I’ve probably said this either on other articles or podcasts that when it comes to fantasy football. The running back position is one of the thinnest positions to draft. Some may consider the tight end position to be even thinner, but that’s a conversation for another article.
Whatever you may believe, the running back drop-off can be substantial after the first couple of rounds. I’m not much of an advocate for the whole “Zero RB” movement. Even so, it’s still important to know who to target later on in your fantasy football drafts. With Redraft season in full effect, I put together a list of guys you should consider adding to your fantasy football teams later in the draft after some of the bigger names are off the board.
Jamaal Williams – Detriot Lions
With D’Andre Swift expected to lead the Lions backfield, some may bypass Jamaal Williams as nothing more than a handcuff. I think that is a bit of a mistake. Williams is a capable back that can be just as effective if given the opportunity.
Coming over from the Packers during the free agency period, Williams was able to average 4.2 & 4.3 yards per carry behind starter Aaron Jones. Jamaal Williams also averaged a 87.6% catch percentage over the last two seasons.
Another thing to consider is running back usage under offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn. While Lynn does like to use his running backs, his lead backs haven’t cracked 250 carries since Melvin Gordon did it back in 2017. Since then, both backs have split the work. Lynn is already on record stating that they may use a “hot hand” approach this season. Lynn has also stated that he considers Jamaal Williams to be a “classic A back”.
Even if Williams doesn’t push Swift for the starting job, he still has an opportunity to get a considerable amount of work. And if Swift gets hurt, that’ll be a guarantee.
ADP – 9.01
Leonard Fournette – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fournette’s role in the offense is looking better and better in my opinion. I know that Ronald Jones and Fournette are still likely to split early-down work. But Fournette impressed in the passing game, and did well when he filled in for Jones during the post-season. That should be something fantasy footblal managers should keep in mind.
In the post-season, Fournette’s yards per carry jumped from 3.8 to 4.7. His catch rate also took a jump from 76.6% to 85.7%. Fournette’s ability to be used as both a rusher and a solid pass catcher is vital for him to remain a thorn in Ronald Jones’s side. Even with the addition of Giovani Bernard this offseason, I don’t view him as much of a threat as others will make him out to be.
Leonard Fournette gets the chance to immerse himself in the Bucs playbook heading into the 2021 season. He may even have a chance to challenge for the lead-back role. Run game coordinator Harold Goodwin notes that both Fournette and Jones are still competing for the RB1 label, but believes that both are still evenly matched. I’ll take the chance that Fournette carves out a sizeable role either way and target him later my fantasy football drafts.
ADP – 8.04
James Conner – Arizona Cardinals
I don’t want to say that people are sleeping on James Conner, but he’s not getting the kind of attention that he should with all the Chase Edmonds love going around. James Conner’s main issue is his durability. He’s managed to get hurt in every season as a starter, so the apprehension against targeting Conner is understandable.
James Conner has been able to average 4+ yards per carry in each of his three seasons as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steeler. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry in that horrible 2020 season, and the Steelers run game was ranked 32nd in the league that same year.
Conner is also no slouch in the pass-catching department. Conner’s best season saw him targeted 71 times back in 2018. Edmonds saw 67 targets last season with the Cardinals. It’s plausible to see both utilized in the passing game. Where the edge to Conner comes into play is when the team gets to the goal line. Last season, Kenyan Drake was the goal line back. Drake saw 56 red-zone carries to Edmonds 15. If Conner is coming in to fill in that Drake’s role, the goal line work could slide to him as the bigger back of the two.
ADP – 8.10
Zach Moss – Buffalo Bills
If the Moss hype train is still a thing, then I’m still riding with it. Last season was a bit underwhelming, as many hoped the rookie running back would take the starting job away from Devin Singletary.
In terms of rushing, both Moss and Singletary were neck and neck with each other. Both rushed for just over 4 yards per carry but Singletary received the bigger target share. Singletary was targeted 50 times to Moss’s 18. To Zach Moss’s credit, he saw the majority of red zone carries, seeing 29 carries compared to 22 for Singletary. That might seem like a big difference, but Zach Moss was able to convert four scores to Singletary’s zero. Yeah, a big fat donut despite having the backfield to himself when Moss was down with an ankle injury later in the season.
Moss could be the RB to target as he gets more acclimated to the offense and proves he’s the guy you don’t want to take off the field. He’ll have to steal some of those targets away from Singletary too but Moss, in my opinion, is the back you want to target for fantasy football.