Rankings: Eric Karabell's RB tiers

Fantasy football managers need all the help they can get with the frenetic pace of a draft and/or salary cap setting. Preparation is key, and one of the best ways to organize for success is to use a positional tiered system to find the so-called peaks and valleys of the available player list. Group players by expected production and distinguish where the talent -- really, the value -- drops off, then capitalize on limited supply versus demand. Prepare. Attack. Exploit. Command. Win. Simple rankings fail to discern how much better -- or more valuable -- one player might be from the next. A fantasy manager nearing his or her fourth-round pick sees a jumble of choices and must make a decision in a short amount of time. A tiered system might reveal one running back left in a certain tier, compared with a crew of three or four at wide receiver. Pick the running back. Perhaps the most critical part of any tiered system is that the decisions are yours. Oh sure, one analyst's tiers at running back appear below (here is that same analyst's WR tiers), but these are your fantasy teams. Participate in myriad mock drafts, study and analyze however it is you study and analyze, look forward and not backward, recognize what you believe should determine the order for rankings and tiers. Then, dominate your drafts. Check out all of the tiered rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE Tier 1: Top of the first round 1. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions 2. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons No real need to dissect the order here. Most people agree these are the top options at running back. These two stand out among their peers. Tier 2: Mid-to-late first round 3. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts 4. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins 5. James Cook III, Buffalo Bills 6. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens 7. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals Reasonable minds might disagree about who is missing in this tier, and that is fine. As for this group, people overrate the Miami situation. Achane is special. Cook is special, too, and it is not only touchdowns. He led the league in rushing yards. Henry was close, and he thrives every season, so don't bother looking up his birth year, not yet. Tier 3: Early second round 8. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers We can acknowledge the 413-touch elephant in the room, yes? I wanted no part of McCaffrey, with his injury history, last season. OK, so I missed out, like really missed out. It changes nothing. I still want no part, even later in Round 1. Any player coming off this unsafe level of volume will step back statistically. Consider not only the upside, but the downside in investing in this player in Round 1. Tier 4: Rounds 2/3 9. Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders 10. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles 11. Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers Here are three options who should improve upon what happened a season ago. Barkley is the veteran here, and the Eagles seem intent on reestablishing him as the focal point of the offense. Jeanty and Hampton were disappointing as rookies, but both are in a better position to succeed. Tier 5: Rounds 3/4 12. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers 13. Breece Hall, New York Jets 14. Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs 15. Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys 16. Jeremiyah Love, Arizona Cardinals More question marks than the prior tier, but most notably (other than the first rookie) these are proven players. People sure love Love, but his situation looks a lot like what Jeanty dealt with (bad team, offensive line, confusing direction), and a high ankle sprain might compromise him for September. Walker and Williams might be better/safer options. Bottom line, though: If a fantasy manager doesn't have two running backs before this tier ends, they may regret it later. Tier 6: Rounds 5/6 17. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams 18. Travis Etienne Jr., New Orleans Saints 19. Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns 20. Cam Skattebo, New York Giants Many will shout at this Williams falling to this tier, but the threat of compromised touches is real. The threat is real with all these players. Certainly Etienne might not catch as many passes in his new home. Judkins, returning from ankle surgery, didn't catch many passes as a rookie. Skattebo did in half a season, but health is far from guaranteed with his reckless style of play. Tier 7: Rounds 6/7 21. D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears 22. Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks 23. Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars 24. David Montgomery, Houston Texans More question marks. Swift and Montgomery are proven but a bit older, and they may be in annoying timeshares. Price, a rookie, and Tuten, beginning Year 2, are full of promise, but neither has been much of a pass catcher. Tier 8: Round 7 27. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots 25. TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots 26. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28. Kenny Gainwell, Buccaneers Time for a few timeshares! Let's go against typical opinion here. Stevenson is quite good. Why do we assume the younger Henderson simply pushes him aside? Meanwhile, Gainwell proved he is quite good! Irving has major competition. For now, we rank Irving better, but I will simply wait a few rounds for Gainwell. Tier 9: Rounds 10/11/12 29. Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans 30. Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers 31. Rico Dowdle, Steelers 32. Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings 33. Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers 34. Chuba Hubbard, Panthers Potentially productive players populate this tier, but these are unlikely to be safe RB2 choices. Roster them in case the numbers surprise, but rely on them mainly during bye weeks, if possible. Pollard seeks his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season, but the Titans need more. Guessing the hierarchy for the Steelers, Vikings and Panthers may be perilous. Tier 10: Rounds 12/13/14 34. Rachaad White, Washington Commanders 35. J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos 36. Kyle Monangai, Bears 37. Blake Corum, Rams 38. RJ Harvey, Broncos We finally see a Commander and Bronco. I happen to like White and Dobbins more than the ESPN projections recommend, but they are far from safe players. Monangai and Corum, younger than their team's starters, would hold far more appeal if they caught passes. Harvey does this. Tier 11: Rounds 14/15/16 40. Tyjae Spears, Titans 41. Jordan Mason, Vikings 42. Isiah Pacheco, Lions 43. Tyler Allgeier, Cardinals 44. Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks 45. Woody Marks, Texans 46. Alvin Kamara, Saints 47. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders 48. Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jaguars This is a rather interesting collection of players who may be afterthoughts in your drafts. Spears and Kamara certainly catch passes, adding to their allure. Mason and Rodriguez do not, but they will play. Pacheco joins a top offense. Charbonnet may not play the first month as he recovers from knee surgery. Tier 12: Later rounds/free agency 49. Justice Hill, Ravens 50. Samaje Perine, Bengals 51. Brian Robinson Jr., Falcons 52. Keaton Mitchell, Chargers 53. Dylan Sampson, Browns 54. Braelon Allen, Jets 55. Ty Johnson, Bills 56. Tank Bigsby, Eagles