You can find my running back rankings, projections and full cheat sheet below, but first, I want to talk about some of my thoughts on the position and some recent updates to those rankings.
Rankings by position: QB | RB | WR | TE
The biggest mover in my projections at running back over the past week was Rhamondre Stevenson. The retirement of James White creates more chances in the passing game, and his reports have been positive in training camp. Stevenson will be highlighted on their cheat sheet for anyone fading the running back position.
David Montgomery fell to 18th in the running back projections. The Bears have a running quarterback and should rank near the bottom of the league in passing yards. Chicago also suggested that they would rotate in Khalil Herbert more this season.
Despite believing in Antonio Gibson, I had to drop his projections based on the talk out of Washington and his usage in the preseason. Brian Robinson was rewarded with more chances, but he is still a backend RB4 until their coaching staff lays out a play on how they will use their backs in 2022.
I’ve yet to follow the herd on the value of Isiah Pacheco. He gained plenty of momentum in drafts over the past two weeks despite minimal success on the field in the preseason. My research says he isn’t a lock with questions with his pass-catching and pass protection. However, if the Chiefs release Ronald Jones, Pacheco will be rewarded with his chances.
2022 FANTASY FOOTBALL PROJECTIONS & RANKINGS
RUNNING BACKS
TEAM-BY-TEAM PROJECTIONS
CHEAT SHEET
More about my rankings and projections
I walk through the NFL player pool each season to get a feel for each team's offensive structure. The goal is to get a baseline of a player's outlook using previous seasons to highlight rushing and passing splits. Any changes in coaching staff or personnel invite different opportunities for some players. I want to highlight each player's ceiling while also being careful not to influence unless I see something in a scouting report or potential change in a player's opportunity. At the same time, I must stay in tune with the player news and coach-speak in training camp.
After finishing the player projections, I backup my results by showing how I came to my conclusion in each team's offensive profile. Over the summer, these stats are fluid. Even though my fantasy points results come out as rankings, a viewer needs to understand the back story of each player. They also need to see how close some groups of players rank. The difference between 10 or so players may be as little as 10 fantasy points. By knowing the player pool, each person should have their opinion to make draft day decisions.
I never want to make projections to match previous results or current ADPs. That wouldn't be fair. After having a feel for the player pool, I need to compare my views with other drafters to find potential drafting opportunities. Each draft site has different scoring systems and ranking in the draft room. To become a better drafter, getting in tune with the draft flow is essential to improve your chances of winning.
