As a position group, running backs matter. They've always mattered. They're huge components of Fantasy in that they're highly productive thanks to their workloads, they're the best trade currency out there and there are enough good ones to go around.

That means Fantasy owners have plenty of strategies when it comes to drafting them, and your league's scoring system will play a huge role in what strategy you go with.

Once you know your lineup requirements and scoring system, you can answer these questions:

  • Are you willing to take risks?
  • Does running back injury history matter to you?
  • Do you believe in handcuffing non-elite running backs?
  • Do you enjoy being active on waivers?

The first two questions are meant to help you determine how deep the running back talent pool is for you. The more chances you're willing to take and the more injuries you're willing to overlook, the more running backs you'll happily put in your starting lineup.

The second two questions are designed to get an idea of how you should attack your running back depth. There are plenty of cases where getting the real-life backup to one of your ball carriers is wise. And if you're lazy about waivers, you might prefer to build serious running back depth on Draft Day.

Because of the depth at receiver and the lack of "safe" running backs once you're through Round 4, it's probably in your best interests to lean toward grabbing reception-heavy running backs early and often. That's a breeze in Round 1, especially if you're picking in the top-4. Round 2 doesn't offer quite as much, but there will be a run in Round 3. As you'll see, there are enough running backs to propel you through Round 3 unless you rule out some based on injury concern (Todd Gurley, Devonta Freeman) or a lack of experience (Damien Williams, Josh Jacobs). The more running backs you refuse to draft, the more certain it is you'll force yourself to fill up on the position in Rounds 1 and 2.

In non-PPR, expect most people to begin taking one running back and one wide receiver/tight end to kick off their teams. If running backs mean anything to you at all, taking three within the first five rounds -- and two in the first four -- should set you up nicely for a well-built roster:

Non-PPR Running Back Tiers

ELITE

NEAR-ELITE

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Ezekiel Elliott

Le'Veon Bell

Saquon Barkley

Joe Mixon

Alvin Kamara

Nick Chubb

Christian McCaffrey

Damien Williams

James Conner

Leonard Fournette

David Johnson

Kerryon Johnson

 

 

HIGH-RISK HIGH-REWARD

VERY GOOD

ROUND 3

ROUND 4

Dalvin Cook

Melvin Gordon

Josh Jacobs

Chris Carson

Aaron Jones

Phillip Lindsay

Marlon Mack

Devonta Freeman

Todd Gurley

Sony Michel

Derrick Henry

Mark Ingram


 

NO. 3 RBs/HIGH UPSIDE

NO. 3 RBs/LESS UPSIDE

ROUND 5

ROUNDS 6-7

David Montgomery

Tarik Cohen

Tevin Coleman

James White

Kenyan Drake

Lamar Miller


Austin Ekeler


Darrell Henderson


Rashaad Penny


Latavius Murray


Miles Sanders



HIGH-POTENTIAL BACKUPS

MID-POTENTIAL BACKUPS

ROUNDS 8-9

ROUND 10

Jordan Howard

Devin Singletary

Peyton Barber

LeSean McCoy

Ronald Jones

Alexander Mattison

Derrius Guice

Darwin Thompson

Royce Freeman

Carlos Hyde

Kalen Ballage


D'Onta Foreman


Justin Jackson


Ito Smith


Damien Harris


Jaylen Samuels



 

BENCH DEPTH

ROUND 11+

Justice Hill

Jamaal Williams

Matt Breida

Malcolm Brown

C.J. Anderson

Ryquell Armstead

Adrian Peterson

Mike Davis

Jerick McKinnon

Tony Pollard

Duke Johnson

Benny Snell

Kareem Hunt

Darius Jackson

Dion Lewis


It's a different story in PPR, where wide receiver and tight end values rise with catches counting for something. Fantasy drafters will still chase running backs, but there's a little less pressure because there are enough of them who catch the ball and can accrue useful Fantasy points that way. I recommend going for three running backs through six rounds in PPR:

PPR Running Back Tiers

ELITE

NEAR-ELITE

ROUND 1

ROUND 2

Alvin Kamara

Le'Veon Bell

Saquon Barkley

Joe Mixon

Christian McCaffrey

Nick Chubb

Ezekiel Elliott

Damien Williams

David Johnson

Leonard Fournette

James Conner

Kerryon Johnson

 


HIGH-RISK HIGH-REWARD

VERY GOOD

ROUND 3

ROUND 4

Dalvin Cook

Derrick Henry

Josh Jacobs

Devonta Freeman

Aaron Jones

Phillip Lindsay

Todd Gurley


Marlon Mack


Melvin Gordon




NO. 3 RBs/HIGH UPSIDE

NO. 3 RBs/LESS UPSIDE

ROUND 5

ROUNDS 6-7

Chris Carson

Tarik Cohen

Tevin Coleman

Sony Michel

David Montgomery

Darrell Henderson

Kenyan Drake

Lamar Miller

Mark Ingram

Austin Ekeler

James White

Rashaad Penny



HIGH-POTENTIAL BACKUPS

MID-POTENTIAL BACKUPS

ROUNDS 8-9

ROUND 10

Latavius Murray

Devin Singletary

Miles Sanders

Alexander Mattison

Jordan Howard

Darwin Thompson

Peyton Barber

LeSean McCoy

Ronald Jones

 

Royce Freeman

 

Derrius Guice

 

D'Onta Foreman

 

Kalen Ballage

 

Justin Jackson

 

Ito Smith


Damien Harris


Jaylen Samuels




BENCH DEPTH

ROUND 11+

Carlos Hyde

Adrian Peterson

Justice Hill

Kareem Hunt

Jerick McKinnon

Nyheim Hines

Matt Breida

Chris Thompson

Dion Lewis

Jamaal Williams

Duke Johnson

Mike Davis

C.J. Anderson

Jalen Richard

Is Zero RB still a thing? It is, and it's not a bad way to go if you're picking late in Round 1/early in Round 2 in full PPR or are in a smaller league (10 or fewer teams). You could kick off a team with DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Kelce and Julian Edelman and still find Tier 3 running backs later on. This plan is a lot less appealing in non-PPR due to receptions becoming meaningless, and it's straight-up insanity to do it when there's an elite-tier running back staring you in the face, so rule it out if you have an early first-round pick. 

The other key is to select unpopular backs who will at least start the season in a prominent role (Lamar Miller, Jordan Howard, maybe Peyton Barber). You'll squeeze points out of them before replacing them for whatever hotness comes to you off waivers. You must be willing to be active in finding running backs on waivers in order to skip running backs early.

Because running backs are so vital to Fantasy Football success, I still recommend getting a lot of them. If you have six bench spots, aim for at least five. Seven or eight bench spots, aim for six. Remember, each running back you take represents potential, even the ones who begin the season as backups. Never draft a running back you're not excited about, and never draft a running back who you'd probably drop after one or two dud games to begin the year. My favorite backs to be patient with can be found in Tier 6.