Media by Associated Press – Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris goes through drills during an NFL football practice, Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
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There’s no debate that one of the most valuable positions in Fantasy is a running back, especially in PPR (points per reception) leagues. They are always the first 3 to 7 picks in the draft, regardless of year.
The top 5 projected fantasy picks are running backs this year, but there’s confusion in the order they will be drafted. This list is going to determine which running back is the best fit for the No. 1 pick and why they’re so special.
Najee Harris
Honestly, for how low he is now, Harris could end up being an RB3 through 1 this season. He had a phenomenal rookie year with an offense that had zero medium/deep ball ability and flourished even when being the primary target of gameplans.
This year with the two options at quarterback being Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, opposing defenses are going to have to honor the deep ball. This leaves fewer men in the box and more opportunities for Harris to shine.
This will be especially good for PPR leagues, as Harris is a great 3-down back. He’s going to see more check-downs and the flat route looks because the defense isn’t going to play low and pressure nearly as much as last year.
Austin Ekeler
Ekeler is a fantasy cheat code. For a guy who hasn’t rushed for 1k yards in 5 seasons played, you would expect him to be a backup or 2-down back guy. Then you take a look at his receiving stats and completely rethink that idea.
Justin Herbert is really coming into his own, and with a completely revamped team, the Chargers are a Super Bowl dark horse. With this amount of weapons, the offense is going to spread out and run under Herbert and his experience.
This is perfect for Ekeler because he will absolutely see more production. His quarterback improves every year, and he is one of the best receiving backs in football; and he is slated for a career year and a possible 2k all-purpose yards season.
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey is a generational talent but hasn’t played a full season since 2019. When he’s in, the Panthers’ winning percentage shoots up significantly, and he is the most talented player on the team.
I have him at three instead of the top 2 just because of his injury history. However, if he stays healthy, he’s an RB1 without a doubt. I look back at his 2019 season with nostalgia and hope he can come back to form. He is probably the best RB in the league at his peak, and we just need some help from the offensive line to get there.
Derrick Henry
King Henry is most definitely a more traditional running back in the way he plays. He’s big, strong, doesn’t catch the ball much, but makes up for it by running people over and blazing past them with inhuman speeds.
Last season, Henry played about half of the season before the injury. He almost had 1k yards just in that time span. With a healthy year and another strong team, Henry is on pace for another 2k season.
He’s not a PPR player, but he racks up points like one. We need to see him in action again, but there are very few players that you can be confident about after injury, and he’s one of them.
Jonathan Taylor
Two years of play in the league, 3,500 all-purpose yards, 33 all-purpose touchdowns. JT is absolutely the real deal. He is consistent, has the best traits of every running back on this list, and should easily be the RB1.
Similarly to Najee Harris, Matt Ryan is going to force defenses to defend the deep ball. Carson Wentz was a short-yardage player, and so was Phillip Rivers during JT’s rookie season. Having a deep-shot QB is going to open holes in the front seven and make Taylor even better than he was.
He’s protected by a top 5 offensive line in football and has one of the most accurate deep-passing quarterbacks in the NFL. There’s no debate that Taylor should have a career year and will dominate the league with his ability.
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