Updated PPR running back rankings for 2021 fantasy football leagues

UPDATE: JK Dobbins suffered a knee injury on Saturday of preseason Week 3 and expectations are it is a season-ending injury. Here’s the fantasy implications.

If you haven’t yet had your fantasy football draft, it is likely rapidly approaching as the NFL nears the regular season. We’ve taken plenty of notes on the performances of your favorite running backs in the NFL preseason while also over-analyzing each and every bit of information we can gather from beat reporters and coaches alike. We’ve digested all of it to provide you an updated look at our PPR running back rankings ahead of Week 3 of the 2021 NFL preseason.

2021 PPR Fantasy Football rankings: Running backs

As we close out the 2021 NFL preseason, there will be plenty of running backs to keep your eye on for our final glimpse at what to expect in Week 1 of the regular season. There will be plenty of teams who have their starting lineups solidified who are likely to be sitting their starters in this final outing, though there are still plenty of depth charts influx to take notes on as we progress through Week 3 of the preseason.

One of those teams with their lineups set is the Los Angeles Rams. Earlier this week, news broke that the Patriots traded Sony Michel was traded to the Rams in exchange for what will be a conditional fourth-round pick, should LA receive one. The rapid reaction was worrisome for Darrell Henderson managers, but soon after the trade, Sean McVay noted that Henderson is still set for a “very big role.”

One team worth watching in the preseason is the Houston Texans as they continue to rotate through RBs Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson and Mark Ingram. Through two weeks, despite an abysmal stat line of nine rush attempts for 16 rushing yards (an average of 1.8 yards per rush attempt, for you math geniuses), it still looks like Lindsay is the favorite to take on the bulk of the team’s snaps. However, It does feel worth noting that 2020 UDFS Scottie Phillips has led the team in rush attempts through the preseason, posing 82 rushing yards and a score on 17 attempts — much more efficient than Lindsay, Johnson or Ingram, and leading the team in missed forced tackles and yards after contact in this span. Though fantasy relevance is unlikely for the UDFA, he has shown a couple of flashes in an offense where the competition for snaps at RB appears to be wide open.

Here’s a look at our PPR running back rankings as you draft in your 2021 fantasy football leagues. Keep in mind as you’re drafting that to capitalize on value in this scoring format, it can be helpful to draft running backs who are on teams with a less-than-ideal receiving corps.