clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Non-PPR running back rankings in 2020 fantasy football (9/4 update)

Christian McCaffrey was a league winner last season. Will he be able to hold off the running back crowd again in 2020 or will Derrick Henry usurp the king? We rank running backs in non-ppr fantasy football.

Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at FirstEnergy Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

September 3 update: As we close in on our drafts, I’m not as confident in “my guys” as I usually am, but I do have them and gave them a little nudge in this update. Here are a few of the running backs I’ve been grabbing in drafts:

Miles Sanders — His ADP has dropped since his hamstring injury, but he should be ready for Week 1 and I love his every-down backability in a strong offense.

Jonathan Taylor — I may take an early hit on this one with Marlon Mack taking away work, but I think Taylor is just too good not to win the bulk of the rushing attempts behind a strong offensive line.

Raheem Mostert — Kyle Shanahan isn’t going to give Mostert 20 carries a game, but he doesn’t need them in this super efficient rushing offense. He’s proven he’s the better back between him and Tevin Coleman and he’s on the best running back rushing team in the league.

Antonio Gibson — His talent should shine on a team devoid of talent outside Terry McLaurin.

Zack Moss — All signs point toward Moss having an early role in Buffalo, including as the goal line back. I like him enough to see him taking over the lead back work on a good rushing team.

August 31st update: Since we last talked, Leonard Fournette has been released, Jalen Reagor will miss a week or two of the regular season and Alvin Kamara is currently a holdout. At this point, Fournette’s release will have the biggest impact on rankings. He was already pretty low, so we aren’t looking at huge movement, but he’s likely to go from 250 or more touches to a possible backup role wherever he lands. Ryquell Armstead gets the biggest bump, as he will get the first shot at lead back work while Devine Ozigbo gets a bump as his likely backup. Chris Thompson gets a bump, but I had already bumped him after good reports. He’s likely going to stick to his receiving role.

Reagor’s injury helps DeSean Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward to start the season, but if Reagor only misses a couple games, he still can be a useful player. and until we know Kamara is gpoing to miss time, we can’t drop him much.

August 28th update: With just two weeks until the season opener between the Chiefs and Texans, your fantasy football drafts are closing in fast. So far, knocking on wood while crossing my fingers, no prominent running backs have gone down with season-ending injuries in training camp. That will likely change, as it always seems to happen, but we haven’t had to make any drastic changes in the rankings.

There are injuries though and they will impact rankings, especially as we get closer to Week 1. Some of the more prominent players have been David Montgomery, Miles Sanders, Darrell Henderson, and D’Andre Swift. Thankfully, the majority of these injuries shouldn’t linger too far into the season, if at all.

Ronald Jones, Damien Harris, and Nyheim Hines have all moved up my rankings in this update while Joe Mixon and Dalvin Cook have taken slight dips due to a chance they holdout.

Check out our printable drafting tiers!


The NFL season is fast approaching. With no preseason games and limited media coverage due to Covid-19, it is going to be tougher to evaluate camp battles, but it’s never been that easy either. That makes fantasy football draft preparations a little different than in recent seasons.

Below you will find our overall Standard (non-PPR) fantasy football rankings. Training camp is meaningful and what we learn over the next 20-plus days will help us rank these players more accurately. But, the bulk of evaluation has been done already.

Many default settings on fantasy football platforms are no longer non-PPR, but it is still an often used scoring type. Pass-catching backs take a back seat in non-PPR but it all comes down to yards and touchdowns. That usually means every-down running backs remain the top picks while those that rely on receptions drop somewhat in the rankings. But there are no hard and fast rules, as a purely receiving back can still have value if he is getting those precious yards and touchdowns.

Tier 1

The top three running backs stay the same for me from the PPR rankings, but we get to add Derrick Henry into the mix in non-PPR. I still rather have the more versatile every-down backs, but Henry’s touchdown and yardage upside is right up there with the group.

