Dynasty Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Omarion Hampton and Quinshon Judkins move opposite directions

Ideally, there wouldn't be a huge difference in rookie rankings from their post draft ranking until training camp. Sure, some guys like Emeka Egbuka have great summers and rise a few spots. Or someone like RJ Harvey might get more competition and fall a spot or two. But generally speaking, until these guys play actual football, our opinions on them shouldn't change all that much. At the running back position, we have had some major news that has shifted Year 1 expectations to such a large extent that we do have some big movers: Omarion Hampton and Quinshon Judkins.

There was plenty of debate after the rookie draft about just how much of a feature back Hampton would be in Year 1. Some thought he would quickly dispatch of Najee Harris and lead the team for the majority of the year. I was more cautious because of the fact that Harris has never missed a game, doesn't fumble, and generally does all the things that coaches desire from their running backs. An Independence Day injury suffered by Harris has potentially changed all of that. We have no concrete timetable for when Harris will begin practicing with the team and no guarantee Harris will be ready for Week 1. That alone boosts Hampton's Year 1 projections, which causes him to rise in the Dynasty rankings. I also believe the extra camp reps Hampton will receive with the starters are invaluable and could set him on a path that makes Harris less impactful even once he is 100%. For that reason, Hampton rises to RB7 in my rankings below, ahead of TreVeyon Henderson, whom I preferred back in May. 

Judkins' pending legal problems loom even larger. He is facing a domestic violence charge from the offseason. The Browns have no motivation to sign him at this time, and it is possible he will end up on the Commissioner's Exempt list if the team does add him to the roster. I have seen a lot of speculation about the length of Judkins' suspension, but that seems to be putting the cart before the horse. We have no idea when he will sign or whether he will be eligible to play until these legal issues play out. We have no idea how long it will take for the legal issues to play out. At this point, we can't rule out a lost season for Judkins. That means that no matter how talented a rusher he is, he can't be ranked ahead of Kaleb Johnson or RJ Harvey at this time. It also means a boost for Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford, who could be splitting the Cleveland backfield this season. 

One other big riser in this month's rankings is Nick Chubb. Joe Mixon's foot injury has lingered longer than we hoped, and Dameon Pierce began training camp on the PUP list. I am not panicking on Mixon yet, but the potential opportunity for Chubb is too much to ignore, even if I do have questions about whether he can still be an efficient rusher due to his age and multiple leg injuries in the last two years. If you are a true contender with Mixon on your roster, it may be worth checking in with the Chubb manager to see if you can add him for a couple of Round 3 rookie picks. I don't think I can risk a Round 2 pick, but understand why some would.

Here are my updated Dynasty running back rankings: