Fantasy Football 2022 Running Back PPR Rankings, Cheat Sheet and Stat Projections

These running back rankings, stats, projections and cheat sheet will keep you one step ahead of your league.

Shawn Childs | Aug 23, 2022

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

After an excellent third preseason game (34 combined yards with two touchdowns and one catch) for Atlanta, I slightly bumped Tyler Allgeier's outlook. I expect him to get a 50% share of the team's carries with minimal value in the passing game. The key to his higher ceiling is the Falcons delivering more rushing touchdowns.

The buzz player at Texans' training camp has been Dameon Pierce. I moved him to RB1 status in Houston's offense. His reports and play have been glowing, and the Texans need a new identity at running back. As a result, Pierce moved up 13 spots in the running back ranking this week.

I'm standing pat on my view on the Chiefs' backfield until the ball drops on Ronald Jones. There has been plenty of hype on Isiah Pacheco, but I question his value in the passing game and his pass-blocking skills. If Kansas City truly believes in him, one of their other backs won't be on their roster after the fourth preseason game.

With Kenyan Drake removed from the Raiders' running back equation, Josh Jacobs, Zamir White, and Ameer Abdullah all benefit. Las Vegas wants Abdullah to work as their third down pass-catcher. Jacobs should see two-thirds of the early down action, with White being his change of pace option. In the end, a three-player split creates a messy situation for fantasy teams.

After the disappointing shooting injury to Brian Robinson, I left Washington's backfield picture the same as last week until I know his 2022 status. I was already bullish on Antonio Gibson while most ran for the hills to avoid him.

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.

Published Aug 23, 2022

SHAWN CHILDS