Best Ball Running Back Rankings 2023: Underdog Fantasy Football
The perceived value of running backs in fantasy football varies wildly from person to person. Some within the fantasy football community continue to live by the old mantra that RB is the most important position of all. Others, meanwhile, swear by the Zero RB approach to drafting.
With timeshare situations and many teams rolling with a committee approach in the backfield these days, you can probably count the number of legitimate every-down NFL running backs on one hand. You might think that scarcity makes drafting a guy like Saquon Barkley all the more important to your long-term success, but you can argue the opposite, too. Fewer bell-cow backs means you may be able to get away with streaming the position if the rest of your roster is strong enough.
The 2023 NFL season is right around the corner, and fantasy drafts are already in full swing. Below, you’ll find our updated Underdog Best Ball running back rankings. Regardless of your stance on when to draft a RB, these rankings are an incredibly useful tool to help guide you through the draft process. New players can also take advantage of our special Underdog Fantasy promo code for a 100% match bonus on your first deposit, up to $100.
Best Ball RB Rankings and ADP
2023 Best Ball QB rankings are courtesy of Spike Week
| Player | Team | Rank | ADPrk | ADP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian McCaffrey |  SFO | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Austin Ekeler |  LAC | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Nick Chubb |  CLE | 3 | 7 | 15 |
| Bijan Robinson |  ATL | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Jonathan Taylor |  IND | 5 | 6 | 14 |
| Tony Pollard |  DAL | 6 | 11 | 23 |
| Saquon Barkley |  NYG | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Breece Hall |  NYJ | 8 | 15 | 31 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson |  NEP | 9 | 5 | 13 |
| Josh Jacobs |  LVR | 10 | 9 | 18 |
| Derrick Henry |  TEN | 11 | 8 | 17 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs |  DET | 12 | 16 | 32 |
| J.K. Dobbins |  BAL | 13 | 29 | 82 |
| Travis Etienne |  JAC | 14 | 10 | 22 |
| Najee Harris |  PIT | 15 | 12 | 28 |
| Joe Mixon |  CIN | 16 | 18 | 36 |
| Cam Akers |  LAR | 17 | 22 | 54 |
| Kenneth Walker |  SEA | 18 | 14 | 30 |
| Aaron Jones |  GBP | 19 | 17 | 33 |
| Dameon Pierce |  HOU | 20 | 24 | 66 |
| Alexander Mattison |  MIN | 21 | 13 | 29 |
| Miles Sanders |  CAR | 22 | 25 | 71 |
| D’Andre Swift |  PHI | 23 | 34 | 103 |
| Elijah Moore | CLE | 24 | 43 | 138 |
| Isiah Pacheco |  KCC | 25 | 20 | 47 |
| David Montgomery | DET | 26 | 23 | 59 |
| Rashaad Penny | PHI | 27 | 40 | 129 |
| Javonte Williams |  DEN | 28 | 27 | 75 |
| AJ Dillon | GBP | 29 | 26 | 73 |
| Damien Harris |  BUF | 30 | 47 | 151 |
| Rachaad White |  TBB | 31 | 19 | 39 |
| Samaje Perine | DEN | 32 | 28 | 77 |
| James Conner |  ARI | 33 | 21 | 50 |
| Zach Charbonnet | SEA | 34 | 39 | 125 |
| Antonio Gibson |  WAS | 35 | 33 | 102 |
| Brian Robinson | WAS | 36 | 30 | 91 |
| Devon Achane |  MIA | 37 | 35 | 110 |
| Elijah Mitchell | SFO | 38 | 38 | 119 |
| Alvin Kamara |  NOS | 39 | 32 | 97 |
| Khalil Herbert |  CHI | 40 | 31 | 93 |
| Jaylen Warren | PIT | 41 | 37 | 115 |
| Kendre Miller | NOS | 42 | 51 | 176 |
| Jamaal Williams | NOS | 43 | 36 | 113 |
| Tank Bigsby | JAC | 44 | 52 | 187 |
| Devin Singletary | HOU | 45 | 49 | 160 |
| Tyler Allgeier | ATL | 46 | 53 | 196 |
| Jerick McKinnon | KCC | 47 | 48 | 157 |
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 48 | 42 | 137 |
| D’Onta Foreman | CHI | 49 | 46 | 142 |
| Roschon Johnson | CHI | 50 | 57 | 267 |
| Raheem Mostert | MIA | 51 | 45 | 140 |
| Jerome Ford | CLE | 52 | 56 | 258 |
| Tyjae Spears | TEN | 53 | 55 | 252 |
| Jeff Wilson | MIA | 54 | 41 | 133 |
| Devin Singletary | HOU | 55 | 49 | 160 |
| Kenneth Gainwell II | PHI | 56 | 44 | 139 |
| Gus Edwards | BAL | 57 | 54 | 199 |
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2023 Best Ball Tips & Strategy: Drafting a RB
As mentioned in the open, there is no “one size fits all” rule when it comes to drafting a running back. Premium RBs expected to have big roles in their respective offenses will go early in drafts. Indy’s Jonathan Taylor was essentially the consensus No. 1 overall player heading into 2022, for example, even in a very pass-happy era of the NFL.
Last year, we saw 8 running backs total at least 245 carries. That was down a bit from the 12 such players that accomplished the feat in 2019, but it was more than the 5 that did so in 2021. However, 3 of the 8 RBs that did it last season – Miles Sanders, Dalvin Cook, and Jamaal Williams – are no longer with the same teams.
