Saints Remain No. 1, Steelers Crack Top 5
I had a friend recently ask me about my thoughts on the continued Le’Veon Bell-Steelers saga and the first thought that came into my mind was that neither side comes out of this as losers.
Le’Veon Bell led the NFL in carries with 321 in 2017, a hefty load for a running back that has dealt with injuries in the past. Probably even more astonishing is that he did that in just 15 games played last season, he also caught the ball 85 times, an additional pounding on his body.
Add that number up, Bell seemed to be getting punished last season more than being looked at as a workhorse back with 406 touches. At only 26-years-old, Bell is looking out for his own well-being and with his family in mind.
On the Steelers side, you look at paying a guy a $14.5 million for a year as a fully negotiable and realistic deal, specifically for a position that doesn’t age well in the NFL anymore.
There are movers in this week’s NFL power rankings, with Tennessee making the biggest leap following a 34-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots, who also fell behind in the rankings.
We will be looking at all 32 teams and their backfield leaders this season. Running backs who have carried the load for their football teams this season, whether as a pass catcher, rusher, or both.
Much like last week, you’ll notice the good teams are the teams with a strong presence at running back and the bad teams are the teams who don’t.
Let’s get started!
1. New Orleans Saints (8-1)
Alvin Kamara is leading the charge for the Saints with 546 rushing yards, but it’s his dynamic ability as a pass catcher that makes him special. Kamara has 55 receptions and 473 receiving yards, both ranking third and second in the NFL respectively among running backs this season.
2. Los Angeles Rams (9-1)
Leading the NFL in rushing yards (988) and touchdowns (13), Todd Gurley is having an even better 2018 to this point than he did last year when he finished with 1,305 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
Hunt is fourth in the NFL in rushing, but maybe even more so impressive is that he’s got an NFL-best six receiving touchdowns at running back. He could realistically finish the season with 10 touchdown runs and receptions this season.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2-1)
James Conner has filled in quite well for Le’Veon Bell. I mean, all he’s done is run for 771 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season.
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-2)
What’s impressive about Melvin Gordon this season. When looking at his body of work, it’s hard not to drool over his 5.4 yards per carry, which ranks tied for second among running backs, minimum 110 carries.
6. New England Patriots (7-3)
Sony Michel has two 100-yard games this season, but “pass catching” back James White has been New England’s most important back. White leads all running backs in receptions (66) and receiving yards (562) while scoring 10 touchdowns, already a career-high.
7. Chicago Bears (6-3)
Jordan Howard is the lumber and Tarik Cohen is the man that makes the Bears pass offense dynamic. The second-year running back has 37 receptions for 435 receiving yards this season.
8. Carolina Panthers (6-3)
A prototypical do-it-all back, Christian McCaffrey has 1,018 total yards from scrimmage this season to go along with eight total touchdowns.
9. Houston Texans (6-3)
Lamar Miller does what the Texans need him to do and he’s consistent, averaging well over four yards per carry this season.
10. Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1)
The Vikings rushing attack has struggled for much of the season, but Latavius Murray has picked things up for Minnesota in recent weeks. He has five touchdowns this season.
11.Tennessee Titans (5-4)
Dion Lewis is Tennessee’s leading rusher, but he is only averaging 3.5 yards per carry, a huge fall from last season’s 5.0 yards per carry output.
12. Washington Redskins (6-3)
It’s been a rewind the clock kind of season for Adrian Peterson, who ranks fifth in rushing yards with 672 this season.
13. Green Bay Packers (4-4-1)
Aaron Jones is averaging a league-best 6.8 yards per carry this season, albeit that number has come on just 73 rushing attempts.
14. Philadelphia Eagles (4-5)
The Eagles rushing attack is among the worst in the NFL, but that’s mostly because they’re a pass heavy team. Wendell Smallwood, the team’s leading rusher, has 261 rushing yards on just 62 attempts.
15. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)
Marlon Mack is the running back the Colts have needed for years. He’s rush for 125+ yards in consecutive games this season and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
16. Dallas Cowboys (4-5)
Ezekiel Elliot is fourth in the NFL in rushing this season with 680 rushing yards and has provided a spark in the pass game with 35 receptions for 262 receiving yards.
17. Atlanta Falcons (4-5)
Tevin Coleman has filled in nicely for the injured Devonta Freeman, averaging 4.2 yards per carry while scoring six total touchdowns, four of them being of the receiving variety.
18. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
Seattle has a three-headed monster at running back with Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and Mike Davis, all of whom have helped lead Seattle to the second ranked rushing offense in the NFL.
19. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
Joe Mixon is plenty explosive, as illustrated by his 4.9 yards per carry. His 81.4 rushing yards per game is sixth in the NFL.
20. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
The Ravens can’t run the football, a big reason they’ve lost three straight. Alex Collins is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry while fumbling the ball three times.
21. Miami Dolphins (5-5)
Frank Gore leads the Dolphins in rushing with 528 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per carry, but one odd nugget is that he has not scored a rushing touchdown this season.
22. Cleveland Browns (3-6-1)
Nick Chubb would be running away with offensive Rookie of the Year if not for some guy in New York and Calvin Ridley. Chubb is averaging 6.2 yards per carry and just set a Browns franchise record with a 92-yard touchdown run last Sunday.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6)
T.J. Yeldon has filled in for an injured Leonard Fournette for much of the season, rushing for 346 rushing yards on 4.1 yards per carry.
24. Detroit Lions (3-6)
Kerryon Johnson has 554 rushing yards on 5.4 yards per carry, something that’s a pleasant sight in Detroit.
25. Denver Broncos (3-6)
Speaking of Offensive Rookie of the Year, Phillip Lindsay has thrown his hat in there as well. Lindsay leads all rookies with 591 rushing yards this season. He’s also averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6)
Peyton Barber is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry this season, but he’s still commanded most of Tampa Bay’s workload out of the backfield this season.
27. Buffalo Bills (3-7)
LeSean McCoy is mired in the worst season of his NFL career with an average of 3.4 yards per carry. The running back has been held under 30 yards rushing five times this season.
28. San Francisco 49ers (2-8)
Matt Breida is sneaky good for the San Francisco 49ers, averaging 5.6 yards per carry while ripping off eight runs of 20+ yards, tied for first in the NFL.
29. New York Jets (3-7)
Isaiah Crowell leads the Jets with 552 rushing yards, but he’s been mostly unable to find room over his past five games as he has rushed for less than 30 yards in three of those games.
30. New York Giants (2-7)
Saquon Barkley leads all rookies in yards from scrimmage with 1,116. In addition to that, he is also second in the NFL in receptions (62) for all running backs.
31. Arizona Cardinals (2-7)
David Johnson is not having the kind of season anyone who drafted him in fantasy football would have imagined, but the reality is Johnson’s 3.4 yards per carry is a product of one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines this season.
32. Oakland Raiders (1-8)
Marshawn Lynch has not played a game since October 14th, but he’s still Oakland’s leading rusher with 376 rushing yards as a groin injury will keep him out for the season.
What are your thoughts on this week’s NFL power rankings? Leave your comments below!