Fantasy Football: Top 15 Running Backs to Target in 2019
By Cullen Jekel
FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACKS TO TARGET IN 2019
NUMBER 4 – CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY
Initially, I had Christian McCaffrey outside the Top Five, but I swapped him for Gurley due to McCaffrey being younger (23 versus 25 when the season starts), less wear-and-tear (McCaffrey’s touched the ball 503 times in two seasons versus Gurley’s touching the ball 1,229 times in four seasons) and overall receiving numbers.
More on that last one.
In 2018, McCaffrey was the league’s only running back to finish in the top ten in receptions, with 107, which was 16 more than the next running back on the list. McCaffrey’s 867 receiving yards led all running backs by a huge margin as the next tailback on the list was New England’s James White with 751.
Finally, McCaffrey finished third among running backs in receiving touchdowns with six, one behind both White and Kareem Hunt.
In 2019, McCaffrey should continue that solid work in the receiving game while building on his rushing game, something he’s done both of his seasons in the NFL, as he went from 435 yards and two rushing touchdowns his rookie season to 1,098 yards and seven rushing touchdowns in 2018. As his rushing and receiving numbers increase, so too will his overall number of touchdowns.
Even if you’re in a standard league, McCaffrey is an incredible option as an RB1. He’s a must-have if you’re in a PPR league.