10 RB sleepers to target for fantasy football Week 1
By Nick Villano
James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars
When Travis Etienne went down with a season-ending injury, James Robinson should have immediately become a top-ten running back. That’s not what happened. Right now, he’s going around RB18, behind players like Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs, and Miles Sanders. Robinson is much more consistent than those three runners, and he has big-play ability.
Robinson finished last season seventh in most leagues among running backs. That was ahead of such names as Ezekiel Elliott, Nick Chubb, and Antonio Gibson. The Jaguars offense is going to look completely different this year with Trevor Lawrence at the helm and Urban Meyer as the head coach, but this doesn’t take away from the talent level Robinson brings to the table. In fact, he might be even better this year.
He might be one of the top rushers in the league this year. Yes, the Jaguars are going to be down a lot, but will they be down any more than they were last season? Meyer uses his weapons no matter the situation, and Robinson is one of his best weapons. This week, the Jaguars start the season against the Houston Texans. They are bad, and Robinson will go nuts on that team.
Mark Ingram, Houston Texans
This is where we can hit some deep sleepers. Mark Ingram is entering his 11th season in the league. He is the number-one running back on a Texans team that also employs Phillip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead, and David Johnson. The passing offense is Tyrod Taylor, Brandin Cooks, and that’s pretty much it. The Texans will rely on the running game even if it’s behind on the scoreboard.
Right now, it appears that Mark Ingram is the man getting the most carries. Ingram is coming off by far his worst year as a pro, and he will be motivated to prove he can still ball. Despite all the competition in the backfield, Ingram should get all the goal line carries when looking at the options. He can even still catch a few balls.
Does Ingram have a good fantasy season in front of him? Probably not, but strictly looking at Week 1, Jacksonville is a really good matchup for him. If daily fantasy players are looking for a cheap flier option, Ingram is one to consider.