We understand the 2021 fantasy season ended just a short time ago, but it doesn’t hurt to look toward next year, especially for those in dynasty or keeper leagues. We know there are also people who only play redraft leagues who are interested in next year’s outlook at running back, and our early 2022 Fantasy RB Rankings will give you a sneak peek at just that.
Christian McCaffrey has been the No. 1 RB (and No. 1 overall pick) for the last few fantasy drafts, but after two seasons cut short by injury, there’s a fresh face at the top, and CMC slides down quite a bit. Of course, anyone ranked inside the top five to eight spots can realistically be the No. 1 scorer when all is said and done, but injury history, past production, and future projections all weigh into our pecking order.
2022 EARLY FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST
McCaffrey is just one of many RBs coming off injury-filled seasons, so there are going to be a ton of risky options, but they all have a high upside. Cam Akers (Achilles’), JK Dobbins (knee), and Travis Etienne (foot) combined for zero fantasy points through Week 17 thanks to preseason injuries, and we saw Derrick Henry, James Robinson, Alvin Kamara, Elijah Mitchell, D’Andre Swift, Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Leonard Fournette, and others miss significant portions of the fantasy season. We know this is the most fragile group in fantasy, but it’s impossible to put together a strong RB group with little to no injury history.
Fournette and James Conner are scheduled to be free agents in 2022, so obviously, their landing spots will affect their rankings. If they resign with Arizona and Tampa Bay, respectively, we’ll have a general idea of what to expect, so we’ll see what happens on that front.
2021 FANTASY: All-Value Team | All-Bust Team
Although the 2022 RB draft class doesn’t look particularly strong yet, there will be some rookies that land in favorable spots, which will affect our rankings, too. For now, we include Breece Hall in our top 25, but Kenneth Walker, Isaiah Spiller, and others could sneak in when the preseason arrives.
Early 2022 Fantasy RB Rankings
Rankings are based on half-point PPR formats.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Jonathan Taylor, IND |
| 2 | Derrick Henry, TEN |
| 3 | Najee Harris, PIT |
| 4 | Austin Ekeler, LAC |
| 5 | Dalvin Cook. MIN |
| 6 | Alvin Kamara, NO |
| 7 | Javonte Williams, DEN |
| 8 | Christian McCaffrey, CAR |
| 9 | Joe Mixon, CIN |
| 10 | Nick Chubb, CLE |
| 11 | Cam Akers, LAR |
| 12 | Elijah Mitchell, SF |
| 13 | Antonio Gibson, WAS |
| 14 | D’Andre Swift, DET |
| 15 | JK Dobbins, BAL |
| 16 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL |
| 17 | Leonard Fournette, FA |
| 18 | Saquon Barkley, NYG |
| 19 | Josh Jacobs, LV |
| 20 | Michael Carter, NYJ |
| 21 | David Montgomery, CHI |
| 22 | Aaron Jones, GB |
| 23 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC |
| 24 | Breece Hall, Rookie |
| 25 | Travis Etienne, JAX |
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