Fantasy Football Rankings: The Top 50 Running Backs
Running Backs 21-30
| Rank | Player (Team, Bye) | Rush | Yards | TDs | FP | FireFactor™ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Matt Jones (WSH, 9) | 204.92 | 769.37 | 4.2 | 146.6 | 58.68 |
| 22 | DeMarco Murray (TEN, 13) | 193.27 | 839.67 | 4.74 | 145.83 | 57.91 |
| 23 | Dion Lewis (NE, 9) | 85.61 | 369.72 | 3.18 | 145.49 | 57.57 |
| 24 | Jeremy Langford (CHI, 9) | 185.16 | 770.71 | 3.74 | 141.27 | 53.35 |
| 25 | Danny Woodhead (SD, 11) | 82.65 | 318.5 | 1.65 | 140.27 | 52.35 |
| 26 | Melvin Gordon (SD, 11) | 254.9 | 905.29 | 4.59 | 138.95 | 51.03 |
| 27 | Frank Gore (IND, 10) | 218.69 | 813.73 | 4.9 | 136.48 | 48.56 |
| 28 | Jeremy Hill (CIN, 9) | 190.39 | 776.22 | 6.78 | 136.44 | 48.52 |
| 29 | Giovani Bernard (CIN, 9) | 145.37 | 651.06 | 3.41 | 132.32 | 44.4 |
| 30 | Jay Ajayi (MIA, 8) | 155.41 | 641.88 | 4.03 | 128.46 | 40.54 |
Notes:
21) Matt Jones
With Alfred Morris gone, the Redskins backfield now belongs to Matt Jones. In his rookie campaign, Jones finished with the third-worst Rushing NEP among all backs. No that isn't a typo: only Frank Gore and Melvin Gordon posted worse figures. Playing second fiddle to Morris for much of the year, Jones carried the ball 144 times for 490 yards (a 3.4 yards per carry average) and 3 touchdowns. Despite his rushing inefficiencies, Jones was productive enough out of the backfield, catching 19 of 25 targets for 304 yards and a touchdown. Among backs with at least 25 targets, Jones' Reception NEP per target was best in the league, thanks to a few big plays. If he can improve there, there's reason to believe he'll see a lot of overall volume in 2016.
22) DeMarco Murray
Murray is two years removed from leading the league in rushing and finds himself on his second new team in as many years. After flaming out in Philadelphia in 2015, the Eagles traded Murray to the Titans, a team expected to run the ball often, but also a team who drafted Alabama running back Derrick Henry in the second round of April's draft. During the 2014 season, when Murray was the league's rushing champion, he finished with a Rushing NEP of 15.67, eighth-best in the league. But last year in Philadelphia, Murray's performance took a turn for the worse and he produced a -5.73 Rushing NEP. His -0.03 Rushing NEP per carry ranked 25th among the 44 backs to see at least 100 carries.
23) Dion Lewis
Lewis was a waiver wire pickup that could have been a league winner in 2015 if not for a torn ACL in Week 9. He was a dynamic playmaking for the Patriots, averaging 12 fantasy points per game, 12th-best among running backs. Through just nine games, his Rushing NEP (9.30) ranked seventh in the league among running backs and his Reception NEP (25.66) ranked 11th. Lewis is starting out on the active/PUP list as he recovers from ACL surgery and the Patriots begin camp.
24) Jeremy Langford
As a rookie, Langford carried the ball 148 times for 537 yards (a 3.6 yards per carry average), and with Matt Forte off to New York, Langford will enter the season as the Bears top back. Though, he will face competition from Jordan Howard, a fifth-round rookie out of Indiana. For Langford, among the 44 backs to see 100 carries last season, he ranked 11th in Rushing NEP per attempt.
25) Danny Woodhead
It may be hard to believe, but Woodhead finished as RB11 in standard scoring leagues in 2015. Rotating with an ineffective Melvin Gordon, Woodhead saw 97 carries and caught 81 passes -- most among running backs. In 2016, numberFire is projecting Woodhead's carries to dip (83), but his receptions to increase slightly (87).
26) Melvin Gordon
As mentioned above, it was a disappointing rookie campaign for Gordon. His Rushing NEP of -34.19 ranked last among all backs, and his -0.19 NEP per rush tied for last among backs with at least 100 carries -- Matt Jones also recorded a -0.19 NEP per rush. Gordon enters the season looking to rebound and was reportedly working with Adrian Peterson to cut back on fumbles -- Gordon fumbled six times in 2015.
27) Frank Gore
The ageless one, Gore enters 2016 as the top back on a Colts team expecting to rebound with a healthy Andrew Luck. The Colts fielded the league's fifth-worst rushing attack in 2015, and Gore's Rushing NEP (-28.68) ranked second worst, ahead of only Melvin Gordon. Despite the inefficiencies, Gore notched 260 carries, fifth-most in the league. The Colts added center Ryan Kelly in the draft, and undrafted free agent Josh Ferguson appears to be Gore's only competition for carries.
28) Jeremy Hill
After finishing as a top-10 fantasy back in his rookie year, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, Hill struggled during his sophomore campaign finishing as RB14 and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. His Rushing NEP dropped from 20.51 in 2014 to -13.39 in 2015 -- he'll need to improve his efficiency to be a top fantasy back once again.
29) Giovani Bernard
Ranked right behind his backfield mate, Bernard is coming off a season in which he caught 49 passes out of the backfield for the Bengals, ninth-most amongst running backs. Bernard’s Reception NEP (33.98) ranked sixth amongst all backs last year. Overall, Bernard saw 203 touches in 2015, compared to Hill’s 238.
30) Jay Ajayi
Ajayi’s 2016 stock took a significant hit when the Dolphins signed Arian Foster on July 18. It’s still unclear who will see the most work, but Ajayi had been in line to start, backed up by rookie Kenyan Drake. Backing up Lamar Miller in 2015, Ajayi carried the ball 49 times for 187 yards, a 3.8 yards per carry average.
