Fantasy Football RB Tiers 2023: A Few Big-Name Backs Fall Just Outside the Upper Echelon

Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley are the only Tier 1 rushers, but a few others are very close.

We are inching closer to the start of the 2023 NFL season, so it’s time for the mad dash of fantasy football drafts to begin. That makes it more important than ever to put your players into positional “tiers.” Unlike my player rankings, tiers group players of similar value. So, if you miss out on a particular player, you can see others on the same tier as an alternative. And if that tier has been cleared, it might be a good idea to wait a round or two on players who fall into the next tier at the position.

I’ll cover all four of the offensive positional tiers for our fantasy football purposes. We started with the quarterbacks, now let’s move to the running backs.

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--- Tier 1 ---

Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
Austin Ekeler, Chargers
Saquon Barkley, Giants

McCaffrey, Ekeler and Barkley are likely to be the first runners off the board in most fantasy drafts, with CMC being the consensus top player at the position. Both CMC and Ekeler averaged over 20 points per game last season, and no one else at the position put up more than 19.3 (Josh Jacobs). It can be argued that this tier should include more names, but I put these three at a slightly higher level in drafts.

--- Tier 2 --- 

Nick Chubb, Browns
Bijan Robinson, Falcons
Derrick Henry, Titans
Tony Pollard, Cowboys

There are a lot of backs in this second tier who could be included in Tier 1, including Chubb, Robinson and Henry. I see CMC, Ekeler and Barkley as having a bit more value, but it’s close. Henry and Chubb averaged 16.6 or more points last season, and Pollard was close at 15.6. He should see an increase in this total with Ezekiel Elliott no longer in the backfield, however. Taylor, who is in the middle of a squabble with the Colts and still dealing with a bum ankle, has dropped in my ranks but remains a second-tier fantasy runner. He could move up in the coming weeks.

--- Tier 3 --- 

Josh Jacobs, Raiders
Joe Mixon, Bengals
Aaron Jones, Packers
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots
Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Najee Harris, Steelers

This tier is a crowded one and includes past fantasy stars looking to rebound after a bad season or backs looking to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. Jacobs was the RB3 overall a season ago and might be ranked a bit low in the opinions of some, but he’s holding out of Raiders camp and regression seems imminent. Mixon had a down year, but he’s a true featured back in an elite offense. Harris should be better overall this season compared to a ho-hum sophomore season, and Stevenson was ranked higher before the Patriots signed veteran runner Ezekiel Elliott. Gibbs’s stock has been on the rise in the last few weeks, as he’s now a top-15 fantasy running back based on the NFFC average draft position data. 

Jeremy Reper/USA Today network

--- Tier 4 ---

Travis Etienne, Jaguars
Alexander Mattison, Vikings
Kenneth Walker, Seahawks
Dameon Pierce, Texans
Breece Hall, Jets
Alvin Kamara, Saints

Etienne could lose some goal-line work to Tank Bigsby, but he’s still expected to be the top back in Jacksonville. Mattison is in a great position to break out in Minnesota without Dalvin Cook, and Pierce will be the lead back in Carolina. The addition of Cook in New York hurts Hall’s stock. He’s now more of an RB2 option. Walker’s stock took a hit in terms of ceiling with the addition of Zach Charbonnet, but I still view him as a mid-RB2. Kamara will miss three games, but he's still a low RB2.

--- Tier 5 ---

Cam Akers, Rams
Rachaad White, Buccaneers
James Cook, Bills
Miles Sanders, Panthers
James Conner, Cardinals
J.K. Dobbins, Ravens
Javonte Williams, Broncos

This tier is loaded with backs who will make or break fantasy rosters. With more of an emphasis on wideouts in the first three rounds, these backs will end up being big parts of countless rosters. Conner has no real competition for touches in Arizona but needs to remain free of injuries. Pierce is the lead back in Houston, but will Devin Singletary hurt his ceiling? Akers, Dobbins, Cook and White all have pretty clear paths to workload, but having expectations and meeting them are different things. Williams is coming off a knee ailment and comes with questions.

--- Tier 6 ---

David Montgomery, Lions
Khalil Herbert, Bears
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs
Jonathan Taylor, Colts
D’Andre Swift, Eagles
Dalvin Cook, Jets

Montgomery should be a viable flex option even with Gibbs in the Detroit backfield, and Pacheco is in the same boat in Kansas City’s rotation. Herbert’s stock is on the rise in Chicago, while Swift looks destined to split work in Philadelphia. Cook looks destined to land in a committee with Hall in New York, which limits his draft stock. Taylor, who has sunk like a stone, will miss at least the first four games of 2023 and is now a risk-reward flex starter.

--- Tier 7 ---

AJ Dillon, Packers
Antonio Gibson, Commanders
Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs
Samaje Perine, Broncos
Brian Robinson, Commanders
Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles
Jamaal Williams, Saints

This tier includes several players who could push for standalone flex value but have another back hindering their ceiling. Dillon remains capped with Jones ahead of him in Green Bay. Perine could be a bit more depending on how well Javonte Williams recovers from his knee injury, but that’s still to be determined. Gibson and Robinson will share the work in Washington, making it tough to trust either on a regular basis. The Saints will lean on Williams in the first three games, but he’ll fall back into a shared situation when Kamara returns from his suspension.

Rob Schumacher/USA Today Sports Network

--- Tier 8 ---

Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks
Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots
Jaylen Warren, Steelers
Raheem Mostert, Dolphins
Elijah Mitchell, 49ers
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
De’Von Achane, Dolphins

Welcome to the tier of handcuffs! Alright, some of these backs could earn a bigger role and hold some standalone value, but for the most part they’re the lesser part of a committee or simple insurance. He’s an RB4 for fantasy purposes, as are all of these backs.  Elliott could see some early-down and goal-line work, but he’s now an RB4 in New England. Achane could etch out a pass-catching role in Miami, but he won’t get ahead of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr.

--- Tier 9 ---

Rashaad Penny, Eagles
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons 
Tyjae Spears, Titans
Tank Bigsby, Jaguars 
Damien Harris, Bills 
Devin Singletary, Texans
Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins

Penny is the poster child for injury-prone backs, but he’s effective when on the gridiron. Another tier, another group of committee backs and fantasy handcuffs. Warren, Hubbard and Carter are all likely secondary backs and handcuffs. Gainwell could see a bigger role in Philadelphia than just insurance, though. In fact, he could be in the mix to start. Stay tuned. Allgeier is the best handcuff of them all playing behind Robinson in Atlanta, but he could push for standalone value at times, too.

--- Tier 10 ---

Joshua Kelley, Chargers
Roshon Johnson, Bears
Gus Edwards, Ravens
Rico Dowdle, Cowboys
Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons
Keontay Ingram, Cardinals
Deuce Vaughn, Cowboys
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs
Zack Moss, Colts
Trayveon Williams, Bengals
Chase Edmonds, Buccaneers

All of these running backs are draftable late, but injuries would have to occur for most of them to have any value in fantasy lineups. Ingram, Kelley, Johnson, Edwards, Dowdle and Vaughn are worth late fliers as handcuffs or dart throws. Moss, who is currently injured, could start for the Colts with Taylor on PUP.