Eminence 2016 Redraft Rankings (1 Viewer)

[Eminence]

simple fantasy football solutions.

2016 RB RANKINGS

1a.) Adrian Peterson (MIN)

Adrian Peterson has been a fantasy hero year-after-year. He has the potential to lead the league in both carries and rushing yards. He is the premier running back in the NFL. At age 31, there is fear he could begin to decline. You should definitely handcuff Jerrick McKinnon. Peterson has the potential to touch the ball more than every other skill player in the league.

2015:
327 carries / 1,485 rushing yards / 11 touchdowns
30 receptions / 222 receiving yards / 0 receiving touchdowns

Pros:

+Consistent fantasy producer.

+Offense will give him 300+ carries.

+It's Adrian Peterson.

Cons:

-He is 31 years old.

-He has logged 2381 rushing attempts in his career.

-Fumble concerns and will miss a few passing downs.

Bottom line:

You're ultimately taking a risk on whether or not Adrian Peterson has another year left in him.

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1b.) Todd Gurley (LA)

Todd Gurley is the next premier runningback in the NFL. He is the type of player that can beat 8 men in the box and punish defenses. He has the upside to be the highest scoring runningback in fantasy football. Gurley missed 4 starts due to injury sustained his senior year of college. He averaged 18.58 rushing attempts per start which puts him on pace for 300 carries over 16 games.

Pros:

+21 years old.
+3-down back.
+300+ touches.

Cons:

-Plays in a division with two decent defenses (Arizona and Seattle).
-Young back with history of ACL tear.

Bottom line:

Todd Gurley is everything you want in a running back. The only negative here is that he hasn't proven he can stay healthy and produce through an entire season. If you can get beyond that or if you think this is the year Adrian Peterson's play declines, there's no shame taking Gurley as the first running back off the board.

2015:
229 carries / 1,106 rushing yards / 10 touchdowns
21 receptions / 199 receiving yards / 3 receiving touchdowns

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3.) Doug Martin (TB)

Doug Martin quietly competed with Adrian Peterson for the rushing title in 2015 and is likely to flirt with the prize again in 2016. Doug Martin had an impressive 4.9 ypc and clearly still has the burst to absolutely shred weaker defenses. The only blemish of his 2015 season was his lack of touchdowns. He notched 6 on the ground and 1 through the air.

If Tampa Bay does anything to improve their offense, Doug Martin is a likely beneficiary from more redzone opportunities. He can't score redzone touchdowns if they're not in the redzone often. I'd like to see Tampa go Offensive Line.

2015:

288 carries / 1,402 yards / 6 touchdowns (4.9 ypc)
33 receptions / 271 yards / 1 touchdown

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4.) Eddie Lacy (GB)

Green Bay's offense stumbled in 2015 due to injuries to Jordy Nelson and key members to the offensive line. If Green Bay shores up the wide

receiver and offensive line positions in the NFL Draft, Eddie Lacy should be able to return to his former glory.After critcism from his head coach due to his playing weight in 2015,

Eddie Lacy has trimmed down after training with P90X founder Tony Horton. Lacy plays with a Top 5 NFL Quarterback, has potential for 300 touches, has no threats in the redzone, and will only be 26 years old when the 2016 NFL season begins. You can handcuff James Starks but I'd like to see Green Bay bring in a Rookie to compete. Light a fire under fit Eddie Lacy.

2015:

187 carries / 758 yards / 3 touchdowns
20 receptions / 188 yards / 2 receiving touchdowns

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5.) David Johnson (ARI)

David Johnson was a fantasy savior for many late in the 2015 fantasy football season. Starting runningback Chris Johnson went down and in his absence David Johnson carried in his first three starts for:

70 carries / 378 yards (5.4 ypc) / 3 touchdowns
11 receptions / 94 yards / 1 touchdown

There is skepticism on how heavy of a workload David Johnson will see with healthy runningbacks Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson returning

to the desert in 2016. David Johnson's receiving ability creates a mismatch on most linebackers and makes him an asset in all PPR

leagues.

Be careful in non-ppr. He had 40+ catches in limited time last year. They love using his mismatch to open up the passing game.

2015:

125 carries / 581 yards / 8 touchdowns
36 receptions / 457 yards / 4 touchdowns

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6.) DeMarco Murray (TEN)

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7.) Derrick Henry (Rookie)

I don't know where he's going to land but I feel like he is the most NFL ready player. He's already logged big carries in College anyone who drafts him would be foolish not to have vulturing Touchdowns in their Offense. I think Baltimore would be great.

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8.) LeVeon Bell (PIT)

Can't get excited about a guy coming back from this type of injury. But upside is upside and if you can get him as your RB2, style and profile all day.

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9.) Matt Forte (NYJ)
10.) Jamaal Charles (KC)
11.) Jeremy Langford (CHI)
12.) Devonta Freeman (ATL)
13.) Justin Forsett
14.) CJ Anderson (MIA)
15.)Carlos Hyde (SF)

16.) Mark Ingram (NO)

That Saints offense produces so much redzone opportunity. He's piled up points for my teams in the past. I don't think I'd be happy with him as my RB2.

17.) Lamar Miller (HOU)
18.) Thomas Rawls (SEA)

If he's healthy, he plays well. Reminds me a little of Marion Barber, he's playing faster and more violently than everyone else. When you give him room, he will punish people.

19.) Christine Michael (SEA)

I am somebody who would take Christine Michael right after Thomas Rawls. Seattle's run game is potent.

20.) James Starks (GB)

 

[spider321]

Gurley surpasses Peterson this year.

I don't think Henry's game will translate well to the NFL.

 

[Borden]

Some grammar, formatting, spelling errors. Not sure how concerned with that you are. 

Ingram's write up seems to be a little off. You state what seem to be pros then say you don't want him has your RB2. Might be typo though. Henry, I'd like to read more on why he's so high. Also, maybe a blurb on why you have Starks so high. Most people think GB is a passing team and you have both their RBs in the top 20. And no Elliot on the list?

Sincle you're calling it simple solutions, maybe have a few words why a player is ranked above certain other backs. For example;

Freeman:

*write up*

vs Miller: Better hair 

vs Anderson: Cooler name

I'm joking around about the reasons but just something simple  as to why you prefer that player over another if it isn't clear in the write up. Just a suggestion. 

 

[Bracie Smathers]

1.07 - Derrick Henry

I don't know where he's going to land but I feel like he is the most NFL ready player. He's already logged big carries in College anyone who drafts him would be foolish not to have vulturing Touchdowns in their Offense. I think Baltimore would be great.

Derrick Henry listed at 7 so you took rookies into account Yet Ezekiel Elliot isn't listed.

Oversight? 

 

[cockroach]

Thanks for the effort, but weird format.   Maybe throw them into tiers instead of numbering them base 12.

 

[squistion]

Some grammar, formatting, spelling errors. Not sure how concerned with that you are. 

He isn't. Everything he writes is like that. Shows a lack of attention to detail and one has to wonder if he approaches his player analysis with the same carelessness.

 

[Hawkeye21]

Ingram should be top 12.  David Johnson and Bell should be ahead of Lacy and Martin.  You have Lacy and Martin too high.

I think the top 4 should be Peterson, Bell, Gurley and David Johnson.  No specific order really since they all could be number one.  I'm basing this off of PPR too.

 

[georg013]

Simply rude. Instead of criticizing generate your own list with explanation. That's why no one does anything for free anymore. Lack of appreciation. 

 

[steelers1080]

1. Gurley
   
2. Bell
   
3. AP
   
4. Charles
   
5. Johnson
   
6. Freeman
   
7. Lacy
   
8. D Murray
   
9. Rawls
   
10. Martin
    
11. Forte
    
12. Miller
    
13. Matt Jones
    
14. Langford
    
15. Hyde
    
16. Yeldon
    

Elliott depends on what team he goes to.  If he goes to Dallas, top 10 guy.  If he goes to Philly, top 10 guy.  Most other places, maybe top 20.

Also, doubt Forsett, Michael or Starks end up near the top 20.  All are older or fringe backs who are being replaced and will only see reps if the guy in front gets injured.  Lots of 2nd year guys could make strides.  Matt Jones, Yeldon, Langford, Johnson, Rawls, all are poised for big years.  If Freeman goes down Coleman could be big, he was supposed to be the guy and they loved him before he got hurt and Freeman got a shot.

Having Bell at 8 is preposterous unless you're assuming another injury, but any of these guys could be taken down by an ACL tear so it's hard to factor that in.

