The Top 10 Fantasy Running Back Seasons of 2020
Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints delivered the number one fantasy running back season of 2020, scoring 378 fantasy points across 16 games, with a best week of 56 that stands as the single largest game on the board. Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings finished second at 332 points, and Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans took third at 331. The verdict: 2020 belonged to Kamara by a wider margin than the totals below him suggest, because no other back matched his best week.
Who Were the Top 10 Fantasy Running Backs of 2020?
The 2020 fantasy running back leaderboard had a clear leader and a tightly packed chase group. Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints finished first among running backs at 378 points, and his best week of 56 is the number that separates his season from everyone else on the list. Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings and Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans sit nearly side by side at 332 and 331 points, while the rest of the top ten fills in steadily down to Kareem Hunt of the Cleveland Browns at 218.
| Rank | Player | Team | Games | Points | Points Per Game | Best Week | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints | 16 | 378 | 24 | 56 | | 2 | Dalvin Cook | Minnesota Vikings | 16 | 332 | 21 | 49 | | 3 | Derrick Henry | Tennessee Titans | 16 | 331 | 21 | 40 | | 4 | David Montgomery | Chicago Bears | 16 | 263 | 16 | 29 | | 5 | Aaron Jones | Green Bay Packers | 15 | 259 | 17 | 46 | | 6 | Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts | 16 | 253 | 16 | 38 | | 7 | James Robinson | Jacksonville Jaguars | 15 | 248 | 17 | 31 | | 8 | Josh Jacobs | Las Vegas Raiders | 16 | 231 | 14 | 36 | | 9 | Ezekiel Elliott | Dallas Cowboys | 16 | 222 | 14 | 28 | | 10 | Kareem Hunt | Cleveland Browns | 16 | 218 | 14 | 29 |
Where Did the 2020 Running Back Field Break Into Groups?
Three backs clearly outscored the field: Kamara at 378, Cook at 332, and Henry at 331. From there the totals step down in a way that reads more like a ladder than a cliff. David Montgomery of the Chicago Bears finished fourth at 263, and the players ranked fourth through seventh, Montgomery, Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers, Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts, and James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars, all landed between 248 and 263 points, the most crowded stretch on the board.
The bottom of the list runs through volume more than fireworks. Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders, Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys, and Kareem Hunt of the Cleveland Browns each finished with 14 points per game, with best weeks of 36, 28, and 29. That pattern is the signature of this season's lower tier: steady scoring, with no single week that reshaped a matchup.
Which Per-Game Numbers Disagreed With the Totals?
Sorting the ten seasons by points per game instead of total points reorders the middle of the list. Aaron Jones and James Robinson each averaged 17 points per game, ahead of the 16 posted by David Montgomery and Jonathan Taylor, even though Montgomery and Taylor finished higher on total points. Jones and Robinson each played 15 games while Montgomery and Taylor each played 16, and that single extra game is what carried the total-point order.
At the top, the per-game view confirms the total-point view. Kamara's 24 points per game towers over the 21 posted by both Cook and Henry, so no reordering can touch first place. At the bottom, Jacobs, Elliott, and Hunt share the same 14 points per game, which means the final three spots on the list were settled purely by season-long totals rather than scoring rate.
Which Best Weeks Defined the 2020 Season?
The best-week column tells the story of the league-deciding games. Kamara's 56 stands far above every other peak on the list, and Cook's 49 is the only other best week above 46. Aaron Jones posted 46 and Jonathan Taylor 38, giving the top six a set of peak games that the bottom four never approached.
The lower half tells a different tale. Montgomery and Hunt peaked at 29, Elliott at 28, and James Robinson at 31, meaning none of them produced a week that ranked among the top five peaks despite finishing inside the top ten overall. That contrast is the defining feature of the 2020 board: a small group of backs capable of a decisive week, and a larger group whose value came from turning up every Sunday at the same level.
Common questions
How many fantasy points did Alvin Kamara score in 2020?
- Alvin Kamara scored 378 fantasy points for the New Orleans Saints in 2020, the most of any running back that season. He did it in 16 games with 24 points per game and a best week of 56, the highest single-week score among all top ten backs.
Did Dalvin Cook or Derrick Henry finish higher in 2020?
- Dalvin Cook finished second among running backs with 332 points for the Minnesota Vikings, one spot ahead of Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans at 331. Both played 16 games and both averaged 21 points per game, so the order between them came down to total season points.
Who was the highest-scoring rookie-class running back of 2020?
- The block's data does not identify rookie status, so no rookie claim can be made from this page. What the numbers do show is that Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts finished sixth among running backs with 253 points, and James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars finished seventh with 248, with the two separated by total points despite Robinson matching Aaron Jones at 17 points per game.
Which 2020 running back had the biggest single fantasy week?
- Alvin Kamara had the biggest single week of any top ten 2020 running back with 56 points, and no one else on the list came close. The next best peaks were Dalvin Cook at 49 and Aaron Jones at 46.
How many backs in the 2020 top ten scored at least 15 points per game?
- Seven of the ten averaged 15 points per game or more: Kamara at 24, Cook and Henry at 21, Jones and Robinson at 17, and Montgomery and Taylor at 16. Jacobs, Elliott, and Hunt each averaged 14.