Every fantasy team needs at least four quality running backs, bye weeks, tough matchups, and injuries mean that you need to have depth. So who are some of the better depth options you can grab in your fantasy league?
Some fantasy football running backs come out of nowhere. Take a flyer on these seven players who could pay huge dividends for their perceived value.
Under The Radar Fantasy Football Running Backs
Latavius Murray (OAK) – Murray is currently third on the depth chart behind Run-DMC and MJD, but let’s face it. Those two are at the end of their ropes, and while they might start the year out as the primary backs in this offense, Murray presents an interesting scenario. Murray was out his entire rookie season on IR with an ankle injury, but there’s a good chance that he could get more and more carries as the season rolls on. McFadden is a sure-bet injury risk (as he is every season) and MJD could be in the same boat. So with that in mind, keep Murray on your radar as training camp progresses. He’s a good candidate for increased carries.
Dri Archer (PIT) – Last year we saw the emergence of Le’Veon Bell in the Steelers backfield. He came on strong and had a great year towards the later games. However, Pittsburgh is the land of opportunity, so anything can happen. Chances are that Bell and newly acquired LaGarrette Blount will get the work, most likely with Blunt simply being a vulture for goal line carries. Keep Archer on your radar, especially has a handcuff to Bell, who dropped 20 pounds in the offseason. Archer has been called a “mini Jamaal Charles” in camp and if given the opportunity, might turn some heads. Keyword: Opportunity.
Mark Ingram (NO) – Some may argue that the former Heisman Trophy winner doesn’t warrant an “under the radar” ranking here, but I put him here simply because he’s going to be undervalued in this year’s fantasy draft. Ingram, who has shown signs of brilliance here and there, will be put in a position to succeed this year with the departure of Darren Sproles to Philly. Pierre Thomas will be the featured back in most situations it seems, but Sean Payton will still be using a RB by committee here. An interesting note is Ingram’s ability to shed tackles, which makes him valuable in this “under the radar” area. In just 85 touches, he broke 15 tackles. Keep an eye on him and perhaps take him in the mid-to-late rounds as he will also have a chance to shine this year. He has the ability, the question is whether or not he’ll take advantage of his limited touches in order to create more.
Tre Mason (STL) – At Auburn, Mason was the goal line beast for the Tigers. Last year we saw Zac Stacy emerge as a threat in the Lou. However, Mason will get his fair share of opportunities as Stacy has not proven himself to handle all the carries. We could see Mason start the season in a small role and potentially work himself into a time share type of role. He has the talent. We all saw what happened in St. Louis last year. Most people had Isaiah Pead as the marked man, but that went nowhere. A similar situation could mirror itself this year as the year goes on. I like Mason to have a decent year. After all, he was a monster in college and he played in the SEC, which has produced some outstanding running backs.
Storm Johnson (JAX) – We know that Toby Gerhart is going to be force-fed the ball to start the season. We also know that Jordan Todman is there as well. Todman has a great game late in the year, and I like him as well. However, Johnson seems to be NFL ready and has remarkable vision and a strong lower body, which could make him a sleeper for carries as the season goes on. Gerhart has only has 276 carries in his career, which begs the question of durability. Can he take on this load? I don’t think he can for the entire year, and that’s where Storm comes in. I may be a little premature on my evaluation, but I like him as a waiver-wire pickup or handcuff to Gerhart in your draft. Time will tell. He’s fourth on the depth chart, but I think there’s a reason he came out of UCF early. He knows he can play.
Stepfan Taylor (ARZ) – It will be interesting to see how the RB situation unfolds in the desert. Andre Ellington is getting a lot of praise this pre-season but he has been having issues with his neck, something the coaching staff in Arizona was aware of last year. That’s the reason Ellington never had more than 15 carries. Taylor could emerge as a threat to take over carries, but be careful. He’s not a speed-first runner, but his vision is great and he could become a guy to have stashed away. He’ll get his chance. Ellington is not going to be able to carry the load for the Cardinals.
Devonta Freeman (ATL) – Considered by many to be a successor to Steven Jackson, Freeman was a beast at Florida State. He should get some looks early on and there are two reason I like Freeman: 1) Jackson is at the end of his career and is going to get injured at some point, and 2) Jacquizz Rodgers has had a few years to make a name for himself. He’s been awful. There’s no reason to think that Freeman can’t step up and takes on a decent role in this offense. I like him to breakout this year. Keep an eye on him.
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