Fantasy Football: Top Three Rookie Running Backs
As we inch our way out of the darkest period of the year for Fantasy Football lovers, where the only good thing worth watching on the NFL Network is Kay Adams and we emerge into the glory of Training Camps and Fantasy Football Mock Drafts. Lets take a look at some of the young up and comers who will be available to help you stand victorious upon the Fantasy Football mountain come December.
As most Fantasy Football owners know, the 2017 NFL Draft saw an unusually high influx of talented college running backs. As we all know, the emphasis on the passing game has helped change the landscape of Fantasy Football to one where the elite receiver is truly the lead dog on any quality team. However, ignoring the running back position and the subsequent points it can provide will most likely prove hazardous to your playoff health.
In recent years I have found the strategy of stocking up on as many elite receivers as I can and waiting until later in the draft to grab my running backs to be a very effective strategy. The only caveat to that? You must sometimes be willing to gamble on the unknown quantity that is the rookie running back.
So let’s take a look at three rookie runners who should be available in the later rounds who can provide your squad with the type of supporting points to help push your team over the top.
Joe Mixon
Pre-Draft talk about Mixon was all over the place. The video and subsequent fallout are both well covered territory. Most NFL teams didn’t even have him on their draft boards. Many organizations felt that the player’s history and the media and public outcry would not be worth the risk of bringing him into the fold.
That’s the great thing about Fantasy Football, we get to operate and run our teams with little to no concern about which direction our moral compass is pointing. Let’s be honest, most of us would draft Jeffrey Dahmer if he ran a 4.3 forty and could guarantee us 1,400 yards and 15 TD’s. We probably wouldn’t invite him to the end of the season pot luck but, I think you get my drift.
Mixon is going to start the year in a very crowded Cincinnati backfield, but at some point he is going to emerge as the lead back. Giovanni Bernard is coming off of a serious knee injury, and even if completely healthy, he has shown he is more of a complimentary back than someone who can carry the load.
Jeremy Hill probably would have been ranked number one on this list back in 2014. However, two lukewarm seasons and an APC that has dipped to a 3.8, opened the door for the drafting of Mixon and his eventual rise to the RB1 spot.
Mixon has that rare combination of size, speed and agility, and if he can keep his hands in his pockets, will have a chance to be something special in this league. Due to his off the field issues and the likelihood that he won’t be the starter out of the gate, you should be able to grab Mixon around the fifth or sixth round. I would also highly recommend grabbing him in keeper leagues if at all possible.
Jamaal Williams
Look, I give credit where it’s due. Watching Ty Montgomery operate last year was pretty amazing. Thrust into the role of running back and compiling just over 800 yards rushing and receiving, was quite a feat. However, even the Packers realized they needed to acquire another back who was capable of moving the pile in short yardage and goal line situations.
That’s where the rookie from BYU comes in. At 6 feet 212 pounds, Williams is the between the tackles runner this team lacked last year. Montgomery’s transition, while impressive, is still ongoing and with only 77 career carries, there is still some mystery as to how this experiment will turn out.
Given the platoon situation that Green Bay will employ, Williams will be available much later in drafts and quite possibly after Montgomery has already been taken off the board. Worst case scenario will find you with a short yardage and goal line back who will get you 5-10 touchdowns. The upside, however, is huge. It is not crazy to think that by mid season Williams is the every down runner with Montgomery taking on the 3rd down and change of pace duties.
Grab Williams in the 8th round in traditional formats and maybe a couple of rounds earlier in keeper leagues and thank me later.
Samaje Perine
Perine was often overshadowed by Mixon while the two were sharing a backfield at Oklahoma. However, the 5’11 233 pound bruiser was still able to put up impressive numbers in his own right. Rushing for 1,060 yards on 196 carries and 10 touchdowns.
The only real threat to Perine’s ascension to the top of the depth chart comes in the form of Rob Kelley . Kelly played well last year, running for just over 700 yards and 6 TD’s, but by no means does he have a stranglehold on the position.
While Kelley will open camp as the starter. It will be interesting to watch the competition between the two as we move further along into the summer. Kelley and Perine may spend the entire season splitting time, but with Perine’s hard nosed running style it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him start the year as the teams short yardage/goal line back. Perine may not post eye popping yardage numbers, but look for him to have close to 10 TD’s by the end of the year.
You can definitely grab Samaje much later in drafts. He should be available in rounds eight through ten and would provide great value at that spot. I would even suggest picking him up a couple rounds earlier in keeper leagues.
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