 

[Run It Up]

Dion Lewis nowhere...

 

 

[FF Ninja]

This is a good effort and should generate some discussion during this relatively dead time. Here's my nitpicking:

Personally, I think Langford = JAG at best. We already know they tried to pay CJA. They know Langford isn't good. Someone else will lead that backfield in touches.

I'd put Bell a lot higher. Probably #1. It wasn't even an ACL tear. I expect him back full strength.

Forte has been declining for a couple years. I doubt a change of scenery can pump him up enough to get him into the top 10, even though I like that offense. Powell and Khiry might both be better than him at their respective strengths, so I expect Forte to be an afterthought by the time FF playoffs roll around unless one of those guys gets injured.

Forsett is getting pretty old, so I wouldn't draft him in the top 20.

I'm not a big Lamar Miller fan, but BOB runs a nice offense and they are paying him. He should do quite well next year.

Ingram is pretty low despite a very good showing last year.

Kind of surprised by the lack of love McCoy is getting. I know they lost a tackle and offensive coordinator, but nobody from Cincy listed? Dion Lewis probably belongs somewhere as does Latavius Murray. Stewart might be a time bomb, but he should get some sort of honorable mention after last year's durability.

 

[Run It Up]

If this is PPR Woodhead should also be in the top 20.

 

[Zyphros]

Swap Martin with Le'Veon Bell, add Dion Lewis and Zeke in there and take Henry out then I like the list.  Not too much that I disagree with here.

 

[shady inc]

1. Gurley
   
2. Bell
   
3. AP
   
4. Charles
   
5. Johnson
   
6. Freeman
   
7. Lacy
   
8. D Murray
   
9. Rawls
   
10. Martin
    
11. Forte
    
12. Miller
    
13. Matt Jones
    
14. Langford
    
15. Hyde
    
16. Yeldon
    

Elliott depends on what team he goes to.  If he goes to Dallas, top 10 guy.  If he goes to Philly, top 10 guy.  Most other places, maybe top 20.

Also, doubt Forsett, Michael or Starks end up near the top 20.  All are older or fringe backs who are being replaced and will only see reps if the guy in front gets injured.  Lots of 2nd year guys could make strides.  Matt Jones, Yeldon, Langford, Johnson, Rawls, all are poised for big years.  If Freeman goes down Coleman could be big, he was supposed to be the guy and they loved him before he got hurt and Freeman got a shot.

Having Bell at 8 is preposterous unless you're assuming another injury, but any of these guys could be taken down by an ACL tear so it's hard to factor that in.

no ingram?

 

[JoeSteeler]

Thanks for posting

 

[steelers1080]

no ingram?

Good point.  Although I wouldn't be shocked if the Saints finally got around to using Spiller and used Hightower so I could see him falling.  I'd probably put him around 13 while knowing he could be as high as 7 by the end of the year.

Dion Lewis nowhere...

I left him off by accident, but I'm still not a fan of NE running backs.  He's coming off an injury and they could draft someone to replace Blount.  He could easily drop into the late teens.

Anybody else somewhat worried about David Johnson?  He was amazing at the end of the year for ARI, but I don't trust Arians.  He kept him on the bench most of the year even after he was breaking off huge catches for TDs.  Then when CJ0K finally got hurt he let him play and was like, Oh man, never saw this coming!  Whereas even an idiot could see he had more talent than CJ.  I wouldn't be surprised if they try to use him like they have Ellington the past few years 10-12 carries and some passes and give more carries to a less talented RB.  BA likes to overthink things...

 

[FF Ninja]

Anybody else somewhat worried about David Johnson?  He was amazing at the end of the year for ARI, but I don't trust Arians.  He kept him on the bench most of the year even after he was breaking off huge catches for TDs.  Then when CJ0K finally got hurt he let him play and was like, Oh man, never saw this coming!  Whereas even an idiot could see he had more talent than CJ.  I wouldn't be surprised if they try to use him like they have Ellington the past few years 10-12 carries and some passes and give more carries to a less talented RB.  BA likes to overthink things...

