Fantasy Football Preview 2013: Top Sleeper Running Backs

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10. Alex Green – Green Bay Packers

November 25, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Alex Green (20) runs the ball during the third quarter of an NFL game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Green starts the year as a watch list type, but those are the guys who invariably win you titles. The former Rainbow Warrior was terrible in 2012, and the Packers responded by drafting Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin in this year’s draft. I like selecting Green Bay players because Ted Thompson isn’t Mickey Loomis. The Packers will play the best guy.

Many rookie running backs struggle in their first taste of NFL action, and Green was essentially a rookie playing at maybe 70 percent due to his ACL tear. Lacy isn’t a rare talent. Neither is Franklin. If you buy them now, you’re essentially buying Green two years ago. Except Green was a better prospect than either of them. The Packers originally liked Green enough to burn a third round pick on a flier out of Hawaii. Scouts may not have realized it, but his athletic profile and advanced stats painted the picture of a guy who could have been in the first round conversation.

While Lacy and Franklin are trying to get up to NFL speed, Green will finally be able to show off his true talents. Everyone is dismissing Green’s early position atop the Packers’ offseason depth chart as veteran deference, but why defer to a guy who’s never done anything? You probably wouldn’t bother unless you still harbored dreams of a breakout.

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