Fantasy football season is upon us with the vast majority of fantasy football drafts happening over the next two weeks. Of course, in every league, the running back position is vital to a team's success. That is no different this year either.

Even with the emergence of PPR leagues seemingly taking over the fantasy landscape, it's very difficult to win without running backs that can produce. A running backs value is tied into usage and carries.

So, we thought it prudent to take a look at the top five fantasy football running backs set to lose the most carries in the 2022 season.

Fantasy Football running backs who will lose touches in 2022

5. Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys RB

The first player on our list is former All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott. There are a number of reasons why Zeke is going to lose a number of carries this season.

First and foremost, he is no longer the best running back on the team. Tony Pollard is. Anyone that doubts that at this point in Elliott's career clearly was not watching the Cowboys last year. Elliott rushed for just 1,002 yards, the year after rushing for just 979 yards. The wear and tear on the Cowboys running back has taken its toll.

Meanwhile, Pollard was more explosive and a number of times did the work to get Dallas into the red zone. Then Elliott came in and fell into the end zone. Elliott has rushed the ball 1,650 times in his career, to Pollard's 317. Dallas by midseason is going to be looking to jumpstart the backfield.

Now, I'm not saying that Elliott's usage is going to fall off the table. It won't. He still has value in fantasy football and is getting paid way too much money to ride the bench. But with so many injuries to the Cowboys receivers, Dallas is likely to take more of a run-heavy approach. Knowing that, I expect Elliott to have his normal touches early. But as the season progresses, a timeshare might very well be in order.

If that happens, Elliott's mid third-round ADP is far too high.

4. Elijah Mitchell – San Francisco 49ers RB

Last season, 49ers tailback Elijah Mitchell shocked fantasy football managers all over. San Fran drafted Trey Sermon with their third round pick, but it was Mitchell, their sixth round pick, that had a breakout year.

But if you look deeper into his production, there is some serious reason to be concerned.

Mitchell finished 14th in fantasy football points per game in 2021. But he finished 30th in breakaway run rate, 34th in yards created per touch and 36th in juke rate. He took advantage of some solid matchups, as well as injuries to other players. He is basically non-existent in the passing game. So, if he struggles or is not efficient out the gate, Jeff Wilson Jr., or even Sermon, could very well eat into his carries.

Plus there's the elephant in the room named Trey Lance. Jimmy Garoppolo was a statue. Lance is the exact opposite. It's going to take time Lance's passing game to get up to snuff. Until that happens, I would expect 8-12 carries per game for him. That's 6-10 less for Mitchell than he had last season. His current ADP is higher than AJ Dillon, J.K. Dobbins and Josh Jacobs. All three of those tailbacks are much safer selections.

3. Miles Sanders – Philadelphia Eagles RB

The next running back on this list is a different case. Miles Sanders, because of injury, only rushed the ball 137 times. So, technically he probably won't have less than that. However, he is being projected to garner over 200 carries this season. That's not going to happen and will disappoint fantasy football managers who don't recognize that.

He is frequently injured, and is injured right now. Sanders is dealing with a hamstring injury with not timetable for his return. Factor in that Jalen Hurts has a new toy to throw to in A.J. Brown, with the solid production from both Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell last year, and Sanders is a heavy fade for me.

2. James Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars RB

Jaguars running back James Robinson only rushed the ball 157 times last year. But now that Travis Etienne Jr. is back to full health, it's possible he is relegated to a backup role.

Robinson bust out with over 1,000 yards in 2020. He was rewarded by the Jags drafting his replacement. Luckily for him, Travis Etienne Jr. suffered a Lisfranc injury that kept him out for the entire year. Robinson had every chance to prove the job should remain his.

Instead, he proved the opposite. Robinson finished with just 767 yards rushing on 164 carries. His pass game prowess even decreased. Etienne Jr. played college football with Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence, winning a National Championship together. You know they already have a rapport together. Etienne Jr. is already being drafted 60 or so picks ahead of Robinson. He's become nothing but a handcuff, even though the first month of the season might look like a timeshare.

1. Antonio Gibson – Washington Commanders RB

The Commanders have finally had enough of Antonio Gibson. The writing has been on the wall for two years now. Ron Rivera is finally catching on. In Washington's second preseason game, Gibson was relegated to the second-team offense and special teams.

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Antonio Gibson in a Patriots uniform with heart eyes. Jerod Mayo

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That's a pretty clear signifier that at most he is going to split touches in the backfield. The Commanders used a third-round pick on Brian Robinson out of Alabama. He has looked pretty good at camp and has a very good shot at being the starting running back.

Either way, there is no chance Gibson gets anywhere close to his 258 carries last year.