We live in an era where the majority of the teams in the NFL are pass-first, but the crazy thing is; the top 5* passing teams didn’t make the playoffs and the top 5* rushing teams did. The running back position doesn’t last forever with repetitive hits over and over again. Therefore, in dynasty leagues, it is essential to target young backs with loads of potential.

This set of rankings include some of the leagues best 1B options in the league. These RBs can’t handle the full workload but help their lead backs with the load. The RBs I have ranked here should be taken as handcuffs or trade bait for other owners incase their top back gets injured. Taking these RBs in this year’s start-up dynasty draft could benefit you 2-3 years down the road when these RBs are starters in this league.

Read who I have ranked at RB: 70-61 60-51

Don’t forget to check out where I ranked my dynasty QB (Post Combine):1-25; 26-44

Benny Snell is the clear backup to James Conner when healthy. The Steelers wanted to experiment with Jaylen Samuels and realized he is just a passing down back and cannot produce the way Connor or Snell can. This backfield, in general, is injury prone, but once they are suited for the game they come to play. Going into the 2020 season I would expect the Steelers to stick with Connor for the majority of touches. Due to his history, Snell is an excellent handcuff to own in dynasty.

Darwin Thompson was drafted in the 6th Round of the 2019 Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Thompson only appeared in 12 games as a rookie and registered 37 carries for 128 yards and a TD. There is still tons of promise for Darwin Thompson as he is in the league’s best offense behind Patrick Mahomes. Damien Williams remains under contract till 2021. However, I can see Thompson making an impact in 2020 that makes him the starter in 2021. I would grab Thompson in dynasty drafts and hold on to him as I believe he will be a big contributor in the Chiefs offense over time.

Carlos Hyde has appeared on 4 teams in the last 2 years. Hyde appeared on the Browns, Jaguars, Chiefs and finally found a home in Houston. Hyde was sneakily good this year. He had 1,070 yards and 6 TD for the Texans in 2019. The Texans haven’t been known for a prolific running game for quite some time, and Hyde provided enough for them to not be so one-dimensional. Hyde is 29 which is a concern for me.

The reason why I have him at #48 is that he was a starting RB last season and if the Texans don’t look for a replacement in 2020, Hyde will most likely remain the starter over Duke Johnson. I would not be surprised if the Texans offered Melvin Gordon a contract this offseason. I wouldn’t draft Hyde in dynasty myself, however monitoring the Texans backfield this offseason, he may hold value.

James White has been in New England for what feels like 10 years. White still manages to stay involved in the rotation. He is in a similar situation with Duke Johnson by owning the passing down work but can never get the running game going. White is the reason why some people hate PPR formats. He will get around 5 carries a game and catch the ball 5 times. This results in a huge gap between poor or good performances. His inconsistency is hard and whether or not he will be in Foxborough in the coming years is uncertain. However, with all this being said, I still view White having solid value for dynasty owners, especially in PPR leagues.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Penny in the 1st Round of the 2018 NFL Draft. To use a 1st round pick on an RB in this league implies that he will be a 3-down starting back for your team. Penny has continued to be the 1B in Seattle as Chris Carson has taken the majority of the carries. Having a 1A/1B approach in Seattle isn’t the worst thing as they hold one of the league’s best rushing offense. Penny showed what he was capable of in Weeks 12 and 13 of the 2019 season.

Penny suffered an injury in Week 14 that landed him on the IR. His counterpart Chris Carson was not far apart as he landed on the IR to end the season as well. I would draft Penny in dynasty leagues because I believe that going forward Penny will see more carries as the Seahawks aim for a dual-threat attack. Carson’s fumbling issues may also help Penny’s case of getting the lead role.

Ryquell Armstead is the clear backup to the workhorse Leonard Fournette. Armstead was a 5th round pick out of Temple and was drafted to become Fournette 2.0. Armstead managed to wrap-up his rookie campaign finishing with stats of 35/108/0. I believe this man is one of the best hand-cuff running backs you can find. The Jaguars running back situation seems to be a one-man crew, and if the injury-prone Fournette goes down you can expect Armstead to be the next man up. When drafting your dynasty team if you select Fournette, make sure to add Armstead to your team later down the boards.

Justice Hill was selected in 4th round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Ravens. It appeared that he would see more carries as a rookie and was projected as a sleeper by many fantasy sites. Hill got his opportunities late in games where the score didn’t matter. Edwards took great advantage of his late-game carries and seemed to look like the better back than Hill. I would only consider Hill in dynasty drafts if you are willing to take the risk on the RB that will start the 2020 season as 3rd on the depth chart.

There is some love going around about Jackson for the 2020 season and some people projecting a breakout with Melvin Gordon‘s plan to hold out. Justin Jackson was expected to get more carries and fall into a larger workload. After Austin Ekeler went nuclear the first 4 weeks of the 2019 fantasy season, Gordon decided that he needed to return and Jackson went back to 3rd on the depth chart.

Jackson struggled with calf and hamstring injuries in 2019 which may be the reason for his reduced touches in 2019. Assuming Gordon will test the free-agency waters, Jackson may slide into the lead back role in Los Angeles. He is only 24 years old and has shown that he is capable of being a viable fantasy back. Monitoring Gordon’s departure, I would target Jackson in dynasty drafts with the hope that his backfield may be all his in a year or two.

Tony Pollard was being heavily selected in 2019 Fantasy Draft as many anticipated that Ezekiel Elliott would hold out during the regular season. Elliott was back Week 1 which made Pollard not as valuable as many people thought who drafted him. He will continue to be backup for the Dallas Cowboys, however, Kellen Moore used Pollard in the receiving game more as the season went on. Pollard is a must-own in dynasty leagues to handcuff Zeke. If Elliott goes down, Pollard would be a top 15 RB weekly. Drafting Pollard is a main priority for my dynasty teams.

After a strong showing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, the New Orleans Saints wanted to bring in Murray to replace and play the role of Mark Ingram. Murray appeared in all 16 games for the Saints in 2019 and saw an extended role when Alvin Kamara went down with a high ankle injury. Murray is 30 years old and will continue to be a 1B back. I would only select him in dynasty drafts to handcuff Kamara or possibly use him in a trade if Kamara gets banged up again.

Read who I have ranked at RB: 70-61 60-51

Also, check out my 2020 QB Dynasty Rankings: 1-11 12-21 22-34

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