Tier Six – Remaining Draftable Name
28. Rex Burkhead (NE) ↗?(Previously Unranked)
Stock Up Update: Though this backfield is a complete mystery, Burkhead’s high salary suggests he sits atop the depth chart. Meanwhile, Hue Jackson, who previously coached Burkhead and is a strong evaluator of RBs, noted “He’s very talented…He’s a guy that was playing behind some very talented players [with the Bengals], and so he’s going to get his opportunity now, and he’s going to flourish. He’s a really good player. A really good player. He’s very versatile because he’s a good runner, a good pass-catcher. He’s a good blocker. He’s very bright.” After this explosive offense yielded 18 TDs to LeGarrette Blount last season, this backfield’s makeup, especially who’s getting the goal line touches, is one of 2017’s most crucial, and fascinating, fantasy storylines. As of now, Burkhead appears first in line, and he’ll rocket up the rankings if this is confirmed post-draft.
29. Derrick Henry (TEN)?
I was an unabashed Derrick Henry supporter last year, and still don’t feel entirely wrong. With DeMarco Murray bucking the odds and staying healthy, Henry still hasn’t had a chance to justify my The Next David Johnson claim.
If anything, 2016 confirmed this upside is still very real. For one, Henry remains Von Miller at running back. Two, Exotic Smashmouth is truly a running back goldmine for power-runners; the line is among the league’s Top-Three, and this front five is both strong enough to maul at the point of attack, and athletic enough to execute the various counters and pulling calls. In short, they exotically smashmouths. Hell, if DeMarco can rebound so emphatically, imagine what this young, monstrous 250 lb freight train will do when given the chance.
Though the secret’s now out and the price is far greater, the Titans backfield still makes a great investment in 2017. Henry’s a major reason I have DeMarco so highly ranked as my RB4 — there isn’t a single handcuff with more upside, and you’ll be guaranteed RB1 numbers, regardless of who is behind center. If I’ve rounded out my starting RB stable, there isn’t a back I turn faster to than Henry, whether I own Murray or not, and I’d take the “lottery ticket” that Henry represents above all the “blah” below him.
30. Latavius Murray (MIN) ↘? (Previously RB11)
Stock Down Update: Murray leaves behind the gaping holes paved by Oakland’s league-topping lines, to the clogged lanes produced by Minnesota’s pathetic front five. The Vikings’ running game was stagnant all last season, regardless of who was toting the rock. Expect another unexciting year from the Vikings backfield.
31. DeAndre Washington (OAK) ↗ (Previously Unranked)
Of course Washington will absolutely fly up the ranks, well-within the Top-20, if he enters 2017 the actual starter in this absolute goldmine fantasy set up. The team’s connections to Marshawn Lynch make this seem highly unlikely, and so we play the waiting game.
32. Chris Ivory (JAC)
New head coach Doug Marrone is a hard-nosed kind of guy, and I can see him trying to establish physicality behind Ivory, a battering ram. True, 2016 was an absolute trainwreck, but Ivory’s workload was inconsistent as was his health. Neither of these are guarantees in 2017 of course, but a major Ivory revival in 2017 would not shock me.
33. Jeremy Hill (CIN)?
Hill averaged under 4.0 YPC in 12 out of 16 efforts in 2016, including six efforts with under 3.0 yards per tote. Since his incredible rookie season finish, Hill has put nothing of quality on tape outside a nose for the end zone. This ineffectiveness is doubly annoying because he had every opportunity to reestablish himself during Giovani Bernard’s extended 2016 absence, but Hill just continued plodding into irrelevancy. Why are people expecting anything quality?
34. Thomas Rawls (SEA) ↘(Previously RB15)
Stock Down Update: Damnit Fat Fuckin’ Eddie Lacy, you had to go and ruin one of my favorites. Rawls single-handedly won me a contest with a heroic 41 point effort, which ultimately saved me a playoff berth; thus, he’ll always have a special place with The Wolf, and I can truly recognize his week-swinging ceiling. That’s why I am so angry that Tub Tub had to sit his 300 lb body-by-buffet self directly in Rawls’ path to fantasy stardom.
Yes, this roadblock is enormous, but not insurmountable. One, Lacy could do what he does best: show up fat. Or two, Lacy could also succumb to his own massive frame once again, and open the door back up for Rawls. As such, Rawls is among the higher-end bench stashes.
Previous Assessment: I’m such a Rawls guy, but his inconsistency is maddening. When he hits, few match his violent, explosive style, and he can churn out 150+ yard efforts with the best of them. Yet, he rarely strings together massive, hell, even useful, efforts in a row, and his consistency will be even trickier to project with the lightning-quick CJ Prosise returning. Looking into the crystal ball, I see a productive committee in which both guys are highly usable, and a strong double digit TD rebound for Rawls.
35. LeGarrette Blount (UFA)↘
Stock Down Update: It appears we have a stalemate that likely won’t end well for fantasy owners:
LeGarrette Blount update: There isn't one.
Blount has no plans to sign Pats' proposal, which was made at start of free agency. $$$ talks.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) April 10, 2017
After shelling out $3.15 million for Rex Burkhead, Blount is unlikely to take anything less. Inconveniently, there’s almost no chance the Patriots will shell out anything more, and, ultimately, Blount will find a new home. Just how plentiful the TDs will be here, with no team matching the ceiling a New England return represents, will determine how far Blount rises or falls from here. 2016 will almost assuredly go down as an outlier, and while I love him as a fan, his top fantasy days could be numbered.
Continue on to the last page for a Cheat Sheet of all the running backs combined…
