The NFL has been riddled with injuries this season, and maybe no position has been more affected than the running backs. Injuries at the top have eliminated Giants star Saquon Barkley for the season and Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey since Week 2. Despite those early injuries, the RB position ranks remain littered with young stars and serious difference-makers early in 2020.
After publishing my top players at tight end last week, I will take a look at the top 25 ball-carriers at the RB spot in a weekly fashion. These running backs will be an evolving group as new stars emerge throughout the season and showcase their wares in the backfield. The faces at the top may look familiar, but this is a deep group that will continue to add names well into Week 7 and beyond.
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2020 NFL Running Back Rankings Week 7 | 25-16
#25 – Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins
One of the bigger surprises on the 2020 season, Gaskin surpassed offseason acquisitions Jordan Howard and Matt Breida on the depth chart and never relinquished Miami’s job. For a smaller back, Gaskin runs with power and catches the ball well for the Dolphins. He continued his early success with 126 total yards against the downtrodden Jets in Week 6. Gaskin makes a surprise entrance and kicks off our top RB rankings.
#24 – Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
Singletary emerged as one of the more versatile NFL running backs for the Bills during the playoff run in 2019. However, he has experienced mixed results as the full-time starter in 2020. Despite the early injury to Zack Moss in Week 2, Singletary has failed to run away with this job. He is still a talented player that will get a chance to showcase his all-around ability in Week 7 against the Jets.
#23 – Todd Gurley, Atlanta Falcons
As a player that scored a combined 40 total touchdowns between the 2017-2018 NFL seasons, Gurley has seen a steady decline in health and production the past two seasons. Now in Atlanta, Gurley remains a productive yet unspectacular presence for the 1-5 Falcons. The 121 rushing yards and a score in Week 5 are a reminder to fans of his upside, but Gurley took a sharp downturn with 20 carries for 47 yards in Week 6 against Minnesota.
#22 – David Johnson, Houston Texans
Since a breakout 2,000-yard season in 2016, David Johnson’s NFL career has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency. He was traded to the Texans before the 2020 season and experienced mixed results with his new team. The talent is obvious, but Johnson’s yards-per-carry average remains low, and his receiving numbers have been pedestrian thus far. If the Texans can find more of a rhythm offensively, that would help Johnson’s outlook moving forward.
#21 – James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
In one of the 2020 NFL season’s better stories, rookie James Robinson has emerged as a top-25 player in the RB rankings and surprise three-down back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. A 2020 undrafted rookie free agent, Robinson got the starting nod following Leonard Fournette’s departure this offseason and never looked back. He has over 550 yards from scrimmage and four total touchdowns through the first six weeks.
#20 – Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals
A former failed third-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins, Drake exploded in the Arizona offense at the end of the 2019 season. He entered 2020 as the starter in a potentially potent offensive unit that has struggled to find their consistency at times this season. Unfortunately, Drake has been outperformed by backup Chase Edmonds at times thus far, but the talent remains for him to turn things around for the Cardinals. His 164-yard effort on Monday Night Football was a step in the right direction.
#19 – Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
As the second all-time leading rusher in the Big Ten football conference, Taylor came into his rookie season with sky-high expectations for Indianapolis. After a Week 1 injury knocked Marlon Mack out for the season, Taylor has taken control of this job and performed admirably. He is the bell cow of the present and future for this Colts team and another impressive rookie RB finding success in 2020. He cracks our top RB rankings in his first season.
#18 – Le’Veon Bell, Kansas City Chiefs
After being stuck in neutral with the hapless Jets for the past few seasons, Bell was released and signed by the Kansas City Chiefs before Week 6. He has a new lease on life and could add an excellent veteran one-two punch alongside the rookie Edwards-Helaire. His first game action will come in Week 7 against the Broncos, and he could climb this list quickly with a good performance.
#17 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
Speaking of Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs’ first-round rookie has performed admirably for the team since his breakout Week 1 performance. He has been steady but unspectacular since heading into the Week 6 game against Buffalo. The team added Bell to jumpstart this running game and Edwards-Helaire responded to the challenge. “CEH” could retain the starting job following his dominant Week 6 performance (161 rushing yards) but could be looking over his shoulder for the rest of the season.
#16 – Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers
Mostert was a player that moved around quite a bit early in his career before bursting onto the scene with San Francisco in 2019. He flashed as a home-run hitter for the NFC Champions and continues to make big plays in 2020. Mostert had some nice runs on Sunday night against the Rams but mostly took a backseat to Jimmy Garoppolo and the passing game.
Continue for the top 15 NFL running backs for 2020.