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

The rankings have finally reached the best of the best running backs in the NFL. Some players might surprise you and the others are well-deserved. I believe anyone of these players can be an RB1 on any given roster. The bottom half especially players like Henry, Jacobs, and Mixon can be league winners if selected at the right value. While the top known players are expected to be here year after year. This year’s class seems to have tiers closer in value and after CMC any RB becomes a subjective preference. Thank you all for supporting the articles we have written. Your interest helps keep the Final Drive crew motivated to keep posting great content!

Read who I have ranked at RB: 70-61; 60-51; 50-41; 40-31; 30-21; 20-11

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

10. Derrick Henry

Derrick Henry was a fantasy league winner in 2019. Henry was a fade for most owners in 2019 fantasy drafts which made his ADP sit around the late third to the early fourth round. That will be different this year as Henry will go in the first round in most 12 team leagues. Henry was the league’s leading rusher last season and he will look to repeat that in 2020. Henry is known for his long rumbling runs where he breaks 3-4 tackles and jukes out the last defender for a score.

My only concern for Henry is that there is uncertainty regarding what team he will play for in 2020. He is demanding a large check and states that Zeke’s contract is just the floor for the one that he expects to get. I think that the best team for Henry to succeed on would be the Titans, but will they pay him? Henry doesn’t provide many fantasy points in the receiving category. Nonetheless, Henry is a big and fast, back that is hard to bring down and should be a target of yours in dynasty drafts.

9. Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs had a great year in terms of rushing yards where he managed to total 1150 in just 13 games. There are pros and cons when reviewing Jacobs’ freshman year. First the pros: He topped over 1000 yards in just 13 games which is a great start. Many doubted if Jacobs could handle a full workload in the NFL. I think that he can, but he will get dinged up a bit while doing it. Raiders will have to find ways to keep him on the field. The Raiders will have to look for a WR in the draft to help spread the offensive workload and give Jacobs a rest when he needs it.

There are two cons when looking at Josh’s situation. He is on a football team that has below average talent and doesn’t produce a lot of points. Also his injury during the season could lead to future problems down the road. Mayock and Gruden are also determined to scheme in more pass catches for Jacobs, which can only help his value. The Raiders offense has nowhere to go but up. The best way to improve their offense would be to give Jacobs a heavy workload all the while sprinkling in Jalen Richard when needed to give him a break. In general, I would love to own Jacobs in dynasty and he should be targeted as a late first-round snag in 2020.

8. Joe Mixon

I would say from a pure talent standpoint, Mixon is a top-three back in the NFL. Mixon got it done in 2019 with 1,137 yards on the ground and 287 yards in the air. This led him to reach the end zone eight total times. Mixon ran behind a poor offensive line in 2019 after their first-round pick Jonah Williams was out for the whole season with a torn labrum. The Bengals are very likely to bring in Joe Burrow to man the offense in 2020. This will only help Mixon.

Mixon won’t be the defense’s only priority anymore as they will also have to prepare for Burrow and company. Burrow will find ways to get Mixon more involved in the passing game. Also, I believe the Bengals will fix their offensive line problem throughout the draft and free agency. Mixon has risen to a 1st round ADP and I would love him on my dynasty teams. He is only 24 and has a bright future ahead of him.

7. Alvin Kamara

Many are currently selling Alvin Kamara, but I am buying. Kamara dealt with a high ankle injury which slowed him down for most of the season. However, in the last four games of the 2019 season, I saw glimpses of the real Alvin Kamara and how great a fantasy back he can be. Kamara had 18 total TD in 2018 but had a big drop off in 2019. The Saints won’t be able to rely on the passing attack of Michael Thomas and Drew Brees as much as they did in 2019 in 2020 as teams will learn how to stop it, or at least try to.

I expect Kamara to enter the 2020 season fully healthy and show fantasy owners the player he is. Kamara is special in the passing game. He has seen around 100 targets in each of his first three seasons. Kamara is young and plays for a high-powered offense. He also plays in what I think is the best fantasy football division in the league, NFC South. Kamara was a top-three fantasy pick in 2019 and now goes around the end of the first round into the early second. I would snatch Kamara 11/10 times and be greatly happy for the fantasy points he will bring to my squad. Drafting Kamara would be a good start to your dynasty drafts.

6. Nick Chubb

Nick Chubb is one of the bright young RB that this league has to offer. Chubb had 1,772 total yards and 8 TD in 2019. Despite having a nagging pain in his side in Kareem Hunt, Chubb still finished as a top fantasy back. Kareem Hunt takes away carries and catches that Chubb can handle. However, I don’t see the Browns bringing Hunt back in 2020. At least, I wouldn’t want Hunt back on the Browns. Chubb is a true workhorse back in this league. Freddie Kitchens struggled to see this and didn’t ever really put Chubb in a position where he had many great opportunities.

