In every 10 Fantasy Football leagues, about three of them play in PPR leagues. For that 30 percent, getting good PPR running back rankings is essential! We aim to please this summer, as we take a look at the best PPR running backs in Fantasy.
Near the end of the ‘90s, people began to understand that there was just too much of an emphasis on the running backs position in Fantasy Football. Wide receivers and tight ends held less importance, and running backs that did more in the passing game really weren’t rewarded much for it.
Back in the ‘80s, guys like Roger Craig, Herschel Walker and John L. Williams had much less Fantasy value than they really should have. Granted, back then, most leagues were just touchdown-only leagues, so the values of players were really screwed up compared to these days.
In the ‘90s, running backs like Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis and Marshall Faulk became much more involved in the passing game, which made them even better in PPR leagues.
Now, with close to one third of all Fantasy Football leagues rewarding a point per reception, it’s important to view the main differences from regular rankings to PPR running back rankings.
In 1985, 49ers RB Roger Craig was the first running back to tally 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
2013 PPR Running Backs: Notes to Consider
Here are a few things concerning these PPR running back rankings to remember as the 2013 Fantasy season gets closer and closer.
Danny Woodhead will be playing for the San Diego Chargers this season, leaving a Patriots team that is left without 84-percent of last season’s targets.
Steven Jackson works in Atlanta now, leaving a situation in St. Louis where he shared time in the backfield with Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead. The Rams ranked 17th in pass attempts last season, compared to the eighth-ranked Falcons.
Shane Vereen should step into Woodhead’s role in New England, considering Stevan Ridley’s not a great pass-catcher out of the backfield.
The Lions signed Reggie Bush, who leaves the 24th-ranked passing team in 2012 for the No. 1 team. The Lions threw the ball an NFL record 740 times in 2012, and Bush should be a huge PPR player – as long as he can continue to stay healthy.
Giovani Bernard, the rookie out of North Carolina, will make up in the passing game for what BenJarvus Green-Ellis lacks. Bengals running backs coach, Hue Jackson, is impressed. “He’s so natural catching the ball.,” Jackson said. “He can catch it like a receiver. I knew he could catch it really well, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he could go out there and line up outside and catch balls like some other guys can because he has that skill set.”
No running back has averaged more receiving targets over the past three seasons than Saints RB Darren Sproles’ 97. Photo Credit: Football Schedule
2013 PPR Running Back Rankings
These 2013 PPR Running Back rankings are for PPR leagues, starting 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, 1 K and 1 DST. These rankings are powered by the fine folks at FantasyPros.com. The term “ECR” stands for “Experts Consensus Rankings,” which is an average ranking from over 35 Fantasy writers/websites.
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We’ll be updating these 2013 PPR Running Back Rankings throughout the offseason, training camps and preseason, so bookmark this page and come back each week to see if we think the best PPR running backs have changed.
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