Glad this topic was made, saves me the trouble.
I've seen enough elves/dwarves/orcs/etc to last a lifetime. If they must be used, interpret or present them in ways we haven't seen 50 dozen times before. Guild Wars 2 did a pretty good job of this (Elves = Sylvari, Gnomes = Asura, etc). When I explore the world I don't want to already be familiar with those who dwell there.
Preferably, plunder your imaginations and come up with some ORIGINAL races. It's not that hard, is it?