The running back position is devaluing more and more each year. That said, having a game-changing runner in your backfield still makes winning a lot easier. You still need a balanced offense to win in today’s pass-happy NFL league.
With that said, let’s dive into our 2023 edition of all 32 teams’ RB1s from WORST to FIRST.
32. Rachaad White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Tampa Bay had the league’s worst rushing offense in 2022, averaging a woeful 76.9 yards on the ground per game. Their leading rusher of 2022, Leonard Fournette, was released following a down year.
That makes White the lead RB in Tampa’s backfield. He averaged 3.7 yards per carry and had just 481 rushing yards and one rushing TD last season.
31. Raheem Mostert (Miami Dolphins)
Having an injury-prone 31-year-old as your lead RB is an interesting call, to say the least. But Mostert did produce last year in South Beach, rushing for a career high 891 yards to go along with three TDs.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Mostert ranks low here because Jeff Wilson Jr. and rookie De’Von Achane figure to get their fair share of touches in Mike McDaniels’ RB-by-committee system.
30. James Cook (Buffalo Bills)
As a No. 2 RB last year behind Devin Singletary, Cook had 507 rushing yards. If Buffalo gives him the vast majority of carries, Cook could exceed 1,000 yards.
But Sean McDermott will run Josh Allen a lot, and veterans Damien Harris and Latavius Murray will likely get a decent workload as well.
29. Cam Akers (Los Angeles Rams)
Akers suited up for 15 games last season and turned in his best campaign yet, rushing for 786 yards and seven touchdowns.
With Matthew Stafford coming off an injury-filled year, you do wonder if Sean McVay will want to transition to a more balanced offense…which could mean another career year for Akers.
28. James Conner (Arizona Cardinals)
Conner has rushed for over 700 yards in three consecutive seasons, but it’s his production in the passing game that makes him a fantasy darling. He exceeded 1,000 yards of offense in both 2021 and 2022, posting a career-high 18 total touchdowns in the former year.
Conner only ranks this low because you figure his production will drop with Kyler Murray still sidelined. Opposing offenses will likely stack the box a lot more on Conner and the ground game and who ever is the Cards qb.. LOL
27. Javonte Williams (Denver Broncos)
Williams unfortunately suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 of last season. We saw what he’s capable of back in 2021, when he rushed for 903 yards as a rookie.
A Sean Payton-coached offense will always run the ball aplenty. Williams could easily hit 1K if he’s healthy, but the injury concern and the signing of Samaje Perine leaves us unsure of just how much action he’ll see.
26. Alexander Mattison (Minnesota Vikings)
As an understudy to Dalvin Cook, Mattison put up over 400 yards rushing in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Now that Cook is with Aaron Rodgers in Gotham, Mattison is the undisputed RB1 in Minnesota.
That said, it’s unfair to put him any higher than this since Mattison has yet to endure the workload of a starting running back.
25. Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs)
Pacheco was one of the biggest surprises of 2022. The seventh-round pick out of Utah emerged as KC’s lead running back and finished with 830 yards and five touchdowns — helping KC to their second Super Bowl title in four years.
Thing is, KC will always be a pass-first offense with Patrick Mahomes. And Andy Reid loves giving his RBS a share of the pie. Don’t forget they still have 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
24. Brian Robinson Jr. (Washington Commanders)
In just 12 games last season, Robinson Jr. rushed for 797 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If he plays a full season, who knows just how far Robinson Jr. will go.
But we also can’t sleep on fourth-year product Antonio Gibson. He’s two years removed from a 1K season, so Ron Rivera could very well split the workload between the two.
23. Khalil Herbert (Chicago Bears)
Incredibly, Herbert had 731 rushing yards in 2022 — and that wasn’t even top-two on his team. QB Justin Fields actually led the way with 1,143, with David Montgomery behind him at 801.
In terms of skill, Herbert would be higher on this list. But you just know that Fields and newcomer D’Onta Foreman — who rushed for 914 yards last season — will get a ton of carries as well.
22. Miles Sanders (Carolina Panthers)
Sanders was fifth in rushing last season with 1,269 yards — helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl 57 appearance. Philly let Sanders walk to free agency, and he inked a four-year deal with Carolina.
