Not everyone can play football. But anyone can form a fantasy team and compete every damn week of the NFL regular season. In this piece, we’ll break down the top five running backs for this season, including their 2015 on-field and fantasy performances along with our points projections for each.
*Note that the 2015 stats and fantasy points are all from ESPN
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2016 Running Back Fantasy Points Projections
1. Todd Gurley (Los Angeles Rams)
2015 Stats: 1,106 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns
2015 Fantasy Points: 176
2016 Fantasy Points Projection: 220.0
2. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings)
2015 Stats: 1,485 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns
2015 Fantasy Points: 217
2016 Fantasy Points Projection: 212.0
Although he ranked high in many fantasy sites prior to last season, there were some who doubted whether Purple Jesus could still do Purple Jesus things on the field after he played in just one game in 2014 due to injury. Well, if there’s one thing 2015 taught us about Peterson, it’s that he’s far from done.
Peterson will remain an integral part of the Vikings’ offense this season even with Teddy Bridgewater and the rest of the passing game expected to continue trending upwards.
3. Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys)
2015 Stats: —-
2015 Fantasy Points: —
2016 Fantasy Points Projection: 213.0
Elliott lands in an ideal situation in Dallas. The Ohio State product finds himself as the immediate RB1 of the Cowboys, who have arguably the best offensive line in the league—one that puts a ton of focus on run blocking—to open gaps for him. Despite the presence of Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris in the backfield for Dallas, expect Elliott to gain the lion’s share of touches.
4. David Johnson (Arizona Cardinals)
2015 Stats: 581 rushing yards, 8 rushing touchdowns
2015 Fantasy Points: 164
2016 Fantasy Points Projection: 216.0
This should be an exciting season for David Johnson fantasy owners. His days of playing behind a washed up Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington are over following a promising rookie season in which he posted eight double-digit fantasy points games, including a monster 40-point Week 15 output. What makes Johnson an even attractive prospect is his pass-catching ability. He had 457 receiving yards with four receiving touchdowns last season.
5. Devonta Freeman
2015 Stats: 1,061 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns
2015 Fantasy Points: 230
2015 Fantasy Points Projection: 200.0
Freeman was 2015’s fantasy points leader among running backs but it’s best to tone down on expectations of him repeating such a fantastic year. Tevin Coleman is being positioned to have a bigger part in the Falcons’ backfield. That being said, Coleman remains Atlanta’s RB1 and he should get a significant number of touches again.
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