PTF 2007 FULLBACK POWER RANKINGS
Which teams own a true difference-maker at one of PTF’s scarcest offensive positions?
HOW THE RANKINGS WORK
This article uses the refreshed custom NOVR calculation for fullbacks together with the current 2007 Fit The System team assignments.
Team FB Score = best current FB NOVR on the roster.
Unlike halfback, I am not weighting FB2. Most teams do not build their offense around a two-fullback rotation, so adding a second fullback would distort the practical value of the position.
Two teams currently carry more than one rostered FB in the reference data. Their extra depth is noted where relevant, but it does not change the team ranking.
Only rostered players count toward team rankings. The refreshed NOVR file contains 55 FBs; 34 are currently assigned to teams and 21 are unassigned on the reference page.
League-average starting FB score: 71.0
League median starting FB score: 72.0
For the youth section, young = age 25 or younger.
THE FULL LEAGUE FB POWER RANKING
1. Ravens — 97 — Jeremi Johnson — Age 25
2. Steelers — 91 — Dan Kreider — Age 30
T3. Bears — 89 — Bubba Franks — Age 29
T3. Patriots — 89 — Heath Evans — Age 29
5. Lions — 87 — Doug Jolley — Age 28
6. Jaguars — 85 — Moran Norris — Age 29
7. Chargers — 81 — Jason McKie — Age 27
T8. Seahawks — 79 — Matt Schirmer — Age 25
T8. Redskins — 79 — Chris FuamatuMafala — Age 30
T10. Broncos — 77 — Rock Cartwright — Age 28
T10. Jets — 77 — Mike Alstott — Age 34
12. Colts — 76 — George Layne — Age 29
T13. Giants — 75 — Charles Stackhouse — Age 27
T13. Packers — 75 — Jameel Cook — Age 28
T13. Browns — 75 — Brad Hoover — Age 31
T16. 49ers — 72 — Joey Goodspeed — Age 29
T16. Rams — 72 — Terrelle Smith — Age 29
18. Titans — 71 — Richard Angulo — Age 26
19. Cardinals — 68 — James Hodgins — Age 30
T20. Buccaneers — 67 — J.D. Runnels — Age 23
T20. Vikings — 67 — Alan Ricard — Age 30
T22. Saints — 66 — Lousaka Polite — Age 26
T22. Cowboys — 66 — Patrick Washington — Age 29
24. Falcons — 63 — Johnnie Mack — Age 27
T25. Panthers — 60 — Ovie Mughelli — Age 25
T25. Eagles — 60 — Patrick Pass — Age 30
T27. Chiefs — 59 — David Thomas — Age 24
T27. Dolphins — 59 — Vonta Leach — Age 27
29. Texans — 53 — Thomas Tapeh — Age 26
30. Bills — 47 — Deon Anderson — Age 24
31. Bengals — 46 — Rick Razzano — Age 24
32. Raiders — 45 — Roy Hall — Age 24
Baltimore owns a massive positional advantage. Jeremi Johnson is a 97 NOVR fullback at only 25 years old, six points clear of second-place Dan Kreider.
After Kreider at 91, the position drops immediately below 90. Chicago and New England sit at 89 with Bubba Franks and Heath Evans, followed by Detroit’s Doug Jolley at 87 and Jacksonville’s Moran Norris at 85.
That scarcity is the biggest story of the position. A team with an elite FB has a much larger separation from the league average than the raw number may initially suggest.
THE NEXT GENERATION — BEST FBs AGE 25 OR YOUNGER
1. Jeremi Johnson, Ravens — 97 — Age 25 - Jeremi Johnson is 25/97. Baltimore owns both the best current fullback and the best young fullback in the league.
2. Matt Schirmer, Seahawks — 79 — Age 25 - Matt Schirmer is 25/79. He is a clear second in the young-FB class and already an above-average starter.
3. J.D. Runnels, Buccaneers — 67 — Age 23 - J.D. Runnels is only 23/67. Tampa Bay is below league average today but at least has time for development.
4. Ovie Mughelli, Panthers — 60 — Age 25 - Ovie Mughelli is 25/60. Carolina is betting on youth rather than current top-end production.
5. David Thomas, Chiefs — 59 — Age 24 - David Thomas is 24/59. Like Carolina, Kansas City has a young player but not yet a high-level starter.
6. Reagan Maui'a, Colts — 57 — Age 23
7. Oren O'Neal, Jets — 52 — Age 24
8. Deon Anderson, Bills — 47 — Age 24
9. Rick Razzano, Bengals — 46 — Age 24
10. Roy Hall, Raiders — 45 — Age 24
The youth picture is even thinner than the overall position. Johnson is not merely the best young FB — he is the best FB in the entire league.
Seattle’s Matt Schirmer is the only other young fullback near the upper tier at 79. After that, the developmental group drops quickly into the 60s, 50s and 40s.
DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN
AFC EAST
1. Patriots — 89 — League T3 — Heath Evans, Age 29
2. Jets — 77 — League T10 — Mike Alstott, Age 34
3. Dolphins — 59 — League T27 — Vonta Leach, Age 27
4. Bills — 47 — League 30 — Deon Anderson, Age 24
New England is comfortably ahead behind Heath Evans. The rest of the division is well below the upper tier, with the Jets relying on veteran Mike Alstott.
