Fantasy Football: Mims picks his top running backs for your FFB draft
The NFL has so many dynamic running backs. Going with the top seven is going to leave someone on the outside looking in. I look for players who are a work horses, red zone performers, and are good as a receiver out in the flat. These seven make the cut.
1) Saquon Barkley – He will get a ton of touches because the Giants no longer have Odell Beckham Jr. The offensive line is better. Barkley is dangerous as a receiver. This pick was easy.
2) Alvin Kamara – He had 14 TDs last year. The weapons the Saints have make it impossible to just key on him. His athleticism makes him one of the best all round backs in the league.
3) Ezekiel Elliott – He goes to 3 because of the holdout. If the holdout goes into the season, he could miss three games and still get 1300 yards and 9 touchdowns. He is that good and it is his team - not Dak Prescott. Just draft a solid number two runner and start him until Zeke returns.
4) Le’Veon Bell – He made a promise to Fantasy Football fans that he would make up for holding out last year. He won’t get 500 touches, but he will get 350. The Jet’s offense is not as good as the Steelers but Bell is a tremendous check down option and a good receiver.
5) Christian McCaffrey – He is an excellent receiver and a good rusher. Since I am not expecting a lot from Cam Newton, he will get more touches and more production.
6) James Conner – He stepped in and made the Steelers almost forget Le’Veon Bell. He had 1400 yds and 13 TDs. I leaned toward flipping him with McCaffrey, but he is not as good a receiver.
7) Derrick Henry – Henry is my breakthrough guy. He had a strong finish in his last 4 games for the Titans. If they commit to him as their workhorse, he would pay huge dividends. He had over 1,000 yards and 12 TDs
Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon and Aaron Jones did not make the cut. Gurley’s knee makes him questionable to select. Gordon is a holdout and is seeking a trade. Not knowing where he will play is not an element I would entertain. Aaron Jones is expected to be every down back in an explosive offense. The problem is that it’s Green Bay’s offense and Aaron Rodgers will be throwing in a two-minute hurry up style.
If you want to share your top 3 follow me on Twitter. I will look at wide receivers in my next post.
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