But we’re a bit skeptical about how Sanders will perform in Carolina. Philly has football’s best o-line and could make any RB look good. How will Sanders perform behind a shaky Panthers’ offensive line with a rookie QB in Bryce Young? It’s those questions that keep him out of the top 20 for now.
21. Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
We thought the Lions would call it a day after signing David Montgomery, but they shocked the world by using the No. 12 pick in this year’s draft on Gibbs.
The Alabama product has yet to take a snap, but we’re simply assuming that Dan Campell will make this do-it-all workhorse the focal point of Detroit’s offense. He exceeded 1,200 yards of offense in each of his last two college seasons, and the Lions must be expecting something similar of Gibbs this year considering how early he was drafted.
20. D'Andre Swift (Philadelphia Eagles)
Swift should be a fascinating fit in Detroit. He rushes for around 500-600 yards a season but remains a consistent threat for 1,000 yards of offense.
We’d like to have Swift higher, but free agent pickup Rashaad Penny — if healthy — could easily take over the starting duties from Swift.
19. Rhamondre Stevenson (New England Patriots)
The second-year product rushed for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns last season, taking over Damien Harris’ spot as New England’s lead RB.
Stevenson was also a beast in the receiving game, racking up 69 catches for 421 yards and a touchdown. But as great as Stevenson is, there’s no doubt in our mind that Bill Belichick will give Ezekiel Elliott a giant workload as well.
18. Joe Mixon (Cincinnati Bengals)
Mixon’s days as a top 10 running back are over, but he was still more than reliable for the Bengals last season. Despite missing three games, he had 814 yards rushing and 1,255 yards of offense and nine total touchdowns.
Joe Burrow has three prolific wideouts to feed the ball to, so Mixon’s role will likely continue to reduce a bit here in 2023. But if healthy, he’ll give Zac Taylor and fantasy football users solid-enough production to retain the RB1 spot.
17. Dameon Pierce (Houston Texans)
Pierce was one of the best draft steals of last year’s class, recording 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a hapless Houston team. Had he not missed four games, Pierce just might have finished as a top-five rusher.
No reason to believe Pierce will regress in 2023. CJ Stroud can only be an upgrade over Davis Mills, so if anything else, Pierce’s production should increase — especially in the receiving game.
16. Travis Etienne Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Etienne Jr. missed his entire rookie season but came back with a force in 2022, rushing for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns while also racking up 35 catches for 316 yards.
Kudos to Doug Pederson for unlocking the sky-high potential of both Trevor Lawrence and Etienne Jr. This is a pass-heavy offense in Duval County, but Etienne Jr. has the skill set to be a top 5-10 RB in short time. His encore should not disappoint.
15. J.K. Dobbins (Baltimore Ravens)
He’s only played 23 career games up to this point, but Dobbins has been an absolute beast when healthy. Dobbins has averaged a ridiculous 5.9 yards per carry through two seasons, totaling 1,325 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Pretty impressive when you consider that Lamar Jackson and Gus Edwards get plenty of carries, too. But with Baltimore transitioning to a more pass-heavy offense this year.
14. Dalvin Cook (New York Jets)
The Vikings released Cook to save cap room, but we have little reason to believe he’s past his best-before date. Cook has rushed for over 1,100 yards in four straight seasons. Since 2019, only Derrick Henry has more rushing yards and rushing scores than Cook.
The Jets are optimistic that Breece Hall will be ready for Week 1, so that’s something to monitor. But how could Robert Saleh not go with a four-time Pro Bowler still in his prime as the lead RB? And with Aaron Rodgers captaining the offense, Cook will have a million opportunities to stuff the stat sheet across the board.
13. Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pretty impressive to see Harris put up strong numbers despite having lackluster QB play to help him over each of the last two seasons.
Harris hasn’t missed a game and crossed 1,000 yards rushing in both 2021 and 2022, recording 14 total rushing TDs over that span. If Kenny Pickett can improve as a passer, it will draw up more holes from the defense for Harris to exploit.
It feels like peak Najee Harris hasn’t arrived yet. Maybe this is the year?
12. Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks)
Walker came as advertised for Seattle, rushing for 1,050 yards and nine TDs despite missing two games. That was only the start of something special for Walker, who should contend for the rushing title if it all comes together here in 2023.
11. Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons)
This might seem too high for a guy with zero NFL snaps. But Robinson was viewed as the best RB in this draft for a reason. And there’s also a logical explanation for Atlanta going off the board to take Robinson 8th overall.
It’s because the Falcons are coached by Arthur Smith, the innovative offensive master who has helped Derrick Henry, Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier all emerge as all-star running backs.
Atlanta has lined up Robinson at wide receiver, too. You just know he’s going to get a million touches in Smith’s offense, even if Atlanta already has a 1K rusher in Allgeier on the roster.
Robinson is definitely RB1, and he could even put up 500-something receiving yards here. Buy the hype, fantasy players.
10. Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys)
Pollard’s potential is limitless. He led Dallas in rushing last season with 1,007 yards despite having 38 less carries than Ezekiel Elliott. With the two-time rushing champion gone, Pollard is the undisputed RB1 in Dallas.
And playing behind a top-five o-line? Who knows how much Pollard could go off here in 2023?
9. Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers)
This TD machine is third in rushing scores since 2019 with 25. Jones has been a model of consistency for the Packers, with three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and four straight seasons of over 1K yards of offense.
Aaron Rodgers may be gone, and AJ Dillon will again get a plethora of carries as well. But we’ve got no reason to think Jones’ production will regress in 2023.
8. Alvin Kamara (New Orleans Saints)
Kamara will be suspended for the first three games, but in terms of production and talent, he’s still undeniably a top-10 RB.
Even with Drew Brees long gone, Kamara just keeps surpassing 1,300 yards of offense. His carries will drop upon returning because of Jamaal Williams’ arrival, but Kamara will continue to make big-time plays in the ground and passing games.
7. Austin Ekeler (Los Angeles Chargers)
Known more for his damage as a receiver, Ekeler has actually exceeded 900 yards rushing in each of the last two seasons. His 20 TDS from scrimmage in 2021 led the league, as did his 18 for the 2022 season.
Ekeler is just a TD monster and game-wrecker with the ball in his hands. He’s as reliable as they get.
6. Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders)
Feels weird keeping the reigning rushing champion out of the top-5. But Jacobs simply isn’t going to repeat his career year — especially with the Raiders downgrading at quarterback by going from Derek Carr to Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jacobs also left the team after the two sides failed to reach an extension, so it remains to be seen if he’ll actually show up for Week 1. If he does, Jacobs will churn out his usual 1,000-something rushing yards and threaten for double-digit TDs.
5. Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts)
The 2021 rushing champion missed six games last season but still contributed 861 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Taylor, of course, also put up over 1,000 yard rushing as a rookie in 2020.
You know what you’re getting with Taylor here if he’s on the field. Here’s hoping he stays healthy in 2023.
4. Saquon Barkley (New York Giants)
After three straight seasons marred by injury, Barkley got healthy and returned to his all-world form with 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
He’ll remain the focal point of the Giants’ offense if healthy, of course. The injury history is concerning, but Barkley’s 2018 and 2022 seasons are reminders of what he is when on the field: A top-5 RB in the game.
3. Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans)
Henry missed one game but still finished with 1,538 yards rushing — second most in the league. If he played every contest, Henry could have been celebrating his third rushing title in four years.
Henry is still a beast who single-handedly takes over games. He’ll push for 1,500 yards and double-digit TDs as always. Don’t expect his production to slow down here in 2023.
2. Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns)
Chubb played all 17 games last season. Lo and behold, he finished with a career-high 1,525 yards on the ground and 12 rushing TDs.
Chubb gets a top-two spot here because unlike Henry, Jacobs et al, he’s a monster in the passing game too, having exceeded 1,100 yards of offense over each of his first five years. Just a machine of a runner and a rare model of consistency for RBs in today’s NFL.
1. Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers)
Finally! Run CMC was healthy for the first time in three years and reminded everybody that he’s the game’s No. 1 running back when ON THE FIELD.
McCaffrey racked up 1,139 rushing yards and eight rushing scores to go along with 85 receptions for 741 yards and five receiving TDs. Kyle Shanahan helped McCaffrey regain his First-team all-pro like form and reminded the NFL that Run CMC is on his own level when it comes to active running backs.
Can’t wait to see what he does in his first full season with San Fran!
What changes would you make to our rankings for all 32 No. 1 RBs
