Projected starter: 1. Jamaal Charles
Backups: 2. Spencer Ware; 3. Charcandrick West; 4. Knile Davis
2016 Outlook: Jamaal Charles is still worthy of a first-round selection in fantasy drafts this year despite the fact that he's coming back from the second ACL tear of his career and will be 30 in December. Concerns about his previous workload wearing on him shouldn't be too much of an issue since his career rush attempt average per game is 13.2. We've seen Charles produce elite fantasy numbers for years without the high volume workloads that guys like Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch have endured. As for Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, who both re-upped their contracts in Kansas City, only Ware warrants a late-round pick. He's scored three goal-line touchdowns in preseason action, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him remain in that role once the regular season starts. For now, Charles is the clear-cut No. 1 and is far and away the best option in this backfield.
Los Angeles Rams:
Projected starter: 1. Todd Gurley
Backups: 2. Benny Cunningham; 3. Malcolm Brown; 4. Terrence Magee
2016 Outlook: Todd Gurley, welcome to Los Angeles. In his second pro season, Gurley is a top-three pick at his position and will be gone in the first round of fantasy drafts. Arguably the most talented running back in the league, Gurley should be fed at least 20 carries per game. With a less-than-exciting outlook in terms of a passing attack, the Rams will have to lean on the run to have a real shot at staying competitive. Gurley averaged an impressive 4.8 yards per carry as a rookie, averaged 14.4 fantasy points per game in standard scoring leagues and ranked third overall in the league in terms of total rushing yards. He's a lock for double-digit touchdowns and 1,200-plus rush yards in 2016. Benny Cunningham is the next man up should Gurley have to miss time, but there are other handcuffs worth drafting over any of the Rams backups.
Miami Dolphins:
Projected starter: 1. Jay Ajayi
Backups: 2. Arian Foster; 3. Isaiah Pead; 4. Damien Williams
2016 Outlook: From what we've seen from Miami's offensive line play this preseason, you might be better off shying away from both Jay Ajayi and Arian Foster in fantasy drafts this season. The backs will unpredictably rotate drives, with Foster (while he's healthy) being the favorite for red-zone work early on. If you do draft Foster, you're also drafting his high injury risk, so keep that in mind. If you draft Ajayi, you'll be getting the better values in terms of ADP. Still, it's probably wise to let these backs be someone else's headache. Unless one of them misses significant time it's going to be a weekly guessing game between the two.
Minnesota Vikings:
Projected starter: 1. Adrian Peterson
Backups: 2. Jerick McKinnon; 3. Matt Asiata; 4. C.J. Ham
2016 Outlook: Even at age 31, Adrian Peterson is a first-round fantasy pick, though in some leagues you might be able to get him in Round 2. He worked on improving is his route-running to become a more complete back this offseason, so we may see him stay on the field for more third downs (he only played on 23 percent of his team's third downs in 2015). You have to love his work ethic and desire to keep improving but considering his age, the Vikings coaching staff could look to manage his touches a bit more this season which means more opportunities for Jerick McKinnon. As the potential heir to Peterson's throne, Minnesota may give McKinnon more run this year to keep All Day fresh and to get him more involved in the offense to groom him for a larger role in seasons to come. Either way, McKinnon, who has looked great in preseason action, can be snagged as a late-round handcuff to Peterson while touchdown vulture Matt Asiata is nothing more than that -- an inefficient short-yardage plow who shouldn't have an impact in fantasy this season. There are definitely worse things than ending up with Peterson on your fantasy squad, even if he's no longer the sexiest looking name to roster.
New England Patriots:
Projected starter: 1. LeGarrette Blount
Backups: 2. James White; 3. Brandon Bolden; 4. Dion Lewis*
2016 Outlook: Here we go again ... trying to predict the Patriots backfield is a fool's game. I know this. You know this. At the very least, we can provide some insight into how things are shaping up as we look ahead to Week 1. Well, things would have been easier if Dion Lewis was 100 percent healthy, but he's not and the team placed him on the PUP list rendering him out until at least Week 7. He'll obviously slip into the very late rounds of drafts because of this, and it's worth wondering if Lewis is even worth a bench stash. With Lewis out, LeGarrette Blount is the de facto "starter" but should be drafted with the caveat that he won't be an effective fantasy running back on a weekly basis because of his touchdown dependency. James White is now a popular name in PPR formats as a deep sleeper but again, we're talking about Patriots' running backs here. Tread with caution on draft day and don't invest too much in any of these guys.
New Orleans Saints:
Projected starter: 1. Mark Ingram
Backups: 2. Tim Hightower; 3. C.J. Spiller; 4. Marcus Murphy
2016 Outlook: Mark Ingram's late Round 2/early Round 3 ADP makes him a solid value pick in the early rounds as he presents RB1 upside if he can stay healthy and start a full 16 games (something he's never done). Ingram received 62 percent of the Saints' rush attempts through the 13 games he played last year -- just below the threshold of what we'd consider a high-level, workhorse-type workload of 70 percent of the team's carries. That kind of volume is becoming rarer in the NFL. If you're feeling lucky, C.J. Spiller is still hanging out in New Orleans. He's no more than a last-round dart throw but may have a more prominent role as a pass-catching back than you think. Tim Hightower remains the No. 2 for handcuff purposes and would likely slide into the early-down role if Ingram does miss time. For now, Ingram is the guy you'll want here while Spiller and Hightower remain waiver-wire guys.
New York Giants:
Projected starter: 1. Rashad Jennings
Backups: 2. Shane Vereen; 3. Andre Williams; 4. Paul Perkins
2016 Outlook: From what we've heard this summer, the Giants are going to (thankfully) stray from the headache-inducing four-headed committee the team employed last season. That is good news, especially for Rashad Jennings who is a ridiculous bargain right now in Round 9. He's in line for the early-down role and will likely be the go-to guy in red-zone situations too, as he was last year with 46 percent of the team's carries inside the 20. Shane Vereen is a late-round option in PPR formats but he's never going to be a between-the-tackles guy, so his ceiling will be limited because of that. Andre Williams, for some reason, is still on the roster and could vulture some goal-line touches from Jennings, but he's not worth a draft pick.
New York Jets:
Projected starter: 1. Matt Forte
Backups: 2. Bilal Powell; 3. Khiry Robinson; 4. Zac Stacy
2016 Outlook: Several reports from Jets camp this summer have hinted at "split" workloads between Matt Forte and Bilal Powell this season. It makes sense given Forte's resume has over 2,000 career rush attempts on it, and it's reasonable to assume he may have lost a step at age 30. Forte will be the starter, so a Round 4 asking price seems like a deal. But you have to wonder how much upside he offers if this is going to be a timeshare. Powell is the Jets running back to target later in drafts as he offers a solid weekly floor with his pass-catching abilities and you can get him in Round 13 on average. Powell emerged as a real flex option last year averaging 4.5 yards per carry while seeing 63 targets as a pass-catcher. He should retain that same role again for the New York backfield with some additional looks as a runner. Khiry Robinson, formerly Ingram's backup in New Orleans, can't be considered anything more than a handcuff at this point and probably isn't worth a spot on fantasy rosters. Zac Stacy is a longshot for fantasy relevance.