Fantasy Football 2018 - Early RB Rankings Part 2

Dalvin Cook and LaShawn McCoy rounding out the top 10. Those are our consensus rankings. And today we're getting through what, 11 through 20 Brooks. Is that how far you think we're going to go? Yes, sir. Okay. Number 11. Devanta Freeman. Mike, you're currently the highest on Devanta Freeman. You have them at 9, Jason 10. I have them at 12. Last year he played 14 games, just under 200 carries, 865 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Only caught 36 passes last year for 317 yards and a touchdown on 46 targets. Ended the year as the 13th ranked fantasy running back. We're talking about half-point PPR scoring. And it's an interesting run for Devonta Freeman. In 2015, he was the number one back. 2016, he was the number six back. Last year, he ended up at number 13. If these trends continue, yeah. You don't like that trend, but you do like three consecutive years.

at RB 13 or better, which only one other running back has done. Do you guys know the name? Oh, Mark Ingram. Yeah, Mark Ingram has done that as well. And they are back to back here in our rankings. We've got to the point where. Spoiler alert. When you get to the end of the running back one. That was the last show. How was that a spoiler? No, he said Ingram and Freeman are back to back. Ingram's next. Yeah. Ingram is, we're about to get to. Do you listen to the show, Mike? Do you even listen? I thought he was 10, honestly. He should be.

No, the reality is at the end of the running back ones, we have a pair of unsexy picks. There's no huge, glorious upside. These are veterans who've gotten and done the last three years. You don't think there's glorious upside for Devonta Freeman? No, I like both of these guys. I'm saying to the world right now, I don't think anyone is excited to have either one of these guys as their primary RB1. I think you're safe with them there.

I would be happy to have an Antonio Brown and a Devonta Freeman as my first two picks. I got no problem with that. Mike, you have them the highest at nine. What do you like about Freeman heading into 2018? Just the history of Devonta Freeman is a solid running bag. It's a good book. The Falcons are a tremendous offense. The concerns, though, just to...

Side with Jason, you saw the target drop from Kyle Shanahan to Steve Sarkisian's offense from 65 to 47. Now, granted, he did miss a handful of games, but we saw his carries inside the 10 drop from 27 to 19. There was so many times I would be watching a Falcons game on the 1, and give it to Freeman. We have years of...

experienced seeing that Devante Freeman is a fantastic goal I'm back, just scored touchdown. And then Sarkeesian would throw some wild goose chase play in there where it's a play action and we try and throw it to Austin Hooper or something. So it's, it might be frustrating. But overall, even saying those disparaging things, I still think that Freeman is a great choice in an RB one. All right, Mark Ingram is 12. Jason, do you want to tack on a little?

Little extra sauce. I guess the reality is he's a very talented player, but his role is a little scary given the Sarks change last year. On a 16-game pace, he would have had 225 carries, which you kind of want more than that for your main. It's not a bad number. As long as the receptions are there. Right, but that's the issue. So, I mean. Yeah, Kamara had 120. That's where I say, I feel like the upside. The sexiness isn't quite there for Freeman. He's safe, but he's not.

He's not going to finish next year as the running back won. It's just not going to happen. It's touchdowns. He only had eight touchdowns total last year through the air and on the ground. If you got back to double-digit reins with Freeman, same carries, put him in about 40 receptions. You could be in that top five. I would think he would need a little bit more than 40 receptions. It's volume because you go back to two years ago when he was the one, that was Kevin Coleman's rookie year, and Kevin Coleman was injured for it.

the majority of the season. So Freeman and Ingram both share a similar situation in the fact that they are members of a very talented backfield. Ingram is our number 12. And I got him at 11, Jason 12, Mike 13. So we all have them in the same range pretty much. Last year he was RB6. He was kind of Jason's guy last year heading into the season. Even though we had Ingram and Kamara and Peterson and some unknowns.

We just brought it up. Only Ingram and Freeman have been RB 13 or better in the last three seasons. And yet, because of the Kamara hype, there's still some hesitancy about Mark Ingram. Are we fools? Are we just fools to not buy in as a top six guy? Why are we willing to put, you know, I have Kamara up at five. Why do we hesitate with Ingram? He still had 58 receptions. By the way, it was 22 more than Freeman.

230 carries, which is a ton more than Freeman, and had a monstrous year. I mean, fifth most yards rushed in the league with over 1,100. I will say this. You're right. 10th most touches at the running back position, but you saw the final seven games. The rushing attempts went down for Mark Ingram. He was averaging 12 attempts a game. However, he was also averaging four receptions a game during those final seven.

decrease in rushing, increase in receiving, and we know that receptions are more valuable than rushing attempts. So that kind of balanced things out. But the 12 rushing touchdowns, the split changing more to possibly in Camara's favor, at least more even, so that that's the only reason why I'm not treating Mark Ingram like a top six running back, even though he can easily finish. What's his ceiling?

I think his ceiling is about there. It's about six, five or six. He doesn't have enough of volume to be the workhorse. And he's not the best back in the backfield. That's the issue. The best back in the back field? Correct. He's not the best running back of that tandem. Alvin Camara is a better, more electric running back. Everybody knows that when you watch, you just see he does a little bit more. Now, that's not to disparage Ingram in his own right, who was great.

