10 RB sleepers to target for fantasy football Week 1
By Nick Villano
These are the running backs that can help you win your fantasy football matchup in Week 1.
It’s finally here. The greatest invention since the cotton gin. Fantasy football has graced our lives once more, and the most exciting and frustrating endeavor continues for the next 18 weeks.
That’s right, for the first time ever, fantasy football players have a maximum of 18 weeks this season. The NFL expanded the season which means we have one more week of hope to make the postseason and win our respective pots.
There is one position that is king in fantasy football no matter how irrelevant the league tries to make it. Running backs are just more important than any other position in fantasy. It’s not because they score the most points. That’s the quarterback position. It isn’t the position with the highest make-or-break potential because wide receivers hold that distinction with most leagues moving to a PPR format.
However, the running back is king.
Which running back sleepers should get a start in fantasy football in Week 1?
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
Let’s start with one of the most controversial names in fantasy this year. Many of the top analysts in fantasy claimed Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a no-doubt first-round pick last season. Some people were claiming he should be the first-overall pick. Those were both bad takes.
Edwards-Helaire finished the season just cracking the top 25 in running backs last year (depending on points and format). He barely broke 800 yards rushing, scored four times on the ground, and he only caught 36 passes for less than 300 yards. This guy was supposed to be a dual-threat monster.
And he will be. Last year was completely unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of football. There was barely any training camp, no preseason, and the rookies had to do a ton of guesswork as they tried to learn offenses through Zoom.
Edwards-Helaire got a full offseason workout with the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. They are facing a Browns defense that will look to bring the rush on Mahomes, so Andy Reid will use Edwards-Helaire as a way to keep his opponent on its heels. This should be a big week for the Chiefs RB1.