Gibson has also been struggling with fumbles in training camp, which have drawn the ire of the Commanders coaching staff. It's possible that Las Vegas will lean on Jacobs, knowing he won't be back next year, but that goes against McDaniels' past style of play. Mostert is now 29 years old and has the highest draft position of anyone in this stable of capable running backs. They did not pick up his fifth-year option and took Zamir White in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Davis has changed teams five times in the last three seasons. Gaskin is a nice player, but the signings by this staff the last two offseasons say they don't have confidence that Gaskin is their guy. J.D. Henry is one of my favorite players in the league, but there are preferable first-round picks for me in 2021. But Gordon averaged more yards per carry last year than Williams. Gordon has always been a runner that needs a large workload to produce fantasy stats. Jordan McNamara: Javonte Williams got a major bump in value in the offseason when Melvin Gordon III was a free agent. Flick's Package Liquor Inc. PO Box 221 3320 Sterns Rd. Victoria Geary: We should not steer clear of Harris completely for the 2021 season, but we should lower our expectations for a locked-and-loaded RB1 finish. The team likes fourth-round pick Zamir White and passing down back Ameer Abdullah, and Kenyan Drake is still on the roster, so Jacobs is going to have trouble being consistent enough to merit an every-week RB2 start. Andy Hicks: The Broncos dont seem overly excited to use Melvin Gordon III this year. Preseason may help a little. These players will not put up stats commensurate to their draft spot, and avoiding them is another of the important keys to a successful fantasy team. Even if Winston wins the competition and keeps the New Orleans passing game afloat, Kamara will have a hard time repeating last year's 21 total touchdowns. In 2019, the Lions tried to steal him away with a restricted free agent offer. Can he still be fantasy-relevant? History and time have helped make Perry one of the most overrated defensive players of all time. Kevin Coleman: Antonio Gibsons value took a hit this offseason. It all depends on who works best in the new scheme and if the scheme works. In 2020, James Conner ranked 36th and Benny Snell ranked 54th in expected yards-per-carry out of 55 qualifiers, a sign of a weak offensive line and scheme. The investment in veteran wideout Sammy Watkins and rookies Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace almost cements Dobbinss capped upside in the passing game. This slideshow lists the most underrated and overrated quarterbacks, running backs and receivers in the NFL, and the choices might shock you. Drafting running backs on the downside of their career, on bad offenses, in a platoon situation, is fraught with peril. Think about that for a moment. We've seen J.D. David Montgomery, Chicago | Consensus Rankings RB19 | Consensus Projections RB20. Lynn's mauling offensive line and run-first mentality give Swift a chance to make good on his ADP, but he is being drafted at his ceiling. By the end of the year, that may change, but Etienne will be a change-of-pace and gadget player who might earn flex value this year until then. That role may not disappear completely, but the addition of Gio Bernard is a bad sign for Tampa Bay's intentions with Fournette. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia | Consensus Rankings RB21 | Consensus Projections RB21. His ADP has been climbing recently, and while his price says drafters are aware of the easy schedule down the stretch, he's still being overvalued at his current price. Brown never stopped earning playing time for the Rams despite the team investing early draft capital at the position. What follows are some of the most notable BackCAST projections for the running back prospects available in the 2022 NFL draft, along with two overrated back based on this model: ESPN + The Brazilian won the Ballon d'Or in 2005 and has been inducted into the Milan hall of fame for his impact between 2008 and 2011 before heading back to his homeland. But the Ravens are a Super Bowl contender and won't veer from the system that's gotten them to the peak. James Brimacombe: Johnson has been a fantasy hero for us in the past, but now entering Year 7, his best days are behind him. The Ravens view Gus Edwards and Dobbins as co-starters who are both vital cogs, and the front office rewarded Edwards with a new contract supporting his role. Zamir White is looking like a capable back and could eat into Jacobs' carries. