The rankings below are based on full-PPR scoring, and will be updated regularly throughout spring and summer. They won't necessarily align with the RotoWire cheatsheets or projections, though I did use those tools as a guide to get started.
(Rankings updated September 2)
Tier 1
These guys play on all three downs and have proven themselves efficient as both ballcarriers and pass catchers. They also have lousy backups, so any loss of carries figures to be limited to garbage time or the need for an occasional breather.
Tier 2
4. Alvin Kamara 
Zeke has a talented backup looking over his shoulder, but he also has the security of playing in a top-10 offense, which means the fifth-year pro can afford to lose a few touches from his career average of 23.4 per game (22.2 last season). Kamara over teammate Michael Thomas is an easy choice for me at No. 4 overall, given positional scarcity and the likelihood of the former seeing positive regression in terms of both TDs per touch and yards per catch.
Tier 3
6. Joe Mixon 
8. Kenyan Drake 
10. Dalvin Cook 
This is probably the lowest you'll see anyone rank Cook, who was awesome last season and decided not to hold out from training camp. I still worry that the Vikings will cut back his workload a little bit as a concession to the contract situation, but
The rankings below are based on full-PPR scoring, and will be updated regularly throughout spring and summer. They won't necessarily align with the RotoWire cheatsheets or projections, though I did use those tools as a guide to get started.
(Rankings updated September 2)
Tier 1
These guys play on all three downs and have proven themselves efficient as both ballcarriers and pass catchers. They also have lousy backups, so any loss of carries figures to be limited to garbage time or the need for an occasional breather.
Tier 2
4. Alvin Kamara
Zeke has a talented backup looking over his shoulder, but he also has the security of playing in a top-10 offense, which means the fifth-year pro can afford to lose a few touches from his career average of 23.4 per game (22.2 last season). Kamara over teammate Michael Thomas is an easy choice for me at No. 4 overall, given positional scarcity and the likelihood of the former seeing positive regression in terms of both TDs per touch and yards per catch.
Tier 3
6. Joe Mixon
8. Kenyan Drake
10. Dalvin Cook
This is probably the lowest you'll see anyone rank Cook, who was awesome last season and decided not to hold out from training camp. I still worry that the Vikings will cut back his workload a little bit as a concession to the contract situation, but my bigger concern is his growing history of shoulder injuries. Then there's the matter of the Vikings rebuilding their secondary, which could lead to a weaker defense and fewer run-heavy game scripts.
Tier 4
11. Miles Sanders 
12. Nick Chubb 
13. Josh Jacobs 
14. Aaron Jones 
15. James Conner 
Conner and Jones have more upside for receiving involvement, while Chubb and Jacobs are elite runners with tougher competition for snaps. Life would be more fun if the Browns didn't have Kareem Hunt and the Raiders didn't like Jalen Richard so much.
Tier 5
16. Devin Singletary 
17. Melvin Gordon 
18. Chris Carson 
19. Todd Gurley 
20. Jonathan Taylor 
21. Le'Veon Bell 
I'd be fine starting any of these guys as an RB2 in Week 1, but I think they'll all be disappointing if you expect the production of past years (Taylor and Singletary aside). I'm sure one of the bunch will prove me wrong and tear it up; I just don't have any idea which one it will be.
Tier 6
22. D'Andre Swift 
23. Raheem Mostert 
24. Cam Akers 
25. David Johnson 
26. Ronald Jones 
27. James White 
Tier 7
28. Mark Ingram 
29. Tarik Cohen 
30. Kareem Hunt
31. David Montgomery
32. J.K. Dobbins
33. Matt Breida 
34. Phillip Lindsay
35. Duke Johnson
36. Tevin Coleman
37. Kerryon Johnson
38. Jordan Howard
There guys are something more than handcuffs but something less than reliable starters. While stand-alone value is possible, you're probably dreaming of the teammate-injury scenario when you draft them in the middle rounds. Cohen is an exception, but his secure pass-catching volume comes at the cost of minimal rushing upside.
I expect to see a pretty even split between the two guys in Miami, and I won't be shocked if a Patrick Laird or Myles Gaskin also steals some touches. The Dolphins look much better than they did at the same time last year, but they still have a bottom-five roster.
Tier 8
39. Latavius Murray
40. Tony Pollard 
41. Zack Moss
42. Chase Edmonds
43. Boston Scott
45. Antonio Gibson 
Here we have high-end handcuffs, which is kind of an oxymoron. Edmonds might seem like an odd inclusion, until you look at the Arizona depth chart behind him. Mattison is the one getting all the attention; I just worry that he'll form a committee with Mike Boone and Ameer Abdullah if Cook ends up missing games.
Tier 9
46. Ryquell Armstead 
47. Damien Harris
48. Adrian Peterson
50. Marlon Mack
52. Darrel Williams 
53. Sony Michel
54. Justin Jackson 
55. Joshua Kelley
Henderson looked a lot better before the Rams drafted Akers in the second round. Jackson and Kelley are competing for a role that probably isn't especially valuable. Mack would be best served by a trade.
Tier 10
56. Chris Thompson
57. Benny Snell
58. Darrynton Evans 
59. AJ Dillon
60. Giovani Bernard
61. Ke'Shawn Vaughn
62. Nyheim Hines
63. Carlos Hyde
64. Jerick McKinnon
65. Brian Hill
66. Mike Boone
67. Ito Smith
69. Jamaal Williams
70. Rashaad Penny
72. Malcolm Brown
73. Lamical Perine
74. Jalen Richard
75. Mike Davis 
