Top Young Running Backs To Build Around In Madden 18

The pros at Madden School are enjoying yet another great season with Madden NFL 18. Our offensive and defensive strategy isn’t possible without first knowing your team and its players. Today, we’re bringing you our top young running backs to build around in Madden 18.

The running back position is vital to your success in Madden 18. To win games, you need a running back who can give your offense a spark running and catching the ball. When building your team, you want a back who you know you can rely on for several seasons to come. That’s why we like to find running backs who are young, have potential, and who can be an every down back.

Todd Gurley II, Los Angeles Rams, 23 years old, 89 overall

Gurley is near the top of everyone’s list, and you can expect his 88 overall rating to go up after the next Madden ratings update. When you consider Gurley’s 92 SPD, 93 AGI, and 92 BCV, it’s tough not to want him as the focal point of your offense. The Rams team is incredibly popular right now, and Gurley is one of the main reasons for their recent surge in the Madden community.

Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears, 22 years old, 86 overall

What’s not to like about Howard? The second year back is one of the main reasons why the Chicago Bears made our top young offense’s to build around in Madden 18 earlier in the season. Howard has 90 SPD, 87 TRK, and 88 BCV, which are all great ratings for a young running back.

Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars, 22 years old, 85 overall

If you haven’t played with the Jags rookie RB Leonard Fournette, then you owe it to yourself to go check him out. Fournette is only 22 years old, and has the best TRK rating in the game with a 92. The rookie is also fast with 91 SPD and ACC ratings, and that makes Fournette a dangerous back in Madden 18.

Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings, 22 years old, 84 overall

Cook was injured early on in the season, so he’s largely been forgotten about by the Madden community, but make no mistake, he’s a great young back with impressive ratings. Cook has a 90 SPD to go with an 88 BCV and an 87 in both his CAR and JKM ratings. With the Vikings surging in popularity, consider building around the young Dalvin Cook when using Minnesota.

Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints, 22 years old, 88 overall

Kamara is a feature back waiting to happen, and it’s the reason why you can consider trading Mark Ingram if you start a franchise with the Saints. Kamara has everything you look for in a young back. He’s one of the top rated backs in Madden 18, and deservedly so given Kamara’s ratings. Currently, Kamara has an 85 or higher in all of the top categories including: SPD, TRK, BCV, ELU, CAR, AWR, ACC, and AGI. That’s amazing for a rookie RB. Given the age of Brees, Kamara makes is a lot easier to consider starting your franchise in the Big Easy.

Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs, 22 years old. 86 overall

Hunt looked like an unstoppable rookie RB at the start of the season, and even though he leveled off in his ratings, he’s certainly one of the top young backs to consider building around in Madden 18. Hunt has favorable ratings across the board for a rookie. His 90 SPD, 86 AWR, and 84 TRK to go with an impressive 92 ACC rating, are all great for a rookie running back.

Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals, 21 years old, 82 overall

Mixon didn’t start the season as the starter like some of the other backs on our list, so his overall rating is a little low compared to the other players on our list. Regardless, Mixon is a great young back to use, and he’s very worthy of being the featured back that you build around in Madden 18. Mixon has a 91 SPD rating, 93 ACC, and 91 AGI rating to go with his 85 CAR and 87 JKM ratings. Mixon also has a great CTH rating for a back with a 73, which makes him an every down back.

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys, 22 years old, 91 overall

The impressive second year back is the highest rated running back on our list at a 91 overall, and Elliott is undoubtedly the top young back in the game. The Cowboys in general are loaded with solid young talent, and Elliott makes a great option to continue building around. Given his 92 SPD, 93 AWR, 95 AGI, and 91 ACC, Elliott has to be considered one of the top big play threats at the running back position in Madden 18.

Overview

With the exception of Gurley, everyone is either a first or second year player. Clearly, Gurley is still young at only 23, and he simply has to be on our list. When starting your franchise, it’s always best to consider these running backs among other players at vital skill positions. We suggest all of these young backs as a possible starting point when building your offense in Madden 18.

See any that we may have missed? Which young running backs do you think should have made our list? Maybe Melvin Gordon? LeVeon Bell is only 25, too. If you can get around the salary cap, then he’s an option, right? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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