By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
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Ty Montgomery, Packers (ADP RB44 / My Ranking RB36)Montgomery is the best pure runner in Green Bay, but he can’t handle early-down work, as you can see by his broken ribs last season. The team will instead find ways to get him the ball in space, which means pushing him back into his old position as a wide receiver. He’s not going to take over for Randall Cobb in the slot, but his versatility will be used on third downs and even on early downs split wide. Mike McCarthy is somewhat of a dullard, so I do not love Montgomery’s upside, but his ability should keep him firmly in play as someone who needs the ball in space.
Matt Breida, 49ers (ADP RB53 / My Ranking RB41)Breida’s injured shoulder is a problem, but Jerick McKinnon is also hurting, and both will be out for most or all of preseason. That helps keep me from dropping Breida in my rankings, and unless he has a setback or the timetable for his recovery lengthens, I expect he’s very much in the offensive plans that Kyle Shanahan brings to the table. Tevin Coleman isn’t the same player as Breida, but they are comparable in Shanahan’s offense, and Coleman was RB17 with Shanahan in 2016 while Devonta Freeman was RB5.
Peyton Barber, Bucs (ADP RB60 / My Ranking RB43)Barber isn’t the second coming of Gale Sayers, but he is a productive player and looks to be firmly in the lead ahead of rookie Ronald Jones. Jones has the talent to pass him up, but pass protection and an overall rookie learning curve have set him back, and Barber should at the very least be part of a committee for much of the season.
Nyheim Hines, Colts (ADP RB51 / My Ranking RB46)The Colts aren’t flush with receiver depth or a no-doubt stud running back, which give Hines a lot of room to flourish. Add in new head coach Frank Reich, and I expect Hines to be an integral part of the Colts’ offense.
Theo Riddick, Lions (ADP RB54 / My Ranking RB48)Riddick doesn’t have a ton of upside, as he’s never going to be a robust and pure runner, but he is a reliable receiver and is consistently a top-30 PPR back. He’s not a sexy pick by any means, but he gets the job done.
Chris Ivory, Bills (ADP RB69 / My Ranking RB51)Ivory is a competent back and could end up as the starter in Buffalo if LeSean McCoy misses any games due to his possible legal trouble. His upside in Buffalo is iffy, but the Bills have nobody who would take significant work away from him.
Jeremy Hill, Patriots (ADP RB66 / My Ranking RB54)Hill is moving up the rankings due to his excellent play in preseason and the many injuries around him. There’s no doubt that Hill is a plodder, but he has always been a successful goal-line back, and he’s slimmed down a bit this year. Also, the Patriots helped LeGarrette Blount to a massive 18 touchdowns in 2016, and there’s a chance, albeit a slim one, that Hill ends up being that guy this year.
Jonathan Williams, Saints (ADP (Not ranked) / My Ranking RB56)The Saints are looking for a running back to take over for Mark Ingram while he serves his suspension for the first four games, and it looks like Williams is in the lead for that job at the moment. Williams has talent, but injuries and off-field trouble have slowed down his chances. He seems to have come on strong in New Orleans of late and also put together a decent showing in preseason. He needs to beat out Terrance West, and if he does, those first four games could give him enough fantasy value to be worth the pick.
Chase Edmonds, Cardinals (ADP RB72 / My Ranking RB63)Edmonds is a bada** as shown by his fantastic touchdown run at the goal line in the preseason. He is, of course, far behind David Johnson, and despite being good enough to spell him, he won’t be able to carve out a fantasy role with Johnson healthy, but Edmonds is a great stash in deeper leagues on a team that needs good production from the running back.
Corey Grant, Jaguars (ADP RB80 / My Ranking RB66)Grant is a little like Chase Edmonds in that he has significant upside if the starter, Leonard Fournette in this case, were to go down. Yes, T.J. Yeldon is Fournette’s “backup,” but he is more of a third-down back than anything. If Fournette were to get injured, Grant would be the lead back, as he is the better all-around running back.
Go back to ADP Value Running Backs.
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