Open Rants by kcchiefs21

I read Walt’s rankings on this site and thought it’d be a good place to post my own thoughts. If you have any questions or inquiries feel free to email me at cstoltz58@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to get back to you. I’ll post links to my other rankings in the space below as I work on them.

RB Rankings 1-25: http://walterfootball.com/openrant/rantaway/1080

26. Sony Michel New England Patriots 

Sony Michel would be much higher if it weren't for his knee issues. Not only will James White take the majority of 3rd down snaps, but Michel was diagnosed with same degenerative knee condition as Jay Ajayi going into the draft. He should be the lead back, but make sure to handcuff him with Damien Harris to ensure you don't get screwed by injury.

27. Kalen Ballage Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins appear very willing to give Ballage every shot as their first string back, content with Kenyan Drake as a 3rd down compliment. The upside is limited in this offense, but the opportunity is there for a big large amount of touches for Ballage this season. 

28. Damien Williams Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are going to run a committee approach this year at RB, and Williams has already had issues staying healthy in training camp. Picking him high could be a huge mistake, and you'd be much better off picking Darwin Thompson, who's likely to earn a decent role, later in the draft.

29. James White New England Patriots (PPR+)

White will continue to be one of the most valuable receiving backs in the game for Tom Brady, and doesn't come with near the injury risk as Sony Michel. He's a safe, reliable player sure to produce.

30. Tarik Cohen Chicago Bears (PPR+)

Cohen will have some of his workload taken by David Montgomery, and has some risk to diminish later in the season as rookies usually come on stronger as they gain the coach's trust, but should still feature as a consistent pass-catching back. 

31. Darwin Thompson Kansas City Chiefs (PPR+)

Darwin Thompson has a good amount of sleeper potential, but because of his size he's going to be splitting carries with one of the Chiefs' 3 bigger backs, and won't get much goal-line work. He has a solid shot to lead the Chiefs in yards from scrimmage at RB this year. 

32. Ronald Jones Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs appear to be headed toward the dreaded 50/50 time share between Jones and Peyton Barber. Jones offers more upside and explosion should he win the job, and if you bet on one of the two, he should be the bet. He is a relatively safe option to be a low end RB3. 

33. Derrius Guice Washington Redskins

The Redskins are a mess, and their backfield reflects that. Peterson should see be the feature back, but Guice has the most upside of the group should he get healthy and earn a role, as he has more 3-down potential than Peterson. Overall, this is a backfield to avoid in fantasy, but make sure to grab both Guice and Peterson if you invest in one, to cover your bases. 

34. Tevin Coleman San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are another committee backfield featuring injury prone runners to avoid. Coleman looks to be the lead back of the bunch, so if you take anyone in this backfield he's the one to take a risk on. 

35. Darrell Henderson Los Angeles Rams

Henderson's value skyrockets if Gurley goes down, and he's the most valuable handcuff in fantasy football at the moment. Even with a healthy Gurley, Henderson should get a handful of touches a game. He's explosive and runs with a good pad level.

36. Rashaad Penny Seattle Seahawks

We're officially in back up territory. Penny should get touches every game because of the Seahawks' draft investment and their run-heavy approach. He has a lot of upside as Chris Carson injury insurance.

37. Miles Sanders Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are a huge committee team, and it hurts Sanders to have a goal-line power back like Jordan Howard, and a couple of 3rd down specialists on the team, as well. He still figures to lead the backfield in yards from scrimmage, though it make take until the second half of the season for him to emerge.

38. Devin Singletary Buffalo Bills

There's too many mouths to feed in Buffalo's backfield. If there's one guy to bet on to emerge from the pack it's Singletary, but its a situation I'd rather avoid. Take a flier on him late in the draft, but don't rely him on as anything more than a RB4. 

39. Adrian Peterson Washington Redskins

AP is a safer bet to produce than most of the guys above him and Derrius Guice, but Trent William's absence is hurting him and Guice, and one has to wonder how much either of these guys can produce with a lackluster offensive line and a bad QB situation and a poor receiving corps. AP's production plummeted once Alex Smith went down, and it doesn't have a bright outlook this season, but he's too talented to disregard. So in short, the limited upside is why he's listed so low.

40. Royce Freeman Denver Broncos

Freeman's a strong back with good vision, leg drive, and a little wiggle that lacks acceleration. He should get some goal-line carries and split time with Lindsay, but he won't be valuable as a potential fantasy starter unless Lindsay goes down. 

41. Kareem Hunt Cleveland Browns (PPR+)

Hunt could provide a late season boost to a fantasy team, especially if Chubb has an injury issue. He'll likely be over drafted though because he's a big name. 

42. Melvin Gordon Los Angeles Chargers

Let someone else take the risk on this holdout. Unlike Elliot, he's actually in the final season of his contract, and unfortunately for him, most of the NFC is tight for cap space, and the Chargers won't be willing to trade him to an AFC contender as they try to make a Superbowl push in River's twilight years. If he returns from his holdout before the regular season, I'd rank him 11th between Marlon Mack and Aaron Jones, as he's likely to be rusty on his return.

43. Matt Breida San Francisco 49ers (PPR+)

For some reason the 49ers refuse to use mid-round draft capital on a RB, instead using free agent journeymen and developing undrafted free agents. Breida's a former undrafted free agent who knows the offense well and shold have a role as a receiving back, and could take over lead back duties. 

44. Justin Jackson Los Angeles Chargers

Jackson should have a role as a compliment to Ekeler, and could see a lot of work in short yardage situations. He has a lot of upside and doesn't carry much risk as later round pick.

45. Peyton Barber Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Barber is a pretty safe pick to provide a consistent amount of production this low in the rankings, he just has really limited upside as long as he's in a 50/50 timeshare with Ronald Jones, and because of Jones' draft status there's a chance his role diminishes as the season goes on. 

46. Lesean McCoy Buffalo Bills

There's a chance McCoy totally rebounds this year, but the amount of backs the Bills have rostered doesn't bode well for his chances at all. Frank Gore is going to get his carries, and Singletary will get 3rd down work. It's just a backfield to avoid.

47. Jordan Howard Philadephia Eagles

Howard could end up as an okay TD dependent play this year, but it'll take injuries to other backs for him to emerge as a reliable fantasy contributor.

48. Dion Lewis (PPR+)

Dion Lewis is a much better PPR option than regular option. Even if Henry gets hurt the Titans will still likely find a bigger back to compliment Lewis with, and Lewis isn't a safe bet to stay healthy himself.

49. Chris Thompson (PPR++)

I gave Chris Thompson a double plus sign to represent how much PPR increases his value. The Redskins could end up checking down a ton with their poor receivers and offensive line, and Thompson would be the main beneficiary. 

50. Kenyan Drake (PPR+)

Drake's the third down back on a bad team with poor pass blocking, that means there's a good potential for garbage time PPR points on quick check downs.