Way-Too-Early 2021 Fantasy Football RB Rankings

The start of the 2021 fantasy football season—and the kick-off of fantasy draft season—is still months away, but it's never too early to look ahead and get a jump on the rest of your league research-wise. Now that NFL free agency has slowed to a standstill and the 2021 NFL Draft is less than a month away, it's a great time to reassess the baseline value of fantasy players at every position for the upcoming campaign.

Below is my list of the top 50 running backs, in order, for the 2021 fantasy season. Rookies are included even though the draft hasn't happened yet, so some projection is taking place and that is reflected in both the rankings of the rookie runners and the veterans who might lose their starting jobs to them.

All of my rankings reflect the order in which I would draft a player right now in full-point PPR leagues with otherwise default scoring. If you have any specific questions or want to know more about what I think of certain players, feel free to hit me up on Twitter (@JaimeEisner) or Instagram (@JaimeEisnerTDN). I’d be happy to chat with you!

Other Rankings: QB | WR | TE

1. Dalvin Cook (RB - MIN)
2. Christian McCaffrey (RB  - CAR)
3. Derrick Henry (RB - TEN)
4. Alvin Kamara (RB - NO)
5. Aaron Jones (RB - GB)
6. James Robinson (RB - JAX)
7. Nick Chubb (RB - CLE)
8. Jonathan Taylor (RB - IND)
9. Austin Ekeler (RB - LAC)
10. Ezekiel Elliott (RB - DAL)
11. Antonio Gibson (RB - WSH)
12. Saquon Barkley (RB - NYG)
13. Cam Akers (RB - LAR)
14. J.K. Dobbins (RB - BAL)
15. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB - KC)
16. Miles Sanders (RB - PHI)
17. D’Andre Swift (RB - DET)
18. Chris Carson (RB - SEA)
19. Josh Jacobs (RB - LV)
20. Najee Harris (RB - TBD*)
21. Travis Etienne (RB - TBD*)
22. Joe Mixon (RB - CIN)
23. Melvin Gordon (RB - DEN)
24. Mike Davis (RB - ATL)
25. Kareem Hunt (RB - CLE)
26. Chase Edmonds (RB - ARI)
27. Javonte Williams (RB - TBD*)
28. David Montgomery (RB - CHI)
29. David Johnson (RB - HOU)
30. Ronald Jones (RB - TB)
31. Raheem Mostert (RB - SF)
32. Myles Gaskin (RB - MIA)
33. Leonard Fournette (RB - TB)
34. Nyheim Hines (RB - IND)
35. Michael Carter (RB - TBD*)
36. Kenneth Gainwell (RB - TBD*)
37. J.D. McKissic (RB - WSH)
38. Kenyan Drake (RB - LV)
39. James Conner (RB - ARI)
40. A.J. Dillon (RB - GB)
41. Damien Harris (RB - NE)
42. Zack Moss (RB - BUF)
43. Devin Singletary (RB - BUF)
44. Gus Edwards (RB - BAL)
45. Tevin Coleman (RB - NYJ)
46. Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB - SF)
47. Tarik Cohen (RB - CHI)
48. Jamaal Williams (RB - DET)
49. Latavius Murray (RB - NO)
50. Darrell Henderson (RB - LAR)