The NFL season is approaching quickly. It’s the hottest time of the year for fantasy football drafts, with many leagues waiting until the end of the preseason to avoid dealing with injuries. The latest case being Travis Etienne, who will miss the 2021 season with a Lisfranc injury. With that said, let’s discuss the top-15 running backs to target in 2021!
Christian McCaffrey – Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey is in his own tier. When healthy, McCaffrey outscores the rest of the field by a substantial amount.
- In 2019 CMC scored 355.2 total points – finishing 1st among RBs
- Derrick Henry finished 2nd with 276.6 – 78.6 points less than McCaffrey
- RB5 that year, Dalvin Cook, scored 115.8 less points than Mccaffrey
- In three games last season, McCaffrey averaged 24.4 points per game – on pace to lead his position in points scored
Christian McCaffrey should go first in every draft. Don’t be surprised to see him go for 1,000 yards rushing and receiving this season.
Dalvin Cook – Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook is next for the running backs. Cook is a lock for over 300 touches, and contributes in the passing game as well. Cook is a touchdown machine, scoring 30 times in the past two seasons. Despite missing four games over the past two seasons, Cook hasn’t finished lower than fifth at his position. He remains one of the most reliable fantasy football options in 2021.
Alvin Kamara – New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara was originally lower on this list. That changed when Jameis Winston set himself apart from Taysom Hill in the Saints Week 2 preseason game against the Jaguars. As long as Winston is the starter, Kamara will be a fantastic fantasy football option this season.
Kamara brings durability, elusiveness, and great catching ability each week. His receiving targets alone are enough to justify his rank. Since entering the NFL, he’s had at least 97 targets and 81 receptions each season. Expect a touchdown regression, but with the Saints’ depleted receiving group Kamara is a lock for another solid year.
Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott had a down 2020 season. Dak Prescott was hurt, as was the entire offensive line throughout the season. With an entirely healthy offense set to take the field in 2021, Elliott should easily see a nice bump in production. Even though Zeke didn’t have the year everyone wanted him to, he was still serviceable.
- Zeke Finished 9th in PPR scoring in 2020
- RB9 is his lowest finish since 2017, finishing 13th that year (only played 10 games).
Elliott is another lock for over 300 touches this season. He is heavily involved in the Cowboys’ passing game, averaging 61 catches over the last three years.
Derrick Henry – Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry is a freak. Coming off a season rushing for over 2,000 yards, it’s hard to imagine he won’t regress. His rushing totals might come down a notch, but he’s still a volume and touchdown machine. Henry, another running back locked in for over 300 touches in 2021, is only ranked at five due to his lack of receiving upside.
Even though Henry doesn’t get a bunch of receiving opportunity, he makes up for it by scoring a ton of touchdowns. In 2020, Henry rushed for 17 touchdowns. The year prior he had 16. Don’t expect the Titans to use him any differently.
Austin Ekeler – Los Angeles Chargers
Austin Ekeler is a great offensive weapon for the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished as the RB26 last season, while only playing in 10 contests due to a torn hamstring. His explosiveness is unmatched on the Chargers’ roster, and faces no competition for touches while on the field.
Ekeler was on pace for 86 catches last season, along with 645 receiving yards. He was also on pace to have 185 carries for 848 yards. Ekeler is the definition of the perfect fantasy football running back. Expect a great bounce back year from Austin Ekeler.
Aaron Jones – Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones is set up for success year after year. He has one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Aaron Rodgers, running the offense. The Packers’ offense is always a force to be reckoned with. They have the third best offense in the NFL entering the 2021 season according to Pro Football Focus. Being on a great offense leads to more scoring opportunities.
Over the past two seasons, Aaron Jones has 30 total touchdowns. He’s also a running back who’s heavily involved in the Packers’ passing game, averaging 48 catches during the same span. Aaron Jones is a safe bet to finish as a top-10 fantasy football RB.
Jonathan Taylor – Indianapolis Colts
The news of Carson Wentz being back at practice bodes well for Jonathan Taylor’s value. Taylor had a great back half of 2020, averaging 26PPG over the last five games of the season. This helped Taylor finish as the RB6 in PPR formats. Taylor plays with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, ranking second according to PFF.
