# Rich Hribar: In his 2023 fantasy running back tiers, Hribar places Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley in Tier 1 as the backs who check every usage box. He also expects Ekeler and Barkley to retain workhorse/lead-back roles because neither team added a threat to their touches. **Claimed:** Jun 28, 2023 **Pundit:** Rich Hribar — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/rich-hribar **Outlet:** Sharp Football Analysis — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/sharp-football-analysis **How it reached us:** published in writing **Original:** https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/fantasy/running-back-fantasy-football-tiers-rankings-2023/ 3 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls and 1 fantasy ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet. It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record. All 3 have settled, averaging 91.7 out of 100, against 83.3 for a naive guess at the same calls. > The Giants have added no tangible candidates to push Barkley off of significant touches again in 2023. *(their words, quoted for attribution)* ## The claims - **Tier 1 Fantasy Football RBs: Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Saquon Barkley** - Kind: Fantasy Rankings - Verdict: scored 75 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess - **Austin Ekeler to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess - **Saquon Barkley to be 1st on the depth chart** - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Saquon Barkley, New York Giants - Verdict: scored 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess ## Who this take is about - Austin Ekeler — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/austin-ekeler - Los Angeles Chargers — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/chargers - Saquon Barkley — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/saquon-barkley - New York Giants — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/giants ## What others said about the same people - Chris Simms on New York Giants: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 97.62) - Connor Rogers on New York Giants: Rogers picked Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle and the Giants to win their Week 3 games, saying the Chiefs win by two touchdowns and the Giants by a field goal. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/83d1e88b-95a0-45ba-83d3-f86297170c6c (scored 100) - Sam Monson on Los Angeles Chargers: Monson picked the Chargers to beat the Bills outright (jokingly crediting Buffalo's gray 'Nickel City' jerseys), took the Vikings to win outright in Tampa, and said Seattle would destroy Washington. He also reiterated his Super Bowl pick of Denver over the Rams, called the Dolphins destined for the No. 1 overall pick, and said the Saints are a worst-to-first candidate in the NFC South. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/0b810ffd-fd93-4ea2-a208-b1353dea5fb0 (scored 0) - David Droegemeier on Mekhi Becton: Drogemeier says the Chargers cutting Mekhi Becton is a foregone conclusion, freeing nearly $9 million in cap space, and only a matter of when. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c5f92029-fa26-4c4f-9c27-ab127b7301a8 (scored 100) - Mina Kimes on Mekhi Becton: Kimes projects Washington receiver Denzel Boston as a second-half-of-the-first-round pick and expects the Chargers to move on from Mekhi Becton. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/313774ec-4795-434d-9f21-6ec534873000 (scored 100) - Eric Mangini on Los Angeles Chargers: In his taped upset alert, the coach took the winless Chargers to beat the undefeated Bills, citing Los Angeles' desperation and Buffalo's leaky defense. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/c5e9288a-a752-4236-889e-edc171b86264 (scored 0) ## More depth chart calls The same kind of call, about other players and teams. - Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0) - Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100) - Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100) - Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100) - Rafael Zamorano on Deshaun Watson: Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d7d7e0a2-61e0-4525-970b-b01a2356f11b (scored 100) - Bradley Locker on Carson Wentz: PFF's unsigned adjusted power rankings after Week 1 of the 2026 season place the Bills first, the Rams second and the Dolphins last, with notes on quarterback situations in Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a3716f21-0488-4fc8-a414-c25c2d781a6e (scored 100) --- Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. 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