Despite Chubb having eight TD, there were countless times that Chubb couldn’t punch it from the 1-2 yard line. This was due to his poor offensive line or poor play-calling. The Browns brought in Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach. Stefanski will take Chubb to the next level with his running schemes. The new coach will find ways to get Chubb more involved in the passing game. It is important though to see what the Browns will do with Hunt as he does cut into Chubb’s work. Nick Chubb holds tons of value in dynasty leagues as he is young and will continue to get better. The Browns offense should be able to take a step forward in 2020.

5. Aaron Jones

Aaron Jones was a big reason fantasy owners made the fantasy playoffs in 2019. While he exploded for some big-time weeks, he also let down owners for much-needed games. Jones since entering the league in 2017 has exponentially grown his rushing TD rate. He finished with 4, 8, 16 in his first three seasons which means he is promised to finish with 32 rushing TD right? Of course not but it would be cool if he did. Realistically, Jones can finish with 12 total TD a year, but the negative is that he doesn’t receive the workhorse role in Green Bay. Maybe Jones’ ceiling hasn’t been reached? But also it seems like saving him for the big plays is working out. Jones’ receiving role also plays a big part in his success and makes him more valuable in PPR. Nonetheless, Jones is a top fantasy RB in the NFL and is a first-round back without a doubt.

4. Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott inked a big deal with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 when he signed a six-year, $90 million deal. Elliot has shown since his rookie season that he is capable of being the best RB the league has to offer. After some early run-in with the law, Zeke seems to be on the right track for success. The Cowboys had a high-potent offense in 2019 with Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper. It is unclear if Dak will resign with the ‘Boys. However, if Dak isn’t in Dallas in 2020, there may be a slight hiccup in Elliot’s game.

I just feel the offense moves a lot better with Dak under center, and not many people would disagree with that. Under new OC Kellen Moore, Zeke found a greater role in the Dallas offense. Moore used him in the screen and bubble game and this resulted in Dallas being a top-five offense in the league. We know where Zeke will play for the next five seasons and America’s team will give Zeke a supporting cast. Zeke is a great option in dynasty leagues in which you are picking in the latter half of the first round.

3. Dalvin Cook

Finally! An injury-free season from Dalvin Cook. Well, mostly injury-free. Cook played a career-high 14 games in 2019. It was nice to see how good Cook is if he stays healthy. It seemed that Cook was the only one providing consistency to the Vikings’ offense. The Vikings also pulled an upset over the New Orleans Saints on Wild Card weekend by using a solid helping of Cook on the ground. There is no surprise as to who runs the Vikings offense and what the Vikings would like to build toward in the future. As long as Cook can stay healthy (fingers crossed), he will be a top producing fantasy back.

Cook can beat you through the air as well as he had 53 catches in 2019 and will look to add to that in 2020. One suggestion: owners of Cook in dynasty leagues should look to handcuff him with Alexander Mattison and/or Mike Boone. If Cook goes down, which is more likely than not, one of those two guys can step in and take over without any hiccups. Cook will be a lock for +10 TD every season and at least 1,200 all-purpose yards and 35 catches. Cook will be a top-five pick in all redraft leagues in 2020 and ranks as third in my RB dynasty rankings.

2. Saquon Barkley

I would say Barkley is a very close second to CMC. Barkley is just a physical specimen that you don’t see very often in this league. Coming out of Penn State, every coach had their eyes on Barkley and the Giants were the lucky team to win the sweepstakes. Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain early in the season, which slowed him down a bit, but when he returned to full form in weeks 14-16, many fantasy owners were happy. Barkley was only second to CMC in scoring from weeks 14-16, which are the only weeks that actually really matter to a fantasy owner.

Having a guy on your team that can give you his best during the fantasy playoffs is very important to the overall game of fantasy football. I wouldn’t shun people that want to take Barkley over CMC. It will be interesting to see what the Giants do this offseason. They will have to fix the minor holes in the offensive line and possibly a new healthy TE (Austin Hooper?). I’m buying into the stock of the Giants offense in 2020. I think Daniel Jones takes the next step and Barkley will help him in doing so. If you have the 1.02 in your dynasty draft, it would be wise to use it on Barkley.

1. Christian McCaffrey

Mr. 1K,1K. If you owned CMC in 2019, you were most likely won your fantasy championship or at least played it in. Despite having a limited surrounding cast, McCaffrey still had over 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. CMC played on 96 percent of snaps in 2019, which is absolutely mind-blowing. It will be hard to acquire this star RB in dynasty drafts unless you have the 1.01 in a start-up league.

It will be interesting to see what CMC can do with better QB play in 2020. If you are lucky to get CMC on your team, be happy, you are getting an RB1 and WR1 for one roster spot. If you can’t draft CMC, throw everything and the kitchen sink in to trade for him because he is just that good. Owning Christian McCaffrey in dynasty leagues may give you a golden ticket to the fantasy championship for years to come.

Thanks so much for reading our RB dynasty rankings, next week we will start our top 80 dynasty WR! In the mean time, go back and read through our complete list of RB and also QB! I have linked those articles down below!

Read who I have ranked at RB: 70-61; 60-51; 50-41; 40-31; 30-21; 20-11

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

Follow my work on Twitter @FinalDriveFF and check out other Belly Up Fantasy Sports articles.