The RB position has seen quite a bit of a dramatic shift over recent years. After being viewed as cornerstone selections in fantasy football drafts for multiple decades, WRs have now taken priority for fantasy managers in the first round due to their stability and reliability.
However, that doesn’t mean that we should completely forget about the RB position for fantasy football. While there is certainly a bit more volatility compared to other positions, if you can identify the next breakout player, there’s a massive advantage over everyone else in your league.
With that in mind, here are my top 100 RB rankings for fantasy football heading into 2023, along with some key players that I’m excited to draft. Let’s get to it.
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2023 Fantasy Football RB Rankings
1) Christian McCaffrey | SF
2) Austin Ekeler | LAC
3) Saquon Barkley | NYG
4) Bijan Robinson | ATL
5) Nick Chubb | CLE
6) Tony Pollard | DAL
7) Derrick Henry | TEN
8) Josh Jacobs | LV
9) Joe Mixon | CIN
10) Jonathan Taylor | IND
11) Aaron Jones | GB
12) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX
13) J.K. Dobbins | BAL
14) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET
15) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE
16) Alexander Mattison | MIN
17) Najee Harris | PIT
18) David Montgomery | DET
19) Kenneth Walker III | SEA
20) Dalvin Cook | NYJ
21) Miles Sanders | CAR
22) Dameon Pierce | HOU
23) D’Andre Swift | PHI
24) Cam Akers | LAR
25) Breece Hall | NYJ
26) Javonte Williams | DEN
27) Khalil Herbert | CHI
28) James Conner | ARI
29) Isiah Pacheco | KC
30) Rachaad White | TB
31) Alvin Kamara | NO
32) James Cook | BUF
33) AJ Dillon | GB
34) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS
35) Rashaad Penny | PHI
36) Antonio Gibson | WAS
37) Damien Harris | BUF
38) Samaje Perine | DEN
39) Elijah Mitchell | SF
40) Zach Charbonnet | SEA
41) Tyler Allgeier | ATL
42) Ezekiel Elliott | NE
43) Jamaal Williams | NO
44) Kendre Miller | NO
45) Jerick McKinnon | KC
46) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA
47) Raheem Mostert | MIA
48) Jaylen Warren | PIT
49) D’Onta Foreman | CHI
50) Devin Singletary | HOU
51) De’Von Achane | MIA
52) Tank Bigsby | JAX
53) Jerome Ford | CLE
54) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI
55) Chuba Hubbard | CAR
56) Gus Edwards | BAL
57) Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL
58) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC
59) Roschon Johnson | CHI
60) Leonard Fournette | FA
61) Zamir White | LV
62) Kareem Hunt | FA
63) Joshua Kelley | LAC
64) Chase Edmonds | TB
65) Zach Evans | LAR
66) Isaiah Spiller | LAC
67) Tyjae Spears | TEN
68) Michael Carter | NYJ
69) D’Ernest Johnson | JAX
70) Ke’Shawn Vaughn | TB
71) Chase Brown | CIN
72) James Robinson | NYG
73) Israel Abanikanda | NYJ
74) Pierre Strong Jr. | NE
75) Boston Scott | PHI
76) Kyren Williams | LAR
77) Kenyan Drake | IND
78) Zack Moss | IND
79) Zonovan Knight | NYJ
80) JaMycal Hasty | JAX
81) Jordan Mason | SF
82) Matt Breida | NYG
83) Hassan Haskins | TEN
84) Tyrion Davis-Price | SF
85) Latavius Murray | BUF
86) Sean Tucker | TB
87) Ronald Jones II | DAL
88) Chris Evans | CIN
89) DeWayne McBride | MIN
90) Deuce Vaughn | DAL
91) Salvon Ahmed | MIA
92) Evan Hull | IND
93) DeeJay Dallas | SEA
94) Melvin Gordon III | BAL
95) Darrel Williams | NO
96) Myles Gaskin | MIA
97) Dontrell Hilliard | FA
98) Darrell Henderson Jr. | FA
99) Deneric Prince | KC
100) Malik Davis | DAL
Which RBs Should You Draft in 2023?
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
The excuses for not drafting Mixon in fantasy football this season kept popping up, and one by one, they’ve all disappeared. Fantasy managers were comfortable leaving Mixon with an RB15 ADP for the majority of the offseason due to the belief that he would be released from the team, but he restructured his contract and will be a Bengal for 2023.
Mixon gets a big gain pic.twitter.com/vhKBwUbQS0
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) August 10, 2023
Additionally, Mixon was facing an off-the-field legal situation that would have potentially resulted in a suspension by the NFL, which fantasy managers were wary of, but he was found not guilty this past week.
Yet, Mixon’s ADP continues to remain laughably low. While it’s unknown where exactly he’ll go off the board in your home league, the discount on a workhorse RB in one of the league’s best offenses is incredible.
Where Mixon is going in drafts allows you to hammer WR early in your first two rounds and then secure him in the third round. In some instances, you may even be able to get him in the fourth round! Don’t overthink it; Mixon’s in line for a monster workload this season.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Montgomery has put some solid fantasy seasons on display in the past, but managers seem to be completely out on the veteran RB now that he’s in a new offense in Detroit. However, this could easily be the season where Montgomery defies expectations and dramatically outperforms his ADP.
Jamaal Williams was a fantasy star last season due to his role in this high-powered Lions offense. While he was known for his touchdown production in 2022, he also put up over 1,000 rushing yards running behind one of the best offensive lines in the league.
Montgomery now slides into Williams’ vacated role, and he’s expected to be the thunder to Jahmyr Gibbs’ lightning. With Gibbs expected to be moved around the formation as a receiver to compensate for the thin WR depth chart, Montgomery should easily see 15+ touches per game this season.
If that’s the case, in an offense that spent a ton of time in the red zone last season, Montgomery could surpass all of our expectations and be a league-winner in 2023.
AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers
Dillon was a hot name going into fantasy drafts in 2022, but he didn’t exactly live up to expectations over the first part of the season, and he was subsequently dropped onto the majority of waiver wires.
However, down the stretch of last season, Dillon was a touchdown-scoring machine, and he helped carry many fantasy rosters to a championship based on his performances. And yet, he continues to fly under the radar again in 2023.
Back in 2018, Matt LaFleur was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee, and he showed that his coaching philosophy was to lean on the run game and control the pace of play. Now that Aaron Rodgers is out of town — and LaFleur has full control of this offense — we could easily see that same strategy deployed this season.
This means that Dillon could be in line for a massive workload this year as Green Bay attempts to be toward the top of the league in terms of total rush attempts. At the RB position, you’re looking for consistent production, and Dillon could easily see 15+ rush attempts each week this year, which makes him a value in drafts currently.