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was used as a space player last year, and his lack of a red-zone presence placed a ceiling on his fantasy value. But the Broncos re-signed Melvin Gordon III, which cannot be interpreted as anything short of a re-commitment to a 50/50 committee. Tony Dorsett 12. J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore | Consensus Rankings RB16 | Consensus Projections RB17. However, Melvin Gordon III returning is the lynchpin for tepid upside expectations outside of a Gordon injury. Jordan McNamara: Like Gaskin, David Johnson is in a cloudy situation after Philip Lindsay drew the starting role in Houston in week 1. Andy Hicks: Austin Ekeler isnt going to rush anyone to a fantasy title. Running back Chris Wells of the Arizona Cardinals was a first-round draft pick, 31st overall, in 2009 who always seemed to be on the injured list year after year. If Gordon's injury is extended, Williams could be appropriately priced, but until there is more information, he is an avoid at cost. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals. This NFL season, which isn't even over yet, 5 running backs have already rushed for more yards and 16 have more touchdowns. Phil Alexander: Drew Brees is arguably the best screen game quarterback in NFL history. These are players that will not put up stats commensurate to their draft spot, and avoiding them is another of the important keys to a successful fantasy team. Some running backs, such as Chris Johnson this year, are a full 2.0 YPC over their offensive lines ADY. We use cookies to personalize content, ads and analyze site traffic. In no way am I saying Bettis should not be a hall of famer. We use cookies to personalize content, ads and analyze site traffic. McKissic returns from injury to his role as the pass-catching back, and Washington also drafted Brian Robinson Jr in the third round. Jordan McNamara: Malcom Brown drew the starter role in the first preseason game, and the team has shown the willingness to change starters against conventional wisdom when Gaskin was a surprise starter in Week 1. The addition of James Conner, plus the knowledge that Kyler Murray could steal goal-line carries, also adds a bit of skepticism. 1 cornerstone. 20 20. McKissic this offseason and added Alabama running back Brian Robinson Jr Jr. in the 3rd round of the NFL draft. Jason Wood: Ekeler can single-handedly carry a fantasy team for a week or two. 1 receiver for a significant chunk of the season. Drafting Jacobs around this price is drafting him at his ceiling -- perhaps even above it. Jim Brown 2. It all depends on who works best in the new scheme and if the scheme works. However, James Robinson is a better runner than Etienne at this point. Quarterback Lamar Jackson will always cap Dobbins' upside in total carries and goal-line looks. History has shown us that Harris's ADP will likely move into Round 2 or 3 as the next few months pass. The new coaching staff is inexperienced (second-youngest in the NFL), the system is unproven, the quarterback will gobble up a ton of rushing yards and touchdowns, and the front office has added running back depth aggressively in the offseason. Even when Barkley was a big fantasy hit, it took big plays that can be very mercurial from year to year to make it happen. In college, he played wide receiver as much as (if not more than) running back. And Hill is only touchable due to the cheat code rushing factor for quarterbacks. Jeff Haseley: We know what Saquon Barkley is capable of, but we haven't seen him perform much in Jason Garrett's offense under Joe Judge's rule. Tevin Coleman was specifically brought in because he knows the run-blocking schemes the Jets will employ this year, and Ty Johnson hasn't gone anywhere either. I was reading an article the other day about the greatest power backs of all time and Jerome Bettis was third on the list (right behind Jim Brown and Larry Csonka and right ahead of Earl Campbell). The Raiders declined to exercise Jacobs fifth-year option this offseason, drafted Zamir White in the fourth round, signed Ameer Abdullah and Brandon Bolden, and Kenyan Drake returns from injury. Jan 26 . Barring an injury to Chubb, Hunt will drive you crazy trying to figure out when to start him as anything other than a flex option. Although the rookie saw an uptick in usage throughout his first season, he managed to eclipse 66% of his teams snaps just once. 9 out of the 13 years Bettis played in the NFL he averaged less than 4 yards per carry. J.D. However, I would ask - where is the upside to tilt a league here? Ryan Hester: Chubb shares his backfield with a very talented player in Kareem Hunt, and Hunt is the one who gets the lions share of the passing game work. In addition, Antonio Gibson