Fantasy Football 2013 Rankings: Top 50 Running Backs

C.J. Spiller is the most recent top running back who has been hit with a recent injury scare. It seems like the majority of the top five has been nicked up this preseason, doesn’t it? (Outside of Adrian Peterson, anyways.) 

Let’s take a look at how all the injury news has currently impacted our rankings:

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
2. Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
4. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills
5. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
6. Arian Foster, Houston Texans
7. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
8. LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
10. Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
11. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
12. Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots
13. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
14. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
15. Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons
16. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
17. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
18. Lamar Miller, Miami Dolphins
19. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
20. Reggie Bush, Detroit Lions
21. David Wilson, New York Giants
22. Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
23. Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
24. Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints
25. Montee Ball, Denver Broncos
26. Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
27. Ahmad Bradshaw, Indianapolis Colts
28. Daryl Richardson, St. Louis Rams
29. Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers
30. Chris Ivory, New York Jets
31. Shane Vereen, New England Patriots
32. Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona Cardinals
33. Bernard Pierce, Baltimore Ravens
34. Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers
35. Andre Brown, New York Giants
36. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
37. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals
38. Jonathan Dwyer, Pittsburgh Steelers
39. Bryce Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
40. Ben Tate, Houston Texans
41. Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
42. Danny Woodhead, San Diego Chargers
43. Michael Bush, Chicago Bears
44. Isaiah Pead, St. Louis Rams
45. Bilal Powell, New York Jets
46. Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta Falcons
47. Vick Ballard, Indianapolis Colts
48. Mikel Leshoure, Detroit Lions
49. Daniel Thomas, Miami Dolphins
50. Shonn Greene, Tennessee Titans

Just Missed: Isaac Redman (Pittsburgh Steelers), Roy Helu (Washington Redskins), Kendall Hunter (San Francisco 49ers) and Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints)

Thoughts

• Arian Foster remains an injury risk, but he has been activated from the physically unable to perform list and appears primed to play in Week 1. There is still ample reason to be cautious with an early selection, but there is no reason to send him completely spiraling down your rankings at this point.
• There is still plenty of unknown surrounding Le’Veon Bell and how long he is going to be out of action. While Jonathan Dwyer should see his stock rise (as should Isaac Redman and the newly acquired Felix Jones), Bell’s value is plummeting. Is it a Lisfranc injury, or isn’t it? Will rest be enough, or is he going to need surgery? While he’s worth stashing, consider him as more of a RB4 at this point. At the very least, he is going to miss a few weeks, if not more.
• According to Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post had the following to say about Ronnie Hillman: “After Hillman’s fumble at the goal line resulted in a 106-yard return of his turnover for a touchdown by Seattle a week earlier, St. Louis defenders were obviously targeting Hillman’s tender ego. Sharks smell blood, and the Rams ripped the football from Hillman after he caught a pass from Manning in the second period. Linebacker Alec Ogletree turned the mistake into a St. Louis touchdown.” Suddenly Montee Ball’s stock is rising, and Knowshon Moreno is looking like he too could have value. The Broncos aren’t going to trust a player who is consistently coughing up the football, so Hillman likely has played himself into a minimal role at this point.
• Does anyone believe that Chris Ivory is going to be a lock to produce this season? In two preseason games, he has managed just 28 yards on 14 carries. Bilal Powell suddenly has some nice sleeper appeal.

Make sure to check out all of our 2013 preseason rankings:

• Quarterbacks (as of August 14, 2013)
• Wide Receivers (as of August 26, 2013)
• Tight Ends (as of August 20, 2013)
• Defenses (as of August 15, 2013)
• Kickers (as of July 26, 2013)