Yes. I'm no talent scout, so I'm not going to make any definitive statements about his ability, but I would like to throw a little bit of caution into those hyping him up right now. Like you said, Arians is hard to trust when it comes to young RBs. But just as important is the fact that pretty much anybody was going to look good at RB in that offense. Even a washed up Chris Johnson was putting up excellent numbers. So for all I can tell, David Johnson's talent level could range from mediocre to excellent. I really think if he was elite he'd have been over 5.0 ypc last year. That's just how good that offense was. But back to Arians, yes, everyone had to realize that Ellington and D. Johnson were more talented than CJ, yet Arians kept trotting him out there. Hard to have faith that Arians will lean on D. Johnson next year after what we saw this past season.

 

[DocHolliday]

Glad to see you are thinking about the NFL so much already Em.  While I may not agree with some of your analysis, I think you are on the right track.  Keep up the good work. 

 

[Eminence]

Responses to comments, spoiler tag to keep things neat.

Spoiler

Some grammar, formatting, spelling errors. Not sure how concerned with that you are. 

Ingram's write up seems to be a little off. You state what seem to be pros then say you don't want him has your RB2. Might be typo though. Henry, I'd like to read more on why he's so high. Also, maybe a blurb on why you have Starks so high. Most people think GB is a passing team and you have both their RBs in the top 20. And no Elliot on the list?

Sincle you're calling it simple solutions, maybe have a few words why a player is ranked above certain other backs. For example;

Freeman:

*write up*

vs Miller: Better hair 

vs Anderson: Cooler name

I'm joking around about the reasons but just something simple  as to why you prefer that player over another if it isn't clear in the write up. Just a suggestion. 

At this stage, not too interested in spelling / grammar. I haven't even ran this puppy through spellcheck yet. It's extremely raw right now, I'm going to have blurbs for every player. I'd say this list is about 20% done compared to how I want the finished product to look. The feedback I've gotten definitely has helped out, hopefully you continue to check back in. I'm sure the NFL draft is going to shake things up a bit!

Again, thanks for the feedback.

Derrick Henry listed at 7 so you took rookies into account Yet Ezekiel Elliot isn't listed.

Oversight? 

I feel like Derrick Henry can't fail at the NFL level. The guy is built to play in the NFL and reminds me of Eddie George. He could land on any team and vulture touchdowns. Elliot, I have a hard time placing value on. Offhand, I put him in a tier similar to Mark Ingram but his value is effected by his landing spot moreso than Henry, imo.

Thanks for the effort, but weird format.   Maybe throw them into tiers instead of numbering them base 12.

I will consider this, it does comes off a bit sloppy as-is.

He isn't. Everything he writes is like that. Shows a lack of attention to detail and one has to wonder if he approaches his player analysis with the same carelessness.

Come on man, don't do me like that. I put up with this crap in the FFA but this is my domain. I put plenty of work and research into this. Plus, this is like 20% of what I plan it to be once it's 100% finish.

Simply rude. Instead of criticizing generate your own list with explanation. That's why no one does anything for free anymore. Lack of appreciation. 

Hey, thanks man. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Dion Lewis nowhere...

 

I'll get him in there next update, he's a tricky guy to rank. His value is across the board.

Glad to see you are thinking about the NFL so much already Em.  While I may not agree with some of your analysis, I think you are on the right track.  Keep up the good work. 

Thanks Doc! Hope all is well, I appreciate the feedback. I love fantasy, great time killer.

 

[Soulfly3]

How is Josh Gordon not on this list?

Guy can take it to the house out of the backfield on ANY play

 

[ajm27501]

Are you banking on McCoy being suspended.  Can't imagine him not being in that listing below backup RBs when he's the lead back on the team that led the league in rushing last year.

 

[steelers1080]

Are you banking on McCoy being suspended.  Can't imagine him not being in that listing below backup RBs when he's the lead back on the team that led the league in rushing last year.

I'm mainly assuming that Rex can't get his offense firing on all cylinders and that McCoy and Williams split the load making them both late RB2s.  If McCoy is suspended I think Karlos W. jumps into the top 10 conversation.

 

[Ilov80s]

Point of major disagreement: 

DeMarco at 6 over Bell, Charles and many others is puzzling. You must think Murray is an elite talent that was poisoned in Philly or that the Titans are going to draft Tunsil and he will redefine the entire o-line because the Titans have been the most sorry spot for fantasy production from the RB spot for awhile. Murray is definitely an upgrade over Cobb, Sankey, etc. I don't see how that upgrade is worth a top 10 RB though. Last year Andrews, Cobb and Sankey combined for 1196 yards and 6 TDs. Those 3 backs saw about 270 combined touches. We could see Murray get more like 300 and we could see him be better than the 3.5 ypc the Titans trio averaged last year. Will he have enough TD opps? Doubtful. All in all, it is too many "ifs" for a RB to be ranked that high. Murray should be a RB2.

