Bob Lung shares the most consistent running backs of 2022 and his projected rankings for 2023. Follow him @bob_lung
The running back position is not as dominant as it has been in the past. In the first five rounds in the 2023 drafts, approximately 15-18 running backs are being picked in the first 60 picks overall. That’s down from the 25-30 over the past few years. That wasn’t always the case, as you will note below, the trends below regarding the decline of the super-stud backs (scoring based on PPR).
2002 – 2009 (8 years) – Number of RB’s over 300 points in one season = 35 running backs
2002 – 2009 (8 years) – Number of RB’s over 400 points in one season = 5 running backs
2021 – 2009 (12 years) – Number of RB’s over 300 points in one season = 36 running backs
2021 – 2009 (12 years) – Number of RB’s over 400 points in one season = 2 running backs
In 2022, there was once again zero running backs over 400 points. There were only four running backs over 300 points. Austin Ekeler, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry.
With the shift towards more receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks being picked in the first five rounds, finding quality consistent backs after that can be troublesome. This is where the Clutch Games and consistency play a key role in identifying the consistently excellent backs that can help you win a championship versus the very good, yet inconsistent, backs that will cause you headaches.
Let’s look at those running backs ranked in their projected Tier for 2023 and show you their 2022 total points and consistency and where they ranked in those categories in 2022.
So, let’s start with the top tier of running backs.
