Fantasy football: 8 late round running backs with upside

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Aug 22, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman (23) rushes during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Ronnie Hillman-Denver Broncos

The rumblings out of Denver are that Hillman has become the “1b” option in the Broncos running game behind C.J. Anderson. Anderson is still clearly the back to own and will probably deliver on his first round ADP. However, Hillman has put together a strong preseason and is worth a flier at his current ADP which is 178th overall and 56th among running backs.

Anderson has never been a feature back for a whole season before, although he excelled in the role in the second half of last season. While Head Coach Gary Kubiak usually relies on feature back, he does also mix in enough of his change-of-pace option to give him flex value. Back when Kubiak was running the Texans offense Arian Foster and Ben Tate both got enough touches to be fantasy relevant.

While Hillman is definitely not guaranteed production, he has enough upside to be one of the first late round running backs you look for. The Broncos offense should be excellent again, so anyone in line for touches is worth noting and watching for on draft day.

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