4 Running Backs Ready to Make the Leap to the Next Fantasy Football Tier

After finding which quarterbacks, which wide receivers, and which tight ends are ready to outperform their respective fantasy football costs this year, we now begin to shift our focus and take a look at the running backs.

The volatility among running backs forces a high rate of turnover from year to year. Out of the top-24 PPR running backs in 2013, only 13 managed to repeat that feat in 2014. Typical redraft fantasy football isn't often looked at as a week-to-week competition, but that view needs to change. Last year there were 89 different running backs that had top-24 weeks, as nearly every week had newcomers providing fantasy value.

I use this "top-24" to distinguish tiers of running backs that are churning out productive fantasy numbers. These "tiers" I'm referring to are running backs that finish in the top-12 (RB1s) and the top-24 (RB2s) in typical 12-team leagues. While seasonal end-of-year finishes only tell part of the story, we'll also dive into backs that analyzing which ones are able to perform in this next-level tier on a consistent, weekly basis in 2015.

With this continuously shifting viable number of starting running backs, who is ready to make the leap into the next tier and provide improved, consistent value in 2015?

Let's dive on in.