10 RB sleepers to target for fantasy football Week 1

Michael Carter, New York Jets

The New York Jets offense is interesting. Is that the right word? It’s hard to tell what they are going to do with Zach Wilson under center and Mike LaFleur taking over the offense under Robert Saleh. LaFleur is very young, and he could be looking to get extremely creative with the offense. Is it too much too soon for him? If that’s the case, it’s best to rely on the running back.

Technically, Michael Carter is third on the depth chart, but unlike other situations on this list, Tevin Coleman and Ty Johnson are not legitimate options as a starting running back. Michael Carter is. He was really good for North Carolina, and he can jump right into an NFL offense.

The Jets are taking on an interesting team in the Carolina Panthers. Sam Darnold is looking for his revenge, and he likely will get it. However, Carter can steal a touchdown before it’s all said and done. Expect Carter to watch in the first half, but as the Jets attempt a comeback in the second half, Carter will come in to try and change the team’s fortunes.

Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills had major struggles running the ball last year, but Josh Allen’s amazing season made it a moot point. By the end of the season, the Bills were only rushing the ball 18 times per game. Zack Moss showed he can be a game-breaker at times, but his consistency was so very bad. He’d break off a 20-yard run, but then he’d run into the line three times in a row.

This season, the Bills are coming back once again with Moss and Devin Singletary. Moss is clearly the better of the two options here. Moss was given double-digit carries four times last season. He averaged north of four yards per carry three of those four times and went over five yards per carry twice. Moss was given about 50% of the carries in his best games. This season, that will go up as he becomes a bigger part of the offense.

Everyone will play the Bills deep because of the cannon connected to Allen’s shoulder, and the smart minds in Buffalo know that can be used to their advantage. The Steelers aren’t the best matchup because of their stellar defense, but the game being in Buffalo and Big Ben’s propensity for interceptions could give Moss a couple of cheap touchdowns.

Jaret Patterson, Washington Football Team

This one is a deep sleeper, but it makes sense on paper. The Washington Football Team is starting with Antonio Gibson as the starter. He was really good last season and showed he could carry the load by himself. However, Gibson has said he doesn’t want to be known as a running back only, so he might be looking to go out wide more often. That will open up running back snaps to someone.

Jaret Patterson was one of the best running backs in college last year despite playing for a non-traditional school. The fans seemed to really gravitate towards Patterson as he was looking to fight for a roster spot. That includes Hall of Famers Barry Sanders.

Patterson is behind Gibson and J.D. McKissic on the depth chart. He might not get many carries, but call this one a hunch. He is playing for his hometown NFL team. Patterson had to fight tooth and nail to get a spot on the roster. Ron Rivera likes to reward players for what they do on and off the field, and this kid did everything right so far. Expect him to at least get a look in this game, and if he impresses, he could start taking more snaps from the other running backs.