In 13 starts last season Taylor had 232 rushes for 1,169 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s another player who can easily receive 300 or more touches in 2021. The Colts will lean on Taylor during the majority of the season. The sky’s the limit for him. Draft JT with confidence. He’s a lock for RB1 production.
Saquon Barkley – New York Giants
This might upset a lot of people. Saquon is a top five talent at his position in the NFL, there’s no question about it. He’s ninth on this list solely because of durability and workload concerns. The chances Saquon Barkley starts the season with a full workload is very slim. Coming off a severe knee injury, the Giants will want to ease their best player back into the offense, increasing his workload week by week.
Barkley is still a top-10 RB in fantasy football this season. When he’s on the field he’s electric. During his only full season with the Giants in 2018, Barkley finished as the RB1 in fantasy. He had 1,307 rushing yards, along with 91 catches and 721 receiving yards. Everyone is hoping Barkley returns to form in 2021.
Nick Chubb – Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb doesn’t need much explanation, coming in at 10th on this list. Playing behind the best offensive line in the NFL, Chubb is set up to get close to 300 carries. The Browns’ run heavy approach benefits Chubb tremendously. We should see him among the top rushing leaders in the NFL by the end of the 2021 season.
Kareem Hunt will get his fair share of work, but Chubb is the clear bell cow on the team. He has a very safe floor, and has the ceiling of being a top five running back. Don’t be surprised if Chubb finishes the year as a top five running back in fantasy football.
Najee Harris – Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin loves using his running backs. He’s always resistant to a running back committee approach. For example, before his injury issues, James Conner was on pace for nearly 300 carries in 2018. Other examples from recent years include Le’Veon Bell and Rashard Mendenhall. Both former Steelers, received or were on pace for at least 240 carries each year they were healthy.
Najee Harris will thrive in the Steelers offense. 250 carries this season is a safe floor for Harris, with room for a lot more. Expect Harris to be heavily involved in the passing game as well. In Harris’ senior season at Alabama he caught 43 passes in 13 games. Najee Harris is another running back with a safe floor, and could finish as a top-10 running back in his rookie season.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire – Kansas City Chiefs
A lot of fantasy football managers are down on CEH due to his ‘disappointing’ 2020 season. The thing is though, he was actually really good. In 13 games, CEH finished with 181 carries for 803 yards, and four touchdowns on the ground. He also had 36 catches for 297 yards.
Edwards-Helaire is not going as a first round pick this season. Currently going as RB15 in drafts, Edwards-Helaire should find the end zone more often in Kansas City’s high powered offense. He benefits from playing in the best offense in the league, and also playing with the best quarterback in the NFL. Look for a big year from CEH!
D’Andre Swift – Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions will most likely have one of the worst offenses in the NFL. There’s not much to like offensively. They downgraded at quarterback this offseason, trading Matthew Stafford away to the Rams in exchange for jared Goff and a couple of first round picks.
With that said, D’Andre Swift should see an increased workload. Swift is the most talented player on the Lions’ offense not named T.J. Hockenson. With OC Anthony Lynn, Swift should see heavy involvement in this offense. His floor is lower than the other running backs mentioned before him, but he should get a significant amount of touches to hold up top-15 value.
Chris Carson – Seattle Seahawks
Chris Carson is disrespected each year. Many don’t consider him a top running back. He’s extremely consistent, and puts up great numbers every season.
- 2018 finished RB16 in PPR
- 2019 finished RB12 in PPR
- 2020 finished RB19 in PPR, while only playing 12 games
Carson isn’t flashy. He’s not someone who’s going to score a ton of points each week, but he’s extremely consistent. Chris Carson is a very safe play in 2021, and of great value at his current ADP(RB19).
Joe Mixon – Cincinnati Bengals
When healthy, Joe Mixon is a lock for top-15 production. Mixon’s heavily utilized in Cincinnati’s offense, averaging 300 touches when starting in 13 games.
The Bengals’ offense should perform much better as well. With Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Ja’Marr Chase as the team’s top three receivers and Joe Burrow back healthy; The sky’s the limit for the Bengals’ offense. In the Bengals’ new wide zone scheme that they’ll implement in 2021, Mixon should find rushing lanes much easier and have greater success in this season.
