However you slice it, running back remains the most important position in fantasy football. Sure, the NFL has become a passing league, but that actually makes drafting productive backs even more important in 2022. Pass-catchers can always be found throughout the season; RB becomes a barren wasteland in no time. In auction leagues, it’s imperative to spend wisely and target value picks so you collect depth and get the most bang for your buck, which is why projected RB dollar values (PPR or standard) are a must-add for any auction cheat sheet.
Everyone’s strategy differs in auction formats because everyone has a chance to “draft” any player. Some owners opt to get two stud backs and then a bunch of sleepers and cheap fliers. Others want one stud, a few mid-tier backs, and some strong handcuffs. Many just want to grab three or four high-upside guys in the second through fourth tiers and hope one or two enjoys a breakout campaign.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet
Whatever your strategy, it’s very important to map it out. How you spend your money on draft day greatly influences how you will finish at the end of the season. Championships are never won on draft day, but it’s also quite rare to win a fantasy title after a poor allocation of your RB budget.
2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
To put it bluntly, you shouldn’t skimp out at running back. It’s the position that becomes scarce the quickest. Every team in every league gobbles up most of the rushing depth before the season begins. RB also has the most substantial tier-to-tier point differentials. In 2020, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, and Dalvin Cook led all backs with combined averages of 20.1 standard points and 23.4 PPR points per game. The Nos. 4 through 7 backs that season averaged 14.5 standard and 17.7 PPR. That’s an almost-six point difference between tiers, and that only gets more pronounced the further down you go.
2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team
Jonathan Taylor was drafted RB10 last season, and he absolutely obliterated the league to finish No. 1 in carries, yards, and touchdowns. He, Najee Harris, Austin Ekeler, and Joe Mixon all topped the standard and PPR leaderboards despite costing between $38 and $48. These backs serve as prime examples of why it’s better to pluck at least one guy out of the top of the pack than it is to secure multiple mid-tier guys in the teens.
2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
There will always be some surprise RB breakouts, often resulting from injuries and increased playing time. That’s why you should always grab a few cheap rookies and handcuffs late. You don’t want to rely on those types of players, though, so a “Zero-RB” strategy, while not quite as risky as in snake drafts, is still a big gamble in auctions.
2022 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Overall
Again, running back dominance is difficult to find after draft day. Simply put, only a small percentage of RBs will receive significant touches, establish weekly efficiency, and stay healthy. So, make the most of your money, find a stud or potential breakout, invest in some young upside, and remember that too much depth at RB is never enough.
2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
We'll be adjusting these standard RB and RB PPR dollar value projections until Week 1, so check back for updates!
To get customized dollar values tailored to your league settings, check out FantasyPros' premium Auction Calculator. For customized mock auctions that you can do in minutes, check out FantasyPros' premium Salary Cap Simulator.
Fantasy RB Auction Values 2022: Running back dollar projections for standard leagues
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
Scoring based on standard, non-PPR formats.
All players not listed valued at $0
| Rank | Player | Dollar Value |
| 1 | Jonathan Taylor, IND | $77 |
| 2 | Derrick Henry, TEN | $65 |
| 3 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | $59 |
| 4 | Christian McCaffrey, CAR | $58 |
| 5 | Joe Mixon, CIN | $48 |
| 6 | Dalvin Cook, MIN | $48 |
| 7 | Najee Harris, PIT | $43 |
| 8 | Alvin Kamara, NO | $41 |
| 9 | Nick Chubb, CLE | $35 |
| 10 | Aaron Jones, GB | $35 |