This year, we’re seeing more wide receivers going in the first rounds of drafts than ever before. As a result, quite a few high-end running backs are falling to round 2. In 12-team formats, guys like Josh Jacobs, Nick Chubb, Derrick Henry, and Tony Pollard all have second-round ADPs. This would’ve been unheard of as recently as a decade ago, but times have changed.
So, based on the names likely to be available, the best time to nab a top-tier running back is likely in the second round. Drafts do vary, but your chances of getting a legit RB1 with your second pick are pretty favorable.
Handcuffing can also pay off over the course of a season. If a team’s starting running back goes down, underperforms, or gets traded, his backup will suddenly be in line for a significantly improved workload. D’Onta Foreman became a hot commodity after the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey last season. Due to the nature of the position, injuries also play an unfortunate-yet-inevitable role in fantasy outcomes for RBs every year.
If you’re drafting a handcuff running back in Best Ball, just make sure you’re not taking the backup to a starter already on your roster. You’re in good shape if the starter gets hurt, of course, but you’re also limiting your weekly upside if he doesn’t. It’s very rare for two RBs on the same team to have big games at the same time.
Using a late-round pick on a backup to stash is a strategy that can pay off handsomely later in the season. Tyler Allgeier, Zach Charbonnet, and Tank Bigsby are a few names to consider as late-round fliers.
Breece Hall Cracks The Top 10
Spike Week’s updated Best Ball running back rankings have the Jets’ Breece Hall ranked as the RB8. The second-year pro had his rookie campaign cut short by a torn ACL suffered last October. The former Iowa State standout is expected to be ready by the time Week 1 rolls around.
Hall was fabulous before going down, averaging a stellar 5.8 yards per carry on 80 attempts with 4 touchdowns across 7 games. Considering the Jets spend a high second-rounder on him in 2022, it’s safe to assume he’ll be a big part of their plans as long as he stays healthy.
Whether Hall will perform at peak levels right away remains to be seen, of course. Saquon Barkley, for example, looked like a shell of his old self in 2021 in his first season back from his ACL tear before returning to form last year.
New York’s rushing attack fell off a cliff after Hall was lost a season ago, but the offense as a whole should be significantly improved this season with Aaron Rodgers now in the mix. The Jets’ offensive balance was virtually kaput thanks to a non-threatening aerial attack, but Rodgers’ presence alone should make life easier on Hall.
There’s reason for optimism, but it’s still a little surprising to see Hall ranked ahead of more proven commodities like Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, and Joe Mixon.
All Aboard the Bijan Bandwagon
The Falcons raised eyebrows with their selection of Bijan Robinson with the 7th overall pick in the most recent draft. The leaguewide devaluing of running backs has made headlines in recent weeks, yet the Falcons decided to buck the trend by using their No. 1 pick on the electrifying Texas product.
Some scouts say Robinson is a transcendent talent out of the backfield, but few would’ve been surprised to see him fall into the 20s. If nothing else, Atlanta’s unexpected move is giving prospective fantasy managers confidence that Bijan will factor very heavily into the team’s plans right away.
Robinson comes in as the RB4 in the Underdog rankings, trailing only Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, and Nick Chubb. He’s ranked ahead of Barkley and Jonathan Taylor and is typically coming off the board late in the first rounds of fantasy drafts.
The Falcons like to run. Justin Fields and the Bears were the only team in football that ran the ball more frequently than Atlanta did a season ago with Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson both handling big workloads. Those 2 are still on the roster as of this writing, but all signs point to Robinson emerging as the undisputed king of the backfield.
Running backs have remarkably short shelf lives in the NFL on average, so you might as well get the most out of them while they’re able. The Falcons didn’t take Bijan just to have him sit on the bench all year, but there is a lot less certainty with this situation than his ADP would lead you to believe.
This is still a rookie, and it’s not like Atlanta’s offense is laden with All-Pros around him.
The Kenneth Walker Conundrum
Zero RB drafters did well for themselves last year if they managed to nab Kenneth Walker with a later pick. The rookie wound up seizing control of the Seahawks’ backfield after Rashaad Penny went down with a season-ending injury. Walker finished the season as the RB18 in PPR formats despite an 8th-round ADP. He was the RB8 if you only account for Weeks 6-17 following Penny’s injury.
After such a great year, you’d think the Seahawks would be excited to run it back with Walker as their guy out of the backfield to begin the season. But not so fast, my friend. Seattle decided to throw a curveball on draft day by grabbing UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet in the second round.
While Walker was incredibly explosive as a runner last season, his production in the passing game left plenty to be desired. Walker totaled just 165 receiving yards across 15 games and didn’t catch a touchdown pass as a rookie. He wasn’t much of a pass-catcher at Michigan State, either.
That’s where Charbonnet comes in. He averaged better than 8 yards per reception on decent volume in his final two collegiate seasons. Last year, his 3.7 receptions per game ranked first among all RBs in the 2023 draft class.
Based on that, it stands to reason that Walker could get the bulk of the ground work while Charbonnet gets the reps in passing situations.
However, it’s worth remembering that Pete Carroll doesn’t seem to care at all about that. This is the same coach that benched Matt Flynn, his team’s brand-new $20 million starting QB, in favor of fourth-round rookie Russell Wilson a decade ago. In 2018, the Seahawks spent a first-round pick on Penny. The team’s leading rusher that season wound up being Chris Carson, a 7th-round pick from the year before.
Walker likely would’ve been ranked inside the top 10 if the team hadn’t drafted Charbonnet. Now, he’s ranked as the RB18 thanks to the lack of certainty with his role. Charbonnet, meanwhile, comes in ranked 31st at the position.
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