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Fantasy Football Preview 2013: Top Sleeper Running Backs

By Shawn Siegele

Feb. 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA: The NFL logo on display near the red carpet prior to the Super Bowl XLVII NFL Honors award show at Mahalia Jackson Theater. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Feb. 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA: The NFL logo on display near the red carpet prior to the Super Bowl XLVII NFL Honors award show at Mahalia Jackson Theater. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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9. Ryan Williams – Arizona Cardinals

Sep 16, 2012; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams (34) carries the ball during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 16, 2012; Foxboro, Massachusetts, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams (34) carries the ball during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

The best running back prospect from the 2011 Draft, Williams has fallen off the map due to consecutive season-ending injuries. His ADP continues to plummet with the acquisition of Rashard Mendenhall and Bruce Arian’s insistence that he won’t throw to running backs. Oh, and the Cardinals may still have the worst line in the NFL.

Fortunately, this creates an exploitable inefficiency. We may not know much about Ryan Williams as an NFL player, but we’ve got conclusive evidence Mendenhall is a bust. The owner of a career 4.1 yards per carry average, the former Steeler has only bested that once in five seasons. PFF’s numbers suggest he was clearly worse than Isaac Redman in 2011 before tearing his ACL. The Cardinals are poised to get off to a very slow start in the running game, at which point they’ll have plenty of incentive to give Williams a try.

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