, will he get a consistent-enough pass volume to be an elite RB1? Or, will the offense improve enough for him to return to his rookie-year efficiency numbers (4.6 yards per carry)? In the second round, he’s worth a shot.

10. Javonte Williams, Broncos (ADP: 20.8)

Williams had almost as even a split as possible with Melvin Gordon in 2021 – they had the exact same number of rush attempts (203) and the same snap share (51 percent). He finished as the RB18, and there are many reasons to think that number will skyrocket. For starters, Russell Wilson should improve the offense tremendously from Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock, giving him more scoring opportunities. Plus, Gordon is 29 and on a one-year contract. Williams is 22; he is the future. Even if the split gets to 60/40, Williams will eat – and if he makes a second-year leap, that split could go way higher. A target in the back half of the second.

11. Aaron Jones, Packers (ADP: 19.8): I’m concerned about a dip in rush attempts with A.J. Dillon also in the fold, but Jones could legitimately be the best receiver on this team. Aaron Rodgers has said the “best 11” needs to be on the field for the Packers this season, and Jones is certainly one of them.

12. Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers (ADP: 23.0): I am not convinced Fournette is a very good player, but as long as Tom Brady continues to trust him as a pass-catcher, he will be a highly useful player in PPR. The offensive line injuries are a concern, though. If the choice is Fournette or Saquon, go Saquon.

13. Joe Mixon, Bengals (ADP: 10.8): The Bengals may run more, but that may not be a great thing for Joe Mixon, who was often displaced by Samaje Perine on third down last year. He’s going a little too early.

14. Nick Chubb, Browns (ADP: 18.6): Chubb is a great player. Will he maintain his efficiency in a bad, Jacoby Brissett-led offense? Kareem Hunt is still there to take away carries, too.

15. David Montgomery, Bears (ADP: 36.8): Montgomery has 80 goal-line carries in the last two seasons, and the Bears’ offense can’t really get worse than it has been. His pass-catching ability is underrated (119 targets in the last two seasons) and should also keep Khalil Herbert off the field. A good target at the 3/4 turn.

16. Travis Etienne, Jaguars (ADP: 44): Here is a list of running backs who have returned to their pre-injury form after tearing their Achilles:

That’s it. The list is empty. It’s never happened. So don’t worry about James Robinson. Etienne is expected to be the primary pass-catching back in a Jacksonville offense that should be better. Draft without worry in the fourth.

17. AJ Dillon, Packers (ADP: 65.8): See the “best 11” comment under Aaron Jones. Both Packers RBs will be on the field a lot – and Dillon is an underrated pass catcher (34 receptions on 37 targets in 2021). A possible breakout candidate.

18. Tony Pollard, Cowboys (ADP: 84.2): Everyone who watches football is begging for Pollard to become the lead back in Dallas, because he’s, you know, better. That may not happen – but reports are that he will get more looks in the passing game, and he will always be efficient with his touches. A great target at the 7/8 turn.

19. Josh Jacobs, Raiders (ADP: 47.8): The Raiders like Zamir White, who they took in the fourth round this year, but they also released Kenyan Drake, freeing up more touches for Jacobs. He’s boring, but he might be a value in the fifth.

20. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys (ADP: 30.2): As long as Jerry Jones is meddling (and as long as he owns the Cowboys, he will), Zeke will be fed. Will he be efficient with those touches? Probably not. But he had 10 rushing touchdowns in 2021 and was fifth in goal-line carries, and we shouldn’t expect that to change. I would pass at ADP, but keep an eye out if he falls.

21. Chase Edmonds, Dolphins (ADP: 91.8): We think he will be the lead back in Miami, and he has averaged 4.3 targets per game in the last two seasons. If you wait on RB, he’s a sneaky good option, especially in PPR. And in the eighth round? Sign me up.

22. Rashaad Penny, Seahawks (ADP: 86.4): Penny was the best runner in football down the stretch last year, averaging over six yards per carry on the season. The Seahawks are going to run the ball more than any team this year. He has never been able to stay on the field – but what if he does? The trio of Pollard, Edmonds, and Penny should be everyone’s target if they wait at RB.

23. Kareem Hunt, Browns (ADP: 83.6): This is the start of a run on RBs that I would only take if they fell in drafts. Hunt is boring, and he and Chubb will continue to cannibalize each other in a possibly bad Browns offense. But his pass-catching floor (about four targets per game in his Cleveland tenure) will keep him as a borderline starter.

24. Cam Akers, Rams (ADP: 38): He’s going in the third in some drafts, but he’s still barely a year removed from a torn Achilles, he looked horribly inefficient in his return last season, and he doesn’t catch passes. Hard pass.

25. Breece Hall, Jets (52.4): He’s an elite talent, and a breakout is possible, but he’s in a bad Jets offense led by either Joe Flacco or Zach Wilson (honestly, which option is better?) and Michael Carter is still there. He has more upside than most of the RBs in this range, but more risk, too.

26. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs (ADP: 67.2): He’s not a good player, but he’s still the lead back (for now) in one of the league’s best offenses. Again, if he falls, you could do worse.

27. Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (ADP: 104.8): If you’re in a PPR league, draft Stevenson before Harris. Word out of Patriots camp is that Stevenson will be more involved as not only a pass catcher but also a pass blocker – which may not be essential for fantasy but will be important for Bill Belichick keeping him on the field.

28. James Conner, Cardinals (ADP: 30.4): A league winner last year – because he scored 15 touchdowns. He also averaged under 4 yards per carry. He’s going WAY too early in drafts – don’t fall into the trap.

29. JK Dobbins, Ravens (ADP: 53.0): I’d feel a lot better about Dobbins, who is coming off a torn ACL, if we knew he would be full go Week 1. It’s hard to expect guys to be their old selves one year after a serious knee injury – see Barkley, Saquon – but Dobbins could be highly productive down the stretch.

30. Dameon Pierce, Texans (ADP: 118.4): If there’s a winner of the preseason, it’s Pierce. He has looked great in the preseason and seems to be the surefire RB1 in this offense, with only Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack as competition. It’s all a projection – he’s a fourth-round rookie on a bad team – but he’s another excellent target if you wait on RB.

31. Antonio Gibson, Commanders

32. Miles Sanders, Eagles

33. Elijah Mitchell, 49ers

34. Melvin Gordon, Broncos

35. Nyheim Hines, Colts

36. J.D. McKissic, Commanders

37. Devin Singletary, Bills

38. Kenneth Walker, Seahawks

39. James Cook, Bills

40. Jamaal Williams, Lions

41. Raheem Mostert, Dolphins

42. Michael Carter, Jets

43. Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles

44. Khalil Herbert, Bears

45. Isaiah Pacheco, Chiefs

46. Damien Harris, Patriots

47. Darrell Henderson, Rams

48. Zamir White, Raiders

49. Rachaad White, Buccaneers

50. Brian Robinson, Commanders

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