Remember when we used to argue about whether 30 was too old for a running back? In 2018 just one of the top 38 running backs was on the wrong side of 30. Not one of my top-60 running backs on the list below are that old.
And it's not just that I'm ignoring a lot of old guys — besides LeSean McCoy and Adrian Peterson. It's that this position has turned over and gotten really young really fast. Of my top 23 Dynasty running backs only David Johnson, Le'Veon Bell and Melvin Gordon will be over 25 years old at the start of the season. And would anyone really be surprised if Johnson and Bell fell out of the top 20 this season? I think we'd all expect it in the next three years.
This brings me to the question before the rankings: How do we value and Johnson, Bell and Todd Gurley in a league with so many young backs?
Gurley isn't as old as Johnson or Bell, but he may be the most concerning. In what is supposed to be Gurley's prime, the Rams traded up to draft Darrell Henderson, because there's definitely something that isn't right about his knee. We just don't know how important that something is. He's the lowest of the three for me because I believe his ceiling will be limited due to workload concerns, and his longterm floor has all but disappeared.
Bell looked like one of the only backs who could challenge Gurley when he was in Pittsburgh, but he'll have to deal with more attention, a worse offensive line, and Adam Gase. Gase doesn't have a great history dealing with big personalities and has already talked about not using Bell as extensively on the ground. I can't get the 27-year-old into my top-10, because two-to-three years of borderline No. 1 production won't quite do it.
Johnson doesn't have an injury concern and hasn't switched teams, but he might as well have. Kiliff Kingsbbury is bringing a new universe to Arizona and we have no idea what that means for a feature back. Johnson will also deal with a rookie quarterback and below-average offensive line. He's my favorite of this group but it would still be hard to use more than a second round pick on him in a Dynasty league.
The future is now at the running back position and that's caused drastic change at the top of the Dynasty rankings.
Top 60 Dynasty Running Backs
Rank | Player | Team | Age |
1 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | 22 |
2 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | 24 |
3 | Alvin Kamara | NO | 24 |
4 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | 23 |
5 | Joe Mixon | CIN | 23 |
6 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | 26 |
7 | Nick Chubb | CLE | 23 |
8 | James Conner | PIT | 24 |
9 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | 24 |
10 | David Johnson | ARI | 27 |
11 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | 24 |
12 | Le'Veon Bell | NYJ | 27 |
13 | Todd Gurley | LAR | 25 |
14 | Kerryon Johnson | DET | 22 |
15 | David Montgomery | CHI | 22 |
16 | Josh Jacobs | OAK | 21 |
17 | Aaron Jones | GB | 24 |
18 | Sony Michel | NE | 24 |
19 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 25 |
20 | Marlon Mack | IND | 23 |
21 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | 24 |
22 | Derrius Guice | WAS | 22 |
23 | Derrick Henry | TEN | 25 |
24 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | 27 |
25 | Darrell Henderson | LAR | 22 |
26 | Damien Williams | KC | 27 |
27 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | 25 |
28 | Rashaad Penny | SEA | 23 |
29 | Chris Carson | SEA | 25 |
30 | Miles Sanders | PHI | 22 |
31 | Tevin Coleman | SF | 26 |
32 | Royce Freeman | DEN | 23 |
33 | Mark Ingram | BAL | 29 |
34 | Lamar Miller | HOU | 28 |
35 | Damien Harris | NE | 22 |
36 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | 24 |
37 | Jordan Howard | PHI | 24 |
38 | Jerick McKinnon | SF | 27 |
39 | James White | NE | 27 |
40 | Ito Smith | ATL | 23 |
41 | Alexander Mattison | MIN | 21 |
42 | Bruce Anderson | TB | 22 |
43 | Ronald Jones II | TB | 22 |
44 | Devin Singletary | BUF | 22 |
45 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | 24 |
46 | Latavius Murray | NO | 29 |
47 | D'Onta Foreman | HOU | 23 |
48 | Justice Hill | BAL | 21 |
49 | Nyheim Hines | IND | 22 |
50 | Kalen Ballage | MIA | 23 |
51 | Darwin Thompson | KC | 23 |
52 | Jamaal Williams | GB | 24 |
53 | Peyton Barber | TB | 25 |
54 | Carlos Hyde | KC | 28 |
55 | Benny Snell Jr. | PIT | 21 |
56 | Jaylen Samuels | PIT | 23 |
57 | Matt Breida | SF | 24 |
58 | Jalen Richard | OAK | 25 |
59 | Duke Johnson | CLE | 25 |
60 | Dion Lewis | TEN | 28 |