| 11 | Javonte Williams, DEN | $35 |
| 12 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | $35 |
| 13 | Leonard Fournette, TB | $34 |
| 14 | James Conner, ARI | $34 |
| 15 | D'Andre Swift, DET | $33 |
| 16 | David Montgomery, CHI | $29 |
| 17 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | $27 |
| 18 | J.K. Dobbins, BAL | $27 |
| 19 | Breece Hall, NYJ | $25 |
| 20 | Elijah Mitchell, SF | $24 |
| 21 | Cam Akers, LAR | $24 |
| 22 | Damien Harris, NE | $24 |
| 23 | Josh Jacobs, LV | $23 |
| 24 | Travis Etienne Jr., JAC | $21 |
| 25 | Miles Sanders, PHI | $21 |
| 26 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC | $18 |
| 27 | Rashaad Penny, SEA | $17 |
| 28 | Devin Singletary, BUF | $16 |
| 29 | AJ Dillon, GB | $16 |
| 30 | Tony Pollard, DAL | $16 |
| 31 | Dameon Pierce, HOU | $16 |
| 32 | Antonio Gibson, WAS | $15 |
| 33 | Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL | $14 |
| 34 | Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | $14 |
| 35 | Chase Edmonds, MIA | $12 |
| 36 | Melvin Gordon III, DEN | $11 |
| 37 | Kareem Hunt, CLE | $11 |
| 38 | James Robinson, JAC | $8 |
| 39 | Brian Robinson Jr., WAS | $8 |
| 40 | Michael Carter, NYJ | $8 |
| 41 | Raheem Mostert, MIA | $7 |
| 42 | D. Henderson, LAR | $7 |
| 43 | Ken Walker III, SEA | $7 |
| 44 | James Cook, BUF | $6 |
| 45 | Jamaal Williams, DET | $6 |
| 46 | Kenneth Gainwell, PHI | $5 |
| 47 | Alexander Mattison, MIN | $5 |
| 48 | Mark Ingram II, NO | $5 |
| 49 | Tyler Allgeier, ATL | $4 |
| 50 | Nyheim Hines, IND | $4 |
| 51 | Rachaad White, TB | $4 |
| 52 | J.D. McKissic, WAS | $3 |
| 53 | Zamir White, LV | $3 |
| 54 | Gus Edwards, BAL | $3 |
| 55 | Rex Burkhead, HOU | $3 |
| 56 | Khalil Herbert, CHI | $2 |
| 57 | Isaiah Spiller, LAC | $2 |
| 58 | Marlon Mack, HOU | $1 |
| 59 | Darrel Williams, ARI | $1 |
| 60 | Jerick McKinnon, KC | $1 |
For full standard RB rankings and individual analysis, click here.
Fantasy RB PPR Auction Values 2022: Running back dollar projections
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
Scoring based on full-point PPR formats.
All players not listed valued at $0
| Rank | Player | Dollar Value |
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey, CAR | $63 |
| 2 | Jonathan Taylor, IND | $62 |
| 3 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | $59 |
| 4 | Derrick Henry, TEN | $48 |
| 5 | Dalvin Cook, MIN | $45 |
| 6 | Najee Harris, PIT | $42 |
| 7 | Joe Mixon, CIN | $42 |
| 8 | D'Andre Swift, DET | $40 |
| 9 | Alvin Kamara, NO | $37 |
| 10 | Aaron Jones, GB | $36 |
| 11 | Saquon Barkley, NYG | $35 |
| 12 | Leonard Fournette, TB | $33 |
| 13 | Javonte Williams, DEN | $32 |
| 14 | James Conner, ARI | $28 |
| 15 | David Montgomery, CHI | $27 |
| 16 | Nick Chubb, CLE | $25 |
| 17 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | $23 |
| 18 | Travis Etienne Jr., JAC | $22 |
| 19 | Breece Hall, NYJ | $21 |
| 20 | J.K. Dobbins, BAL | $21 |
| 21 | Josh Jacobs, LV | $20 |
| 22 | Cam Akers, LAR | $19 |
| 23 | Elijah Mitchell, SF | $17 |
| 24 | Tony Pollard, DAL | $15 |
| 25 | Miles Sanders, PHI | $15 |
| 26 | Damien Harris, NE | $14 |
| 27 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC | $14 |
| 28 | Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL | $13 |
| 29 | Devin Singletary, BUF | $12 |
| 30 | Chase Edmonds, MIA | $12 |
| 31 | AJ Dillon, GB | $12 |
| 32 | Dameon Pierce, HOU | $11 |
| 33 | Antonio Gibson, WAS | $11 |
| 34 | Rashaad Penny, SEA | $10 |
| 35 | Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | $10 |
| 36 | Kareem Hunt, CLE | $10 |
| 37 | Melvin Gordon III, DEN | $8 |
| 38 | Michael Carter, NYJ | $7 |
| 39 | James Robinson, JAC | $6 |
| 40 | James Cook, BUF | $5 |
| 41 | Brian Robinson Jr., WAS | $5 |
| 42 | D. Henderson, LAR | $5 |
| 43 | Nyheim Hines, IND | $5 |
| 44 | Kenneth Gainwell, PHI | $5 |
| 45 | Raheem Mostert, MIA | $4 |
| 46 | J.D. McKissic, WAS | $4 |
| 47 | Ken Walker III, SEA | $4 |
| 48 | Jamaal Williams, DET | $4 |
| 49 | Alexander Mattison, MIN | $3 |
| 50 | Mark Ingram II, NO | $3 |
| 51 | Rex Burkhead, HOU | $2 |
| 52 | Rachaad White, TB | $2 |
| 53 | Tyler Allgeier, ATL | $2 |
| 54 | Isaiah Spiller, LAC | $1 |
| 55 | Jerick McKinnon, KC | $1 |
| 56 | Ameer Abdullah, LV | $1 |
For full RB PPR rankings and individual analysis, click here.