In case you didn’t know, a PPR league is a fantasy league in which players score one point for every reception they make. This sort of league favors wide receivers and players who make lots of receptions, and don’t forget to account for players who play for offenses that throw the ball a ton. This one simple shift in the way players can score points drastically changes draft strategies and the way you should evaluate player talent. While PPR leagues heavily favor wide outs and tight ends there are still a select few running backs who should be drafted immediately.
Do not forget that running backs still matter and should not be neglected. While there is no denying that wide receivers are the kings of the PPR world, that doesn’t change the fact that you should still do your best to get as many elite running backs as possible. With the extremely limited and often unpredictable nature of the running back position, I would almost always select two running backs in the first four or five rounds in order to eliminate as many questions marks as possible. Especially with the premium on top tier backs who get bulk targets. Many times I have seen people make the mistake of completely ignoring the running back position because they are drafting in a PPR league, and feel their is no talent available. I have seen PPR leagues where 3, 4, even 5 draft picks go by without a single running back having been taken. People are commonly too afraid to draft a running back because they thought that there was no way a running back could score as many points as a wide receiver in a PPR league, but that is simply a misconception.
Did you know that last year David Johnson finished the season having scored over one hundred points more than Antonio brown. In fact, Johnson, Elliot, and Bell all scored more points than the number one fantasy receiver last season, which was of course Antonio Brown. While receivers quickly catch up to and far surpass the value of most running backs in PPR leagues, it only goes to support the indispensable value of these few rare phenomes. There is a top tier of running backs who should still be drafted as early as possible in PPR leagues. They are--in no particular order, David Johnson, Le’veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray, and Devonta Freeman. Once these players are gone feel free to adapt the no RB’s theory if you want, but if you are given the chance to snag these studs do not pass it up! If I could get you to walk away with just one thing from this article, it would be that while the majority of running backs lose value in PPR leagues, that only increases the value of the few who do get plenty of targets and receptions. These players are so rare you cannot put a price tag on them and thus should be taken as soon and often as possible.