Fantasy football: 8 late round running backs with upside

Zach Zenner-Detroit Lions

With Joique Bell out all preseason due to knee and Achilles’ injuries, the Lions have been able to showcase their running back committee.  Ameer Abdullah has gotten most of the buzz behind Bell, and rightly so.  Abdullah’s ADP has shot up and he’s now the 25th running back being taken actually passing Bell who has slipped to 27.

Both Abdullah and Bell are long gone by the late rounds, but there is still a way to invest in a Lions’ RB who has shown some upside this preseason.  Zach Zenner came into camp as an undrafted and unheralded back out of South Dakota State expected to compete for a special teams slot. However, Zenner has had an impressive preseason in many ways becoming the star of the Detroit preseason.

Zenner opened the preseason with 13 rushed for 55 yards against the Jets and followed that up with four rushes and five catches for 81 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.  The Lions’ third preseason game was last night against the the Jaguars, and Zenner played extensively with the first team piling up 85 yards and a touchdown on his eight carries. In the “dress rehearsal” Zenner played as the early down feature-back with Abdullah mixing in as a change of pace option.

While Bell is supposed to be healthy for week 1, Zenner has made enough of a splash that Detroit should be able to carve out a role for him this season.  He doesn’t have as clear a path to palliation time as some of the other options on this list, but his impressive preseason has brought him into the conversation as an option among the late round running backs.

Next: Lance Dunbar-Dallas Cowboys