1. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
How good was Johnson as a rookie? The dude put up 1,038 yards and 12 scores on just 161 touches. That was good enough for him to finish as the ninth-best fantasy running back. With Arizona now planning on him taking over a bulk of the load on the ground, we can expect upwards of 350 touches in 2016. If that's the case, Johnson could very well be looking at 2,000-plus total yards and 15-plus touchdowns. That'd make him the top fantasy running back most seasons.
2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
There's newer blood out there. Maybe even sexier options. And in reality, Peterson is not a PPR stud. None of that matters. He's a future Hall of Famer that's finished in the top eight among running backs in each of the eight seasons he's played, including six top-three finishes. Last season alone, Peterson league highs in attempts (327), rushing yards (1,485) and rushing touchdowns (11). That was good enough for him to finish as the second-best PPR fantasy running back. Expect much of the same in 2016.
3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
We're going out on a limb here. Elliott hasn't even attempt a run in a regular season game, and we have him as the third-best fantasy running back heading into the season? Really? Well, there's a lot more to look at here than simply what he brings to the table. The Cowboys offensive line remains the best in the game. After helping DeMarco Murray to the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award two seasons ago, the Cowboys line helped the team finish last season as the ninth-best fantasy running back. The team averaged 4.6 yards per rush as well. This came with Darren McFadden leading the charge and absolutely no passing game to speak of without Tony Romo under center. Elliott should absolutely dominate in 2016.
4. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Despite missing the first three games of his rookie season, Gurley finished as the seventh-best fantasy running back. Just think about that. As a rookie, the dude put up nearly 1,300 total yards and 10 scores in 13 games. He did this with the league's worst passing attack behind him. Should that area improve, the Rams won't see defenses stack the box against the run. This will open up more holes for Gurley to run through. With what promises to be a larger workload as a sophomore, that will lead to dominant fantasy production.
5. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
You're definitely taking a chance on injuries here. Charles has played in five games or less twice in the past five seasons. An ACL injury kept him out for all but five games a season ago. Still, when Charles is on the field, he's absolutely dominating. The three years he's been healthy during this span, Charles finished as a top-two running back twice. With Alex Smith still under center, the Chiefs will be relying on Charles a great deal. Look for like production this season.
6. Le'Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bell would likely rank first on this list if he weren't suspended for the first three games of the season. However, that represents nearly 20 percent of the games Pittsburgh will play this season. Simple math drops him down a notch here. Though, Bell's overall performance over the past two seasons suggests he should make up most of the ground. Prior to going down with a season-ending injury last year, Bell was in the midst of a 22-game stretch that saw him tally over 2,900 yards and 14 touchdowns. Those are some absurd numbers right there. Still a top-10 overall pick, don't avoid Bell in the first round simply because of those first three games.
7. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Martin finished third among running backs in fantasy points (PPR) last season. Overall, he talllied nearly 1,700 total yards with seven scores. What drops him down a tad on this list was his inability to stand out in the passing game last season. Martin put up just 33 receptions for 271 yards. Overall, he's tallied just 107 catches in four NFL seasons. It's also important to note that Martin had tallied less than 1,000 combined rushing yards in his previous two seasons leading up to last year. With Jameis Winston looking to take over on offense, we had to drop Martin down a notch here.
8. Le'Sean McCoy, Buffalo Bills
Now that Karlos Williams has been released, it's readily apparent that Buffalo is going to drive McCoy into the ground this season. After all, his primary backup is now the washed up Reggie Bush. During McCoy's injury-plagued first season with the Bills, he still found a way to to finish as the 15th-best PPR running back despite putting up just 203 rush attempts. Expecting McCoy to reach 300-plus in 2016, there's no reason to believe he won't be a top-10 back.
9. Lamar Miller, Houston Texans
The Miami Dolphins simply didn't have a plan for Miller last season. Here's a guy that finished as the sixth-best PPR running back despite putting up 10 or fewer rushing attempts in nearly half of his games last season. Now in Bill O'Brien's running back friendly system with the Texans, that shouldn't be a problem. There's no reason to believe Miller won't tally 250-plus rush attempts this season. If that's the case, he'll be a RB1 option. Though, he's also dropped down a notch here, with the primary reason for that being a lack of sample size. Miller has yet to run the ball more than 216 times in a single season. We need to see how he'll handle an increased workload before ranking him among fantasy football's best.
10. Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Ingram has almost as many receptions last season (50) as he had in his first four years in the NFL (53). That made the former first-round pick a RB1 option in PPR leagues. This despite the fact that he missed four games to injuries. All said, a player that was once considered a bust, Ingram has etched out a nice little role in New Orleans. He's tallied nearly 2,300 total yards and 15 scores over the past two seasons.
11. Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
It's important to remember that Hyde was a top-five fantasy running back before suffering a foot injury in October. That was during Hyde's first season as San Francisco's featured back. Now, in a Chip Kelly system that's friendly to running backs, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Hyde put up RB1 numbers this season. He's looked stellar during the preseason and fits what Kelly likes to do. And while Hyde has just 27 receptions in two NFL seasons, the expectation here has to be that he'll be more of a receiving threat under Kelly.
12. Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Lacy may still be a tad overweight, but he's looked darn good during the preseason. That's great news for a Packers team that's definitely going to be relying on him for 250-plus attempts this season. It also bodes well for Lacy's ability to rebound after a substandard 2015 season that saw him finish as the 26th-best fantasy running back. This came on the heels of Lacy finishing in the top six in each of his first two seasons. Expect RB1 production here.
13. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
Freeman may have finished as the top PPR back last season, but that's a tad misleading. 48 percent of his fantasy points came in just four games. From Week 13-16, when the fantasy football season is at its height, he put up RB2 numbers. Though, Freeman himself did rank No. 1 overall in fantasy consistency. That's the good thing. Unfortunately, Atlanta's plan to use second-year running back Tevin Coleman more this season could really hurt Freeman's fantasy impact.
14. Matt Forte, New York Jets
We are not going to drop Forte down too much here simply because he's no longer on the Chicago Bears. That would be utterly foolish. After finishing as a top-10 fantasy running back in five of his eight seasons with the Bears, Forte heads to a Jets team that boasts a much better offensive line and a vastly superior passing game. If you don't think that will make an impact, we're not too sure what to tell you. What we do know is that Forte still put up nearly 1,300 total yards, finishing as the eighth-best fantasy running back, despite missing three games a season ago.
15. Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks
A broken ankle Rawls suffered late last season put an end to what was an astonishingly good rookie campaign. With Marshawn Lynch banged up all season, the un-drafted rookie free agent put up over 900 total yards while averaging a league-best 5.6 yards per attempt. With Lynch now in retirement, Rawls should see an increased work load. Unfortunately, the young back has not (and will not) play during the preseason due to said injury. THat drops him down a notch here.
16. C.J. Anderson, Denver Broncos
Anderson is an enigma. He was being relied on to be a top-five fantasy running back last season. Unfortunately, a horrendous start to the season left many questions about him. When all was said and done, Anderson finished as the 32nd-best PPR RB. That's a disappointment many can't get over heading into the 2016 campaign. It's also one of the primary reasons we can't value him as a RB1 in these rankings. Adding to the intrigue, rookie running back Devontae Booker has looked tremendous during the summer. If you have to rely on Anderson, make sure it's as nothing more than a mid-tier RB2 option in 12-team leagues.
17. DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans
Murray will be the starter in Tennessee this season. How much he's used is the bigger question. Coming off a disastrous season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Murray will now face competiiton from reigning Heisman winner Derrick Henry. That's no small thing when looking at what the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year brings to the table from a fantasy perspective.
18. Arian Foster, Miami Dolphins
Foster should be the Dolphins starting running back this season. It just remains to be seen whether he's going to remain healthy. Here's a dude that's missed over 50 percent of his team's games over the past three seasons. Getting up there in age and coming off an Achilles injury, we simply don't know what to expect here. What we do know is that Foster has been among the most-productive running backs in league history when healthy. Here's a guy that's finished in the top five among fantasy running backs in each of the past four full seasons he's played.
19. Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
We're hoping Bernard gets more play than Jeremy Hill this season. One can be a difference maker on the football field. The other seems to be nothing more than stuck in the mud. If that's the case, our No. 19 ranking for Bernard may prove to be low. Unfortunately, the Bengals are still looking to deploy a committee approach here. That's going to impact Bernard's fantasy output. Though, here's a guy that's put up 1,000-plus total yards and at least 43 receptions in each of the three seasons he's been in the NFL.
20. Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders
Murray wasn't consistent last season. That's the biggest issue we have with him. Despite finishing as a RB1 option, Murray finished as a mid-tier RB2 in terms of consistency. With the Raiders ability to dominate through the air and some more competition at running back, it will be interesting to see how this turns out. At this point, we're not comfortable with anything more than a mid-tier RB2 option.