AFC NORTH
1. Ravens — 97 — League 1 — Jeremi Johnson, Age 25
2. Steelers — 91 — League 2 — Dan Kreider, Age 30
3. Browns — 75 — League T13 — Brad Hoover, Age 31
4. Bengals — 46 — League 31 — Rick Razzano, Age 24
This division owns the two best fullbacks in PTF: Jeremi Johnson in Baltimore and Dan Kreider in Pittsburgh. Cleveland is solid in the middle, while Cincinnati sits near the bottom.
AFC SOUTH
1. Jaguars — 85 — League 6 — Moran Norris, Age 29
2. Colts — 76 — League 12 — George Layne, Age 29
3. Titans — 71 — League 18 — Richard Angulo, Age 26
4. Texans — 53 — League 29 — Thomas Tapeh, Age 26
Jacksonville has the strongest fullback in the division with Moran Norris. The Titans are respectable, but Houston is one of the league’s weakest current situations.
AFC WEST
1. Chargers — 81 — League 7 — Jason McKie, Age 27
2. Broncos — 77 — League T10 — Rock Cartwright, Age 28
3. Chiefs — 59 — League T27 — David Thomas, Age 24
4. Raiders — 45 — League 32 — Roy Hall, Age 24
San Diego leads the division with Jason McKie. Denver is middle-of-the-pack, while Kansas City and Oakland are both developmental or weak current situations.
NFC EAST
1. Redskins — 79 — League T8 — Chris FuamatuMafala, Age 30
2. Giants — 75 — League T13 — Charles Stackhouse, Age 27
3. Cowboys — 66 — League T22 — Patrick Washington, Age 29
4. Eagles — 60 — League T25 — Patrick Pass, Age 30
Washington leads behind Chris Fuamatu-Maafala. The division has no elite FB, and all four teams sit below the league’s true top tier.
NFC NORTH
1. Bears — 89 — League T3 — Bubba Franks, Age 29
2. Lions — 87 — League 5 — Doug Jolley, Age 28
3. Packers — 75 — League T13 — Jameel Cook, Age 28
4. Vikings — 67 — League T20 — Alan Ricard, Age 30
Chicago and Detroit give this division two high-end starters, which is enough to make the NFC North the strongest FB division overall.
NFC SOUTH
1. Buccaneers — 67 — League T20 — J.D. Runnels, Age 23
2. Saints — 66 — League T22 — Lousaka Polite, Age 26
3. Falcons — 63 — League 24 — Johnnie Mack, Age 27
4. Panthers — 60 — League T25 — Ovie Mughelli, Age 25
This is the weakest FB division. Tampa Bay has the best current score at only 67, and no team reaches 70.
NFC WEST
1. Seahawks — 79 — League T8 — Matt Schirmer, Age 25
2. 49ers — 72 — League T16 — Joey Goodspeed, Age 29
3. Rams — 72 — League T16 — Terrelle Smith, Age 29
4. Cardinals — 68 — League 19 — James Hodgins, Age 30
Seattle leads behind 25-year-old Matt Schirmer, while San Francisco and St. Louis sit in the low 70s.
DIVISION STRENGTH RANKING
1. NFC NORTH — 79.50
2. AFC NORTH — 77.25
3. NFC WEST — 72.75
4. AFC SOUTH — 71.25
5. NFC EAST — 70.00
6. AFC EAST — 68.00
7. AFC WEST — 65.50
8. NFC SOUTH — 64.00
The NFC North wins on depth at the top with Chicago and Detroit. The AFC North is second because Baltimore and Pittsburgh own the two best individual FBs in the league.
GM TAKEAWAYS
1. Elite FB talent is genuinely scarce. There are only two 90+ players in the entire refreshed pool.
2. Baltimore owns the biggest positional advantage. Johnson is six points clear of the #2 player and is still only 25.
3. The young pipeline is thin. After Johnson and Schirmer, there is a major gap.
4. Several teams should be shopping. The bottom tier is far enough below the league median that even a modest upgrade could materially improve the position.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Fullback is one of the clearest scarcity positions in the current PTF player pool.
Baltimore has the gold standard in Jeremi Johnson. Pittsburgh has the only other 90+ option in Dan Kreider. Chicago, New England, Detroit and Jacksonville form the next tier, and then the quality falls quickly.
That makes the trade market interesting. At positions with many 90+ players, a good starter is easier to replace. At FB, even an 80-level player is already valuable because the supply of premium options is so small.
The age picture makes Johnson even more valuable: the best player at the position is also only 25. Seattle’s Matt Schirmer is the other obvious young starter worth building around.
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT FB NOVR
Across the full 55-FB NOVR pool:
- 2 FBs are 90+
- 1 FB is 95+
- 0 FBs are 99
- Average NOVR: 62.25
- Median NOVR: 60
This distribution looks healthy. There is one clear elite player, one additional 90+ player, a modest upper-middle class and a large group of ordinary or weak options.
Unlike WR — and to a lesser extent HB — the FB formula is not compressing a large number of players at the top of the scale. The scarcity shown by the numbers looks believable and useful for roster evaluation.
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