2019 Fantasy PPR Rankings: RB

The difference in our standard RB rankings vs. our PPR RB rankings can be seen immediately. Ezekiel Elliott holds down the top spot in standard while Saquon Barkley is our No. 1 running back (and top overall player) in PPR. You can argue Barkley should be at the top of every cheat sheet for standard, too -- or that Christian McCaffrey should be ahead of him in PPR -- but either way, the bottom line is draft strategy, tiers, sleepers, and projections change.

Of course, even if the guys at the top move a couple spots, it's not going to affect your draft all that much. The big differences are seen with risers like Tarik Cohen, James White, and Jerick McKinnon and fallers like Leonard Fournette, Sony Michel, and Derrick Henry. 

2019 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | D/ST | Kicker

First-year PPR owners can overreact to the changes, especially in half-point PPR formats. Yards and touchdowns will still move the needle, but even just a few receptions per game makes a difference in PPR formats. Unfortunately, most "receiving backs" don't score much. Duke Johnson Jr. (3 TDs), Chris Thompson (one in 10 games), Theo Riddick (0), Giovani Bernard (3), Nyheim Hines (4), Jalen Richard (1), and Dion Lewis (2) combined for the same amount of TDs Melvin Gordon scored in 12 games. For a receiving back to vault into the RB2 conversation, they'll need at least eight TDs like Cohen (9) and White (12) scored last season.

However, what receiving backs lack in ceiling, they make up for with some level of consistency. The catches are almost always there, regardless of the defenses they're facing, so their floors are slightly higher. Again, the studs are still the studs, but mid-tier backs can fluctuate dramatically based simply on touchdown luck.

We'll continue to update our RB PPR rankings throughout the preseason, so check back for the latest adjustments. For individual player analysis, go here.

SIGN UP to watch every NFL game and RedZone during the 2019 season on DAZN

Fantasy Football 2019: Running Back PPR rankings

Rankings based on standard scoring leagues