Fantasy Football Conference Championship Running Back Rankings
Ted shares his Half-PPR rankings of the best fantasy football running back options for the Conference Championship round of the NFL playoffs.
Welcome back to my playoff fantasy football running back breakdowns! Just like last week, I will be breaking down all fantasy-relevant running backs into Half-PPR rankings and tiers. Unfortunately, last week was a running back massacre, and we have lost all but two of the seven names that filled my top two tiers last week. With four teams left, we would hope to have at least four solid options, but we may not even have that. On the other hand, these committees do mean we have more at least useable options than you might expect for a two-game slate. With that in mind, let’s dive right into the rankings.
Sync your league with the Fantasy Assistant to get rankings, waiver help, trade suggestions, optimal lineups, and more. Not sure Who You Should Start? We can help. Utilize our fantasy football trade analyzer to make sure you’re getting the best value.
Tier 1: Gods Among Men
1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
I don’t think I need to justify this one. The most talented back left in the playoffs with by far the best workload and by far the best matchup, Saquon might literally outscore every other RB on this slate combined.
Tier 2: James Cook
2. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
For most of the season, I doubted Cook’s ability to keep providing RB1 numbers, as his workload was fairly mediocre for a lead back. At this stage of the playoffs, that workload is clearly the second-best remaining. Cook is nowhere near Saquon in terms of usage, but he did handle 20 of the Bills’ 30 RB opportunities in the Divisional Round. Combine that with the elite efficiency he has provided all year, and he is the obvious RB2 on this slate despite a very tough matchup with the Chiefs’ defense.
Tier 3: Chiefs, Commanders, & Ty Johnson
3. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
After starting the season without an NFL job, Hunt is now the clear lead RB on a Chiefs team that is favored to punch their ticket to a third straight Super Bowl on Sunday. Isiah Pacheco has been very inefficient since his return from injury, allowing the veteran Hunt to lead the Chiefs’ backfield. He has essentially zero explosiveness at this point, but he is capable of churning out yards. He out-carried Pacheco eight to five last week, including converting the team’s only goal-line carry. He also posted a non-negligible 26% route participation rate to go with one target — that receiving work might expand against a Bills team that led the league in receiving yards allowed to running backs during the season.
4. Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
This is probably my most controversial pick of this article, ranking Ekeler above his Washington teammate. After all, Brian Robinson easily outscored the veteran last week, racking up 19.7 Half-PPR points thanks largely to two goal-line TDs. However, I don’t expect the Commanders to find much success on the ground against an elite Eagles defense this week. They will also likely be playing from behind, as they are six-point underdogs. Both of these factors favor Ekeler, who is Washington’s preferred receiving back. Coming off a week in which he posted four targets on a 41% route participation rate, I expect Ekeler’s receiving workload to make up for his lack of rushing volume (he saw just six carries for a 24% RB rush share last week).
5. Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
With all that said, Robinson is essentially just as good of a play as Ekeler (and he's better in Standard formats). Last week, he handled 15 carries for a 60% RB rush share, including those two aforementioned goal-line looks. Especially if the Commanders can keep this one relatively close, Robinson should see enough carries to have a useable outing.
6. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
As mentioned, Pacheco has clearly not been himself since returning from the broken fibula that sidelined him for much of the regular season. The Chiefs have realized this, too, as they are cutting down touches for their former lead back. Last week, Pacheco saw just five carries (a 38% RB rush share) to go with one target. Especially with Andy Reid replacing the RB rush game with quick passes and screens, being the 1B in this backfield isn’t a particularly valuable role. With all that said, Pacheco still has a clear role in the Chiefs’ offense, which lands him this spot.
7. Ty Johnson, Buffalo Bills
There’s a real argument that Johnson should be ranked above Pacheco as the RB6. After all, the former Jet actually played a higher snap share (34%) than Pacheco (30%) last week. He also saw the same number of carries (five) and targets (one). This was coming off a Wild Card game in which Johnson’s sliding TD catch was the play of the day for the Bills. However, I’m not quite willing to move Johnson up at this point. There’s a non-zero chance that Pacheco will serve as the Chiefs’ lead RB, and the same cannot be said for Johnson. Johnson also has a lower floor, as he had multiple games this season with zero carries and just a target or two. Still, at this point in the playoffs, Johnson is a near lock to see at least a handful of touches, which can’t be said for anyone remaining on this list.
Tier 4: Backups & Third-Down Backs
8. Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs
We are already reaching true desperation options here. Perine didn’t record a single fantasy point in the Chiefs’ win over the Texans last week. However, he did tie Hunt for the backfield lead with eight routes for a 26% route participation rate, as well as seeing one target. Especially given the Bills’ weakness against receiving backs, Perine’s passing-down role could lead him to record a catch or three in what should be a competitive game.
9. Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders
Of the backs remaining to be ranked, McNichols had by far the highest Divisional Round snap rate (with one exception we will get to later) at 19%. He also handled four carries, including a goal-line look that he converted into a touchdown. If anything, he deserves to be higher on this list.
10. Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
Davis is very similar to McNichols in that his main draw is the fact that he scored a goal-line TD last week. This far down the list on a two-game slate, even the hint of TD equity is something we want to jump at. However, Davis also only played five snaps in the Divisional Round, although he did carry the ball on all but one of those snaps. He slides in as the final RB in my top 10, with upside for more if his role expands as he is another week removed from the concussion protocol.
11. Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
Gainwell essentially only sees the field when Saquon needs a break, which hasn’t been often so far in these playoffs. Last week, Gainwell finished with one rush attempt and one target on five snaps. In the Wild Card round, he played twice as many snaps but still saw just three carries and no targets. Barring something unforeseen (an injury to Barkley or a blowout for the Eagles), that is more or less the usage we can expect from Gainwell … and that’s enough to make him the final member of the “will actually touch the ball” tier.
Tier 5: Fullbacks
12. Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs
Remember when Carson Steele was going to take over as the Chiefs’ starting RB? After his brief moment in the sun, the UDFA has returned to serving a traditional fullback role in Kansas City’s offense. Outside of Week 18, in which the Chiefs rested their starters, he hasn’t touched the ball on offense since Week 12. With that said, he played three snaps last week, and I wouldn’t put it past Andy Reid to dial up at least one fullback dive. Don’t get me wrong, Steele probably scores zero points in over 50% of scenarios … but he’s still the best option left.
13. Reggie Gilliam, Buffalo Bills
Gilliam actually posted a very respectable 19% snap rate last week. But the fullback, who is actually still listed as a tight end on Pro Football Reference, recorded a grand total of three carries for seven yards this season. On the bright side, he did run a single route last week. Maybe the former tight end gets his number called for a sneaky screen? I doubt it, but you never know.
Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.