With the preseason winding down, it won’t be long until the fantasy football season begins.
Fantasy football rankings 2017: Running backs in standard leagues
The preseason is midway over, so we updated our rankings of the top running backs in fantasy football.
Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
In the meantime, you likely have at least one more draft to complete before the regular season begins. Waiting this long to draft was actually a smart move on your part, being that there are so many key players injured heading into Week 1.
At running back, we’ve seen Jay Ajayi, Devonta Freeman, Jordan Howard, Matt Forte, and Ezekiel Elliott all dealing with various issues that could affect their Week 1 availability. The good news is most, if not all of them will be healthy enough to play in Week 1.
Elliott’s pending appeal of his six-game suspension could lead to him playing in Week 1 as well, though his status is easily the murkiest of any big-name running back. For now, we’re doing an updated set of fantasy rankings that reflect Elliott being suspended for six games. That means guys like Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris are legitimate fantasy options entering the 2017 season.
Running back (standard) rankings, preseason Week 3
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; AW: Alex Welch; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
Preseason RB standard rankings
Rk | Consensus | Tm | SK | JG | DG | AW | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Johnson | ARI | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| 7 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Jordan Howard | CHI | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| 9 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 12 |
| 10 | Todd Gurley | LAR | 9 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 10 |
| 11 | Lamar Miller | HOU | 13 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 11 | 7 |
| 12 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | 11 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 13 |
| 13 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 14 |
| 14 | Marshawn Lynch | OAK | 16 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 15 | Carlos Hyde | SF | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 |
| 16 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 11 |
| 17 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | 15 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 16 |
| 18 | Ty Montgomery | GB | 18 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | Kareem Hunt | KC | 17 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 25 |
| 20 | Joe Mixon | CIN | 20 | 17 | 26 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
| 21 | Mark Ingram | NO | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 22 |
| 22 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | 23 | 27 | 30 | 24 | 25 | 21 |
| 23 | Frank Gore | IND | 27 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 28 |
| 24 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | 26 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 31 |
| 25 | Adrian Peterson | NO | 29 | 28 | 24 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
| 26 | Eddie Lacy | SEA | 37 | 23 | 21 | 40 | 29 | 20 |
| 27 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | 24 | 33 | 34 | 21 | 30 | 29 |
| 28 | Doug Martin | TB | 28 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 27 |
| 29 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | 22 | 22 | 40 | 23 | 27 | 41 |
| 30 | Mike Gillislee | NE | 25 | 25 | 38 | 28 | 20 | 39 |
| 31 | Robert Kelley | WAS | 33 | 32 | 29 | 34 | 32 | 32 |
| 32 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | 36 | 36 | 22 | 37 | 37 | 24 |
| 33 | Paul Perkins | NYG | 31 | 29 | 41 | 31 | 24 | 42 |
| 34 | LeGarrette Blount | PHI | 34 | 31 | 32 | 39 | 33 | 33 |
| 35 | Danny Woodhead | BAL | 30 | 37 | 45 | 27 | 36 | 35 |
| 36 | Terrance West | BAL | 32 | 43 | 33 | 33 | 46 | 34 |
| 37 | Derrick Henry | TEN | 35 | 38 | 35 | 38 | 39 | 36 |
| 38 | Matt Forte | NYJ | 39 | 34 | 36 | 42 | 34 | 40 |
| 39 | Theo Riddick | DET | 38 | 35 | -- | 32 | 35 | 38 |
| 40 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | 46 | 44 | 23 | 45 | 47 | 30 |
| 41 | Latavius Murray | MIN | -- | 42 | 31 | 50 | 44 | 23 |
| 42 | Darren McFadden | DAL | 40 | -- | 50 | 35 | 34 | 37 |
| 43 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | 41 | 40 | -- | 36 | 45 | 44 |
| 44 | James White | NE | 45 | 41 | 39 | -- | 41 | 45 |
| 45 | C.J. Prosise | SEA | 47 | 45 | 49 | 41 | 40 | 47 |
| 46 | Darren Sproles | PHI | 44 | 48 | -- | 46 | 48 | 43 |
| 47 | Samaje Perine | WAS | 43 | -- | -- | 47 | 38 | -- |
| 48 | Rex Burkhead | NE | 49 | -- | 37 | 44 | -- | -- |
| 49 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | 42 | -- | -- | 43 | -- | -- |
| 50 | Jamaal Charles | DEN | -- | 46 | 42 | 48 | -- | -- |
| -- | Charcandrick West | KC | -- | 50 | -- | -- | 42 | 48 |
| -- | Dion Lewis | NE | -- | -- | 44 | -- | -- | 46 |
| -- | Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | 48 | -- | 46 | 49 | -- | -- |
| -- | Giovani Bernard | CIN | -- | 47 | 48 | -- | 50 | -- |
| -- | Shane Vereen | NYG | -- | -- | 43 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Jamaal Williams | GB | 50 | 49 | -- | -- | 49 | 49 |
| -- | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | -- | -- | 47 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Charles Sims | TB | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 50 |
