Fantasy football: 8 late round running backs with upside

Cameron Artis-Payne-Carolina Panthers

The Panthers offense is still a question mark after the departure of DeAngelo Williams via free agency to Pittsburgh and the season-ending injury to Kelvin Benjamin this preseason.  While Cam Newton is good at being creative and figuring things out on the fly, he’ll need weapons around him that can help him make plays.

With Williams’ departure, the running back job is clearly Jonathan Stewart’s to lose, and J-Stew has his first clear look at a job as the feature back.  Stewart has been healthy so far this preseason, but he has such a long and complex injury history that the Panthers will need to be flexible with his touches and there is a good chance that he will miss time at some point this season.

When Stewart needs a break or is sidelined due to injury, it looks like Cameron Artis-Payne has put a stranglehold on the primary backup role and will get the first opportunity to carry the ball in Stewart’s absence. This preseason, Artis-Payne has totaled 72 yards on 18 carries (4.0 yards-per-carry) in his three games.  He worked with the starters for a little while in the Panthers’ third preseason game which came against the Patriots running six times for 15 yards.

Payne’s ceiling is a little limited since it’s unclear how much he’ll work in to the Panthers’ regular rotation, but as the 63rd RB off the board he has plenty of upside to deserve a look in the late rounds of your fantasy football draft.

Next: David Johnson-Arizona Cardinals