There are others and many have pointed them out, but Murray just doesn't add up for me. Especially over Bell. 

 

[Eminence]

Point of major disagreement: 

DeMarco at 6 over Bell, Charles and many others is puzzling. You must think Murray is an elite talent that was poisoned in Philly or that the Titans are going to draft Tunsil and he will redefine the entire o-line because the Titans have been the most sorry spot for fantasy production from the RB spot for awhile. Murray is definitely an upgrade over Cobb, Sankey, etc. I don't see how that upgrade is worth a top 10 RB though. Last year Andrews, Cobb and Sankey combined for 1196 yards and 6 TDs. Those 3 backs saw about 270 combined touches. We could see Murray get more like 300 and we could see him be better than the 3.5 ypc the Titans trio averaged last year. Will he have enough TD opps? Doubtful. All in all, it is too many "ifs" for a RB to be ranked that high. Murray should be a RB2.

There are others and many have pointed them out, but Murray just doesn't add up for me. Especially over Bell. 

I'll get a write-up on him soon. There's a lot to like with Demarco Murray.

1.) The Quarterback play sucked in Philadelphia.

2.) He has a 1,845 yard season on his resume. He had 393 rushing attempts / 57 receptions that year.

3.) He barely touched the ball last year (193 carries) and should be well rested.

4.) This may be a personal bias but a runningback's best friend is a mobile Quarterback. Chris Johnson would not have gotten 2,000 yards without Vince Young, imo.

5.) He's always been productive in the receiving game. 44, 57, 53 are his reception totals over the past 3 years.

6.) He just turned 28. This could be his last big year before the wheels fall off.

7.) His lack of production was due to lack of carries, even then with his receiving yards he still cracked 1,000 total combined yards. The problem is, he saw 200 less carries in 2015 than 2016.

Why am I going to draft a guy with a bad MCL (Bell) or a bad ACL (Charles) when I have a guy like Murray that was misused in Philadelphia?

He didn't turn from a 1,800 yard guy to a 900 yard guy because he switched teams. He may have been overhyped in Philly but he's underhyped now, imo.

 

[fightingillini]

I would rather rank the RBs in tiers.....this assumes a PPR

Elite  (1st 6-7 picks) - Gurley, Bell, D Johnson, Peterson

Very good - (late 1st - mid 2nd) Freeman, Martin, Charles, D Murray, L Miller, Rawls

Solid - weak RB1 good RB2 - (late 2nd - mid 3rd) - Lacy, Anderson, Ingram, J Hill

RB2s - (late 3rd - mid 4th) - D Lewis, L Murray, Langford, Forte, Hyde, McCoy, Stewart

Not deep at the elite tier, but there are a lot of solid options in the "very good" category to take an elite WR or Gronk in round 1. 

My thoughts:

1) I have McCoy low to the risk of suspension and Karlos Williams is very capable of handling a big piece of the load. 

2) D Lewis is a wild card.  I would rank him higher in a PPR format, but it's NE we're talking about.

3) Freeman could be in the elite category, but I am concerned that he won't get the workload like last year.  Still has a very high floor in PPR.

4) D Murray is going to be a high risk, very high reward player.  He's going to get the workload, but can he hold up?  And can TEN improve on offense to give Murray a chance at 10+ TDs?

5) Eminence IMO has Bell way too low. 

 

[MDSkinner]

I really like your list, especially this early on.  My only real question is about Rawls and Michael both being where they are.  You give your reasoning as Seattle's run game is potent, and it certainly has been. I may be wrong but I think they are turning over 3 on the offensive line (for sure 2) and the replacements are guys that seem to have limited upside.   That said, Seattle has been notorious for putting together OL's with no big names in recent years and making it work.    It just seems more risky.   That said, I have no issue with Rawls at the 18th RB on the board, but it is tough to foresee Michael being that one pick behind him as the 19th best.   Interested in hearing your thoughts.  Very good work here and I appreciate the effort you put into giving your reasoning behind them.