Conference Championship Running Back Rankings, Start/Sit Decisions

There are only four teams left in the NFL playoffs. For the purposes of this article, that means we have an incredibly limited pool of fantasy football running backs to pick from (RIP Christian McCaffrey). 

With that in mind, instead of breaking players into tiers as I have so far this postseason, I'm switching to straight-up running back rankings for the Conference Championship Round. Let's get right into it.

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1. Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks

If I were still dividing players into tiers, Walker would have Tier 1 to himself this week. We have multiple years of evidence that he and Zach Charbonnet both turn into truly elite fantasy backs when the other is absent. 

This includes last week, when Walker racked up 34 half-PPR points after Charbonnet unfortunately tore his ACL in the second quarter. Even against a tough Rams' defense, Walker is clearly the best RB play of the week.

2. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams

Like his NFC Championship opponent, Williams is coming off a huge game, having racked up 25.7 points against the Bears last Sunday. Of course, Seattle's defense is tougher than Chicago's.

But Williams pulled back away from Blake Corum last week as the Rams' clear RB1, finishing with 26 opportunities (21 carries and five targets) to just six (all carries) for his teammate. That kind of workload makes him the second-best RB play on this slate. 

3. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

Even the most rookie-loving fantasy managers have to acknowledge that Stevenson has been the Patriots' best running back over the last few weeks. And his efficiency is being rewarded with volume, serving as the 1A to TreVeyon Henderson's 1B. 

The Broncos' defense is excellent, but the Patriots still have the highest total of the four teams in action this week (probably largely thanks to the fact that Denver is starting Jarrett Stidham with Bo Nix done for the year).

With that in mind, Stevenson is actually fairly close to Williams. But Henderson is far more involved than Corum, so the added competition lands Stevenson at RB3 this week despite his shockingly soft matchup. 

4. RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

The Broncos led for large portions of their Divisional Round game, which was competitive throughout. They were also facing a Buffalo defense that was notoriously weak against the run. And even still, Harvey finished with just six carries for 20 yards. 

This wasn't an issue of Harvey not being the team's RB1. He still easily led the backfield with a 63% snap share, and he was heavily involved in the receiving game. But it's clear that Sean Payton simply doesn't want to lean on his rookie RB on the ground in these must-win scenarios.

Of course, Harvey might be a bigger part of the plan this week with Stidham under center. But the QB switch is still overall a downgrade for Harvey's outlook. He's not a terrible option (especially considering this is a two-game slate), but the rookie is the worst of the four starting backs this week.  

5. TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

From the worst starter, we go straight to the best backup. This one is pretty simple, as Henderson is clearly the most involved RB2 on the four teams left in the playoffs. Combine that with New England's aforementioned high total, and he is easily the fifth-best option this week.

6. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams

With that said, if I were still using tiers for these rankings, Corum would likely just sneak into the same tier as Henderson, a tier that would be called something like “Heavily-Involved Backups.”

Corum was a clear second fiddle last week, but he had only two fewer opportunities (13 to 15) than Williams in the Divisional Round. He's the last player we can genuinely feel confident will see at least a handful of touches.

7. Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos

McLaughlin earns this spot by virtue of having seen four carries and one target in the Broncos' win over Buffalo last week. That's not nothing … but it's also closer to nothing than a real, reliable role.

We are officially into dart-throw territory. McLaughlin isn't someone I'd feel comfortable playing, and the same applies more and more as we continue down this list.

8. George Holani, Seattle Seahawks

Speaking of dart throws, we have a guy with less than 100 career yards who wasn't even healthy last week. There's a real chance that the Seahawks simply give Walker 100% of the touches in their backfield this week.

But if they don't, Holani (assuming he returns from his hamstring injury) is the favorite to see whatever is left over. The chance that he actually sees even 25% of Seattle's carries is enough to land him here.

9. Velus Jones, Seattle Seahawks

If Holani isn't the guy behind Walker, it will be Jones Yes, that Velus Jones Jr., who was selected in the third round of the 2022 draft by the Bears as a wide receiver. Jones has converted to RB, landed with Seattle, and even saw six carries in garbage time of their win over the 49ers last week. 

Is the most likely outcome that Jones doesn't touch the ball on Sunday? Probably. But he's at least an explosive athlete who might see a handful of looks, so that lands him here. 

10. Tyler Badie, Denver Broncos

The 2022 sixth-rounder has consistently played a very small role in the Broncos' offense this season, especially as a receiver. He caught one of two targets for seven yards last week. That's more than can be said for any other RB left, so he's technically a top-10 option this week. 

11. Adam Prentice, Denver Broncos

Prentice is the Broncos' fullback. He recorded a grand total of 16 touches (10 carries and six targets) this season for 97 yards. He failed to catch his only target last week … but he did see a target. 

What if J.K. Dobbins Plays?

The big question mark looming over this list is the availability of Dobbins. The veteran back has been absent since Week 10 with a foot injury, but he returned to practice on Wednesday. There's a chance he is activated from injured reserve prior to Sunday, in which case I would expect him to play a real role in Denver's backfield.

If Dobbins is indeed active, I would move Harvey below Henderson — I'd rather have a 40% backfield share in an offense led by Drake Maye than a 60% share in an offense led by Stidham.

Dobbins himself would then slot in right next to Harvey as either the RB5 or the RB6; which Denver back is above the other would depend on reports on Dobbins' workload. Finally, McLaughlin would slide below the Seattle duo, as his already small role would be headed rapidly toward zero.

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.