Notes: The ADPs mentioned for players in this section are for all drafts on Yahoowhich began in late May. Several defensemen went undrafted in most leagues, but the trend has picked up in the past week.
Davis threw for 20 touchdowns in 12 games at Kentucky last season, and he’s projected to take over the big-back role in Buffalo. The Bills gave 33-year-old Latavius ​​Murray the 12th-most RBs in five seasons last season despite Josh Allen stealing 14 of them. Starter James Cook, meanwhile, has been given just two carries in five games after Week 4.
Murray, Damien Harris, Ty Johnson and Leonard Fournette combined for 48 red zone opportunities last season (more than Cook), and three of them were lost. Davis has been impressive in the preseason, and Buffalo has the best running game in the league since Joe Brady took over as OC.
Davis has double-digit TD potential as a rookie, and he also has potential in top-five fantasy football leagues, should Cook get injured. Fantasy drafters are starting to take notice, with Davis having an ADP of 128.1 over the past week after going undrafted for most of August.
Brooks is on par or better than Bijan Robinson in most rushing/receiving categories as the Texans’ starting RB in 2023. He’s a three-down player who is easily the best RB prospect in this year’s draft (and would have been drafted much higher if not for ACL surgery). Dave Canales plans to run strong, and top-50 picks have historically performed well in fantasy.
Chuba Hubbard was the No. 9 fantasy RB over the final seven weeks of last year, and Canales should be a big boost to an improved Carolina offense that also added Diontae Johnson during the offseason. Brooks will require patience from fantasy managers, as he will miss at least the first four games of the season on the PUP list, but Hubbard and Miles Sanders won’t be obstacles when Brooks is healthy.
Brooks should be a workhorse in Canales’ scheme during the second half of the season when it matters most in fantasy.
Herbert averaged 95.5 rushing yards (5.1 YPC) and 0.6 rushing touchdowns over 11 career games with 12+ carries. He was a top-10 fantasy RB during all three games he had 20 touches last year. Herbert was also one of eight running backs to force 25+ missed tackles on fewer than 175 rushing attempts as he trailed only De’Von Achane in rushing yards exceeded expectation.
D’Andre Swift’s contract makes him a heavy favorite to step into Chicago’s starting role, but he’s missed three-plus games in each of his seasons in the league before last year. Herbert has dominated work with Chicago’s starting offense during the Bears’ second and third preseason games (while Roschon Johnson inexplicably didn’t play). Swift wasn’t great last year despite a good environment, so a change in the expected depth chart isn’t out of the question.
Justin Fields had over 150 offensive attempts when he left, and Caleb Williams could lead a very productive Chicago offense with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze joining the improved offensive line.
Herbert has legitimate top-12 RB potential if he takes over as the Bears’ starting back, and he’s not being picked in more than 90% of Yahoo leagues.
Brown is slated to share duties with Zack Moss in a Bengals backfield that is only getting 18 touches per game with Joe Mixon gone. Brown has his shortcomings — he barely played any third downs last season and was last among 77 qualified running backs in Success Rate. However, he also posted the fastest ballcarrier speed of any RB and the 12th-most fantasy points per opportunity as a rookie.
Moss has been on the decline after some success, and Brown totaled 1,843 yards and 13 TDs on 355 touches in his final collegiate season, so he’s shown he can handle a bigger workload. Mixon had the third-most red-zone touches as a Cincinnati running back last season, and the Bengals’ offense has the potential to be the best in the league when healthy. Brown has real fantasy potential if given the chance.
We’re all rooting for Nick Chubb, but he’s coming off a meniscus injury and a double torn ligament in the same knee he suffered in 2015. Chubb was placed on the PUP list to start the year, meaning he’ll miss at least the first four games of the season. Meanwhile, the Browns have a great offensive line and one of the best running backs in football (other than QBs). Ford was a top-25 fantasy RB when Chubb was out last season, and he’s available after the 10th round of a 12-team league on Yahoo.
Wright had the second-highest YPC (7.6) among all college RBs last season. He’s a very athletic running back who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds and joins a Miami team that just scored 50+ more fantasy points than any other RB group since 2020. Raheem Mostert is 32 with a lengthy injury history, while De’Von Achane is 5-9, 188 pounds and has had a lot of durability issues as well.
The Dolphins traded up to sign Wright, who missed Miami’s second preseason game with a minor injury. In Mike McDaniel’s system and with two injury-prone running backs in front of him, Wright could be a “fantasy football league winner” as a rookie.
Tracy is a former WR turned RB who forced a missed tackle on 39% of his attempts last season in college. He looked impressive in his preseason debut, even playing on third down. Tracy’s injury, which initially looked scary in practice in mid-August, is not as serious as it appeared; he has returned to practice and should be ready for Week 1. Devin Singletary has stepped in as the clear starter for New York, but he is 27 years old and his 216 carries last season marked a career-high. Tracy is one injury away from being a top priority on the waiver wire.
Allen threw for 35 touchdowns in 35 games in college, where he burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old freshman at Wisconsin. He has the second-highest Dominator Rating of his career in this year’s running back class and appears to have won New York’s backup RB role. Depth is thin behind Breece Hall, and Allen has the league’s most explosive rushing yards through the first weekend of preseason action.
The Jets overhauled their offensive line in a major way during the offseason, and Aaron Rodgers is an even bigger upgrade at quarterback. According to Mike Clay’s projections, New York enters 2024 with the No. 1 roster in the NFL.
Allen is just one injury away from being a difference-maker in fantasy, but is only now starting to get noticed by fantasy managers with an ADP of 130.9 over the past week on Yahoo.
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers (Yahoo ADP: Not Selected)
Mason has been a bit of a silent block despite consistent reports of him winning San Francisco’s backup RB role throughout the summer. He has quietly averaged 5.6 YPC over his first two years in the league, and Mason has worked hard on his receiving and pass protection skills during the offseason. Kyle Shanahan is a fan of Mason, and veteran Elijah Mitchell was recently placed on IR for the offseason. Meanwhile, rookie Isaac Guerendo has been a non-factor after suffering a serious hamstring injury.
Mason is no secret after dominating the 49ers’ preseason opener, capped by a touchdown run. Christian McCaffrey is expected to be fully ready for Week 1; he said he could play in today’s game if needed. But CMC missed the preseason with a calf injury, battled injuries throughout 2020-21 and had just over 400 touches last year, so he’s a risk.
Mason would certainly be a difference maker in fantasy if he were to become a key player in the NFL’s best offensive system. After going undrafted in most leagues, his ADP was 122.9 last week and should continue to climb following the Mitchell news.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Yahoo ADP: Not Selected)
Irving is favored to enter 2024 as Tampa Bay’s RB2 after a strong preseason showing. Starter Rachaad White is a good receiver, but he’s one of the worst runners in the league; White ranks last in rushing yards beyond expectation, yards after contact per carry, and missed tackles forced per carry. Irving totaled 1,458 and threw 12 touchdowns in 13 games as a 21-year-old last season at Oregon, so he’s an underrated player in fantasy. Yahoo managers are starting to take notice, too, as his ADP is 129.5 over the past week on Yahoo after going undrafted in most leagues for most of August.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (Yahoo ADP: 106.0)
Spears was the only RB to force 25+ missed tackles in fewer than 100 carries last season, and he ranked third among defenders in first-read targets as a rookie. Spears recorded the fourth-most scrimmage yards (