You know, this is a running back who in this system for Sean Payton, the last three years, has been a top 13 back and he's trended up. I don't understand why he's so year after year disrespected when it comes to the draft season. I will have plenty of Mark Ingram shares, but his upside is capped because he's not going to be the universal, you know, 70% market share workhorse running back the way that you've got in a Todd Gurley.

So it kind of takes him away from that. But he's going to get goal line. He's involved in the passing game. He's solid on the ground. The goal line is what I was going to bring up is that towards the end of the year, we started seeing Camara take goal line carries away. So if that role is not locked in 100% of the time, they're at the one, you know that Ingram's going to go in. Yeah, but that hurts. Ingram has never had the locked.

in goal line role. The last three years, they always pull him out, you know, half the time. You know, it's just a crapshoot whether or not they're going to give Mark Ingram the ball there, but he's still good enough. That's where I say he's, like, I would be shocked if he's not a top 15 running back next year. Sure. But I don't think he's got a chance to be in the top five. So he's kind of locked and loaded, but for where you're getting him in the draft, I think you're going to end up with a happy value. I like Mark Ingram. You know who else? I like.

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Make a completely free account. Check out these daily auctions. You will not be disappointed. Make sure you let them know that you came from the fantasy footballers. All right. Christian McCaffrey coming in at number 13. We all have him at 14 on our individual rankings, 13 on our consensus rankings. Last year we saw him kind of evolve into his role, but 80 receptions is the headline there. If you look at what Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara did last year,

The volume is almost identical, okay? The production was much greater for Alvin Kamara in terms of touchdowns, in terms of efficiency. But when you look at the total carries, I mean, receptions, they're basically the same. They are. And so I've been a big McCaffrey fan this offseason. They obviously lost Jonathan Stewart in Carolina. If you don't know that, Jonathan Stewart's been kind of, they're running back for many years. McCaffrey came onto the scene last year, first round pick.

I think it gained the trust of the offensive coordinator there of Cam Newton and ended up the RB 11. And so again, it shows you you have two running backs that finished in that top 12 with Kamara and McCaffrey pretty much on the back of receiving yards and receiving or on receptions. So what do we think about Christian McCaffrey heading into this year? Is there any of us that see potential regression as opposed to kind of a guaranteed workload?

I really don't see much potential regression here because he's got the kind of role more on lockdown with Jonathan Stewart out of the way. The one worry I have, we talked about this to open the show, offensive lines, you know, when you get a great piece, someone else is losing a great piece. You brought it up earlier, Andrew Norwell, he's gone now.

from the Panthers. So their offensive line might be a little bit worse for run blocking. But you're talking about a guy who is so secure because of the receiving game. I think Norv Turner coming in as a new offensive coordinator is going to be a benefit to him. And you have another year of experience with Cam Newton. Keep in mind, you know, when I was talking kind of down about McCaffrey last off season as far as being a Panther, a lot of that was because Cam had not spent a whole lot of time throwing to the running back.

they've got an entire season, now another offseason under their belt to figure out that chemistry. I think you're going to see a little bit more efficiency in the passing game for Christian McCaffrey. And that'll make up for any deficiencies in the offensive line. I don't see regression. And I think potential outcome here, you have a potential for a guy who could be a top five running back. Yeah. Yeah, I think you need to see much like my argument for my case for Alvin Kamara to have an.

you know, an equal valued season. I think you've got to see the volume go up for McCaffrey to do that. But like you said, the opportunity is there. Last year, targeted 7.1 times per game tied with Love Bell for the highest at the running back position. He can catch the ball. I'd like to see more big plays from him. That's the one thing. You'd like to see a few more highlights from Christian McCaffrey. All right. Number 14 on our running back rankings. Jerich McKinnon, welcome. Welcome to the potential top tier of the running back.

uh position so last year forced into a role throughout the season with minnesota worked out well being that he was a free agent and had the opportunity to showcase you know he's just 25 years old showcase what he had and we talked about this a few shows ago the 49ers they went out they identified jerig mckinan as the back they wanted to acquire they let carlos hide leave

and Kyle Shanahan brings in Jerich McKinnon, who last year had almost a thousand total yards, ended as the RB 22, but now it gets to, what, take the reins in San Francisco. And I just talked about how a target, how a reception is more valuable than a rushing attempt. Look at, I mean, Camara and Christian McCaffrey, where both of those guys are right around the 120 rushing mark, and we know that Kyle Shanahan utilizes his running backs in the passing game.

Go back two years or three years ago for Atlanta, 138 targets to the running back position. The next year, Freeman and Coleman combined for 105 targets. Last year, the 49ers had the third highest target share going to the running back position. Over 27% of targets went to the running back. Carlos Hyde had 88. Matt Marita had 36. Jerich McKinnon is going to see.

that, or at least I'm projecting him to see that type of passing volume that we loved for Freeman two years ago, that we got to experience for Carlos Hyde this past year. So Jerich McKinnon, I think, is, he's going to be a hot name this offseason. We'll see how high the hype train leads him up the average draft position. But Jerich McKinnon feels very safe as of right now heading into the draft. Maybe the draft changes that.