Give Me Your Top 10 RB's for 2018

[Fountain City Blues]

RB's are always very hard to rank I feel like. I'll opine with my likely terrible list:

1. Gurley
2. Zeke
3. Bell
4. David Johnson
5. Kareem Hunt
6. Alvin Kamara
7. SaQuon Barkley
8. DeVonte Freeman
9. Leonard Fournette
10. Jordan Howard

 

[Across The Field]

Guy is coasting off his college reputation and has been pretty mediocre in the NFL. Gets to run against the Chiefs D and Raiders D twice a year and has yet to hit 4.0 yards per carry in his career.

FootballOutsiders had him 33rd in DVOA last year, 29th the previous year and 43rd the year before.

Guy has also only played for 3 years, and has made tremendous strides in his last 2. Again, that line is absolutely horseshit. Their NFL rank over the last 2 years has been 31 and 24. He's also played for 2 different OC's in 3 years. His arrow is pointed straight up, and I'm buying in on him having a monster 2018.

 

[Across The Field]

Should you be considered top 5, let alone top 10 when your career YPC is less than 4?

He averaged 3.9 YPC last year while Le'Veon Bell averaged 4.0 and is roundly considered 1/2. Don't be obtuse, eric.

 

[Battlelyon]

 

[Clayton]

Guy has also only played for 3 years, and has made tremendous strides in his last 2. Again, that line is absolutely horseshit. Their NFL rank over the last 2 years has been 31 and 24. He's also played for 2 different OC's in 3 years. His arrow is pointed straight up, and I'm buying in on him having a monster 2018.

I did consider him for my top 10 because I think his arrow is pointing up....however..

No Hunter Henry and no Antonio Gates? His arrow might point him way down.

 

[Sam Sportboy]

Kind of surprising he doesn't get more catches. He's entirely capable.

Guise, the dude dropped at least 2 TD's last year ( and he had a couple of drops inside the 5 IIRC). That said, he should be in the top 10 RB's this year IMO.

 

[Sam Sportboy]

Zeke
Gurley
Bell
DJ
Hunt
Kamara
Fournette
Howard
Barkley
Gordon

Guise that could ruin that list: CMac, Cook,Freeman (Atl) and Mixon

 

[Across The Field]

I did consider him for my top 10 because I think his arrow is pointing up....however..

No Hunter Henry and no Antonio Gates? His arrow might point him way down.

It's not like they're hurting for receiver help though. Allen/Williams/Benjamin/Williams is a hell of a WR group, and I couldn't name a single TE for the Rams last year when Gurley blew up.

 

[ericd7633]

Jerome Bettis thinks so!

Joking aside... I think Melvin Gordon is getting overrated for the same reasons he was getting underrated his rookie year. Touchdowns.

Yeah I've never thought of him as a top 10 RB at any point.

 

[ericd7633]

He averaged 3.9 YPC last year while Le'Veon Bell averaged 4.0 and is roundly considered 1/2. Don't be obtuse, eric.

And the 3 previous years Bell was at 4.9, 4.9 and 4.7 YPC. And Bell is a hell of lot better catching RB. I'm honestly not sure why anybody would have him in the top 10?

 

[Clayton]

It's not like they're hurting for receiver help though. Allen/Williams/Benjamin/Williams is a hell of a WR group, and I couldn't name a single TE for the Rams last year when Gurley blew up.

I'm actually a fan of Gerald Everett but thats neither here nor there.

I'm not sure how someone can watch football and think that Gordon is better than Hunt. Thats comparing one of the best tackle breakers in the NFL to one of the worst.

 

[Across The Field]

And the 3 previous years Bell was at 4.9, 4.9 and 4.7 YPC. And Bell is a hell of lot better catching RB. I'm honestly not sure why anybody would have him in the top 10?

Maybe because he was 5th in the league among RBs in yards from scrimmage and 3rd in the league among RBs in overall TDs? Maybe because YPC isn't the most important stat?

 

[Across The Field]

I'm actually a fan of Gerald Everett but thats neither here nor there.

I'm not sure how someone can watch football and think that Gordon is better than Hunt. Thats comparing one of the best tackle breakers in the NFL to one of the worst.

If by worst tackle breaker, you mean 4th best?

 

[ericd7633]

Maybe because he was 5th in the league among RBs in yards from scrimmage and 3rd in the league among RBs in overall TDs? Maybe because YPC isn't the most important stat?

I'm not saying YPC is the most important stat. But you would expect somebody to have a higher career YPC than 3.8 like Gordon does if you put him in the top 10. And my guess is he has those other numbers based on opportunity, not because he's a special talent.

 

[Clayton]

If by worst tackle breaker, you mean 4th best?

I have no idea what metrics you're using but Hunt's numbers are better than Gordon's numbers across the board last year and Hunt's interior oline was complete trash. Heck the Chiefs had to start Cameron Erving for 4 games.

 

[Across The Field]

I'm not saying YPC is the most important stat. But you would expect somebody to have a higher career YPC than 3.8 like Gordon does if you put him in the top 10. And my guess is he has those other numbers based on opportunity, not because he's a special talent.

You're really harping on that one and only one metric. Why only that one? Is it because he's definitely top 10 in every other metric, like yards from scrimmage, total TDs, broken tackles, turnovers, etc?

 

[Across The Field]

I have no idea what metrics you're using but Hunt's numbers are better than Gordon's numbers across the board last year and Hunt's interior oline was complete trash. Heck the Chiefs had to start Cameron Erving for 4 games.

The metric of broken tackles, of which Gordon was 4th in the NFL.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | RotoPass - Broken Tackles

You may be right about having Hunt higher, I would agree with you. I'd just put him above Gordon and move the rest down accordingly.

 

[ericd7633]

You're really harping on that one and only one metric. Why only that one? Is it because he's definitely top 10 in every other metric, like yards from scrimmage, total TDs, broken tackles, turnovers, etc?

Those metrics are opportunity based metrics. If you get the ball more you're going to get more td's, yards, and the opportunity to break more tackles. He wasn't top 10 in YPC, or % of broken tackles. And he only averaged 4.6 yards per touch. I'll give him credit for not be a fumbling machine like he was his rookie season, but that's about it.

 

[Clayton]

The metric of broken tackles, of which Gordon was 4th in the NFL.

FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS: Innovative Statistics, Intelligent Analysis | RotoPass - Broken Tackles

You may be right about having Hunt higher, I would agree with you. I'd just put him above Gordon and move the rest down accordingly.

I had no idea he broke that many tackles. I know coming out of college the knock on him was that he had no functional strength. From what I've seen, my guess is that many of his broken tackles are based on cutting the ball back in the middle and putting defenders on skates.

The reality is that the past two drafts were stacked at RB and even being a top 20 RB in today's NFL is a compliment.

 

[Across The Field]

Those metrics are opportunity based metrics. If you get the ball more you're going to get more td's, yards, and the opportunity to break more tackles. He wasn't top 10 in YPC, or % of broken tackles. And he only averaged 4.6 yards per touch. I'll give him credit for not be a fumbling machine like he was his rookie season, but that's about it.

You're not always going to get more TDs. If you're going to bring up % of broken tackles, then Le'veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, Zeke, Jordan Howard, and Leonard Fournette must be nowhere near the top 10, because they had a lower % of broken tackles.

You're nit-picking here. His overall body of work merits top 10 selection, and again, this is all with beyond a doubt one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.