Tier 2

This tier is short, but with three great backs, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Nick Chubb. Cook and Kamara are closer to Tier 1 than Chubb, as he won’t get many receptions, but non-PPR boosts him into Tier 2.

Tier 3

Tier 3 starts to get a little dicier, but with a ton of upside still for the taking. This tier goes from Josh Jacobs to Austin Ekeler. That leaves Miles Sanders, Joe Mixon, Kenyan Drake, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire in-between. Ekeler and Edwards-Helaire will need to be especially savvy at getting into the end zone, as they will see many touches through the air, but I like their chances.

Running back rankings for half-PPR 2021 fantasy football

Rk Name Team
Rk Name Team
1 Christian McCaffrey CAR
2 Dalvin Cook MIN
3 Alvin Kamara NO
4 Saquon Barkley NYG
5 Derrick Henry TEN
6 Nick Chubb CLE
7 Jonathan Taylor IND
8 Austin Ekeler LAC
9 D'Andre Swift DET
10 Ezekiel Elliott DAL
11 J.K. Dobbins BAL
12 Aaron Jones GB
13 Cam Akers LAR
14 Josh Jacobs LV
15 Miles Sanders PHI
16 Joe Mixon CIN
17 Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC
18 Antonio Gibson WAS
19 David Montgomery CHI
20 James Robinson JAC
21 Chris Carson SEA
22 Kenyan Drake ARI
23 Kareem Hunt CLE
24 Melvin Gordon III DEN
25 Ronald Jones II TB
26 Raheem Mostert SF
27 Zack Moss BUF
28 Najee Harris FA
29 Travis Etienne FA
30 Myles Gaskin MIA
31 David Johnson HOU
32 Leonard Fournette TB
33 Tony Pollard DAL
34 James Conner PIT
35 Chase Edmonds ARI
36 AJ Dillon GB
37 Devin Singletary BUF
38 Damien Harris NE
39 Tarik Cohen CHI
40 Nyheim Hines IND
41 Latavius Murray NO
42 Le'Veon Bell KC
43 Darrell Henderson LAR
44 Phillip Lindsay DEN
45 Todd Gurley II ATL
46 Jamaal Williams GB
47 Marlon Mack IND
48 J.D. McKissic WAS
49 James White NE
50 Sony Michel NE
51 Benny Snell Jr. PIT
52 Jeff Wilson Jr. SF
53 Kerryon Johnson DET
54 Ke'Shawn Vaughn TB
55 Duke Johnson Jr. HOU
56 Rashaad Penny SEA
57 Alexander Mattison MIN
58 Gus Edwards BAL
59 Boston Scott PHI
60 Matt Breida MIA
61 Joshua Kelley LAC
62 Carlos Hyde SEA
63 Tevin Coleman SF
64 Giovani Bernard CIN
65 Salvon Ahmed MIA
66 La'Mical Perine NYJ
67 Justin Jackson LAC
68 Ito Smith ATL
69 Darrynton Evans TEN
70 Mark Ingram II FA
71 Malcolm Brown LAR
72 Jerick McKinnon SF
73 Rex Burkhead NE
74 Damien Williams KC
75 Anthony McFarland Jr. PIT
76 Mike Davis CAR
77 Wayne Gallman NYG
78 Bryce Love WAS
79 Jordan Howard PHI
80 Jalen Richard LV
81 Kenny Gainwell FA
82 Darrel Williams KC
83 Adrian Peterson DET
84 DeeJay Dallas SEA
85 Lynn Bowden Jr. MIA
86 Chris Thompson JAC
87 Brian Hill ATL
88 Ryquell Armstead JAC
89 Dare Ogunbowale JAC
90 Devine Ozigbo JAC
91 Royce Freeman DEN
92 Ty Johnson NYJ
93 Jordan Wilkins IND
94 Kalen Ballage LAC
95 Justice Hill BAL
96 Peyton Barber WAS
97 Eno Benjamin ARI
98 Frank Gore NYJ
99 LeSean McCoy TB