finished the year banged up and ceding snaps to McKissic. Pat Fitzmaurice: The appeal is that he's an inexpensive lead back. But when we look closer, The Bus only averages 1,050 rushing yards per year and 7 touchdowns, far from elite stats. Even the best backs need help, and Harris is less likely to have consistent holes to run through than any of the backs going around him. Andrew Davenport: Montgomery was the 26th-ranked PPR running back in points per game at 12.2 a contest through nine games last year. Malcolm Brown should play plenty, and this offense isn't likely to be explosive enough to support two running backs in any meaningful way. He's a strong talent with some flaws with a better all-around back ahead of him. And was brought back by a new staff that keeps saying he will be a significant part of the offense. Jim Brown Jim Brown spent a little less than a decade playing for the Cleveland Browns between 1957 and 1965, but that was enough time to prove he's likely the greatest running back to ever play the game and one of the greatest NFL players of all time. Though volume is important in fantasy football, Harris will likely struggle behind his offensive line and may not garner an elite share of red zone touches. Combine a true committee situation with a quarterback who racks up 1,000 yards and a handful of scores, and you have a ceiling on Dobbins that won't be unlocked without a rash of injuries. Chad Parsons: McKissic is priced reasonably with an implied drop in targets. A veteran, a trade, or another team's roster cut is more likely to be the bigger threat. Anthony Amico: Dobbins is being drafted as if he has a far greater stranglehold on this Ravens backfield than he likely will. Even if the split is swapped with Williams as the slight 1A to Gordon's now 1B, achieving a top-12 result will hinge on Gordon missing a chunk of the season. We've seen running backs repeatedly return from severe knee injuries; very seldom do they return the following year and have a memorable fantasy season. Yep. The 39 Most Overrated Bands Of All-Time While they might have some catchy tunes, some bands are really overrated. We use cookies to personalize content, ads and analyze site traffic. The coaching staff did not ignore this, as they selected the best pass-catching running back in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in Kenneth Gainwell. I believe it is more accurate to measure a RB by per season averages, because running backs such as Jim Brown did not play long. Here are some stats from footballoutsiders.com: * Note: ADY =. Projections, Get The Most Out Of Your Perhaps the political and social issues depicted in 'The Grapes of Wrath" were too controversial. Drew Davenport: Through nine games last year, Montgomery was the 26th ranked PPR running back in points per game at 12.2 a contest. Gaskin may be the best receiver of the trio, but Ahmed isn't far behind. Combine a true committee situation with a quarterback who racks up 1,000 yards and a handful of scores, and you have a ceiling on Dobbins that won't be unlocked without a rash of injuries. Brady is known for being the only quarterback in history to win 7 Super Bowls, and is often considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time. The depth behind Ekeler is average, but there are enough players to steal touches. Vegas used other backs last year and pigeonholed Jacobs as a two-down grinder. The additions of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, and a healthy Antonio Gibson should blunt his numbers and make his season look more like 2020's first half when he averaged 4.7 targets and 3.6 receptions per game instead of his second half when he saw 8.6 targets and 6.1 catches an outing. Unlike Lindsay, Williams can supplant Gordon at the goal line, and there's some possibility that Williams takes over the backfield right away. The problem is it never really felt like we stopped moving Edmonds up the board even after the signing of James Conner. Jason Wood: Preseason depth charts aren't perfectly predictive, but the new Texans coaching staff clearly sent a message listing Johnson as the No. He showed elite promise in his rookie year and followed it up with a top 10 season despite a high ankle sprain limiting his ascension. Henderson was arguably the best blocking fullback during the late 90s, paving the way for nine 1,000 yard rushers in his 12 years in Green Bay. Sigmund Bloom: One year after the signing of Gordon indicated a lack of faith in Phillip Lindsay -- that bore out with Lindsay being allowed to leave in free agency this offseason -- the Broncos moved up in the second round to take Javonte Williams, indicating a lack of faith in Gordon.