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NFL Power Rankings 2020: Ranking every starting running back

By Samuel Teets

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 01: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers before their game against the Washington Redskins at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 01: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers before their game against the Washington Redskins at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /
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Alvin Kamara, NFL Power Rankings (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Alvin Kamara, NFL Power Rankings (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

6. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

The Saints selected Alvin Kamara in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He immediately made an impact, leading the league in yards per carry and winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Kamara saw more touches in his second season, and the Tennessee product amassed 1,592 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns.

Kamara is a fantasy football player’s dream, especially in PPR (points per reception) leagues. However, he took a step back this past season. Perhaps missing Drew Brees for five games had a larger impact than expected. Whatever changed, Kamara’s yards per reception tanked from 2017 to 2019.

Kamara recorded 81 receptions in each of his first three seasons. Despite keeping that consistency, his receiving numbers continue declining. He produced 826 receiving yards as a rookie followed by 709 in 2018 and 533 last season. Since he doesn’t get a feature running back’s workload on the ground, the loss of receiving yards made a significant dent in his yards from scrimmage.

While the Saints still went 13-3 this past season, Kamara totaled the fewest yards (1,330) and touchdowns (six) of his career. In previous seasons, he might still qualify for a top-five spot in the running back hierarchy. However, the emergence of several new superstars pushed the versatile running back down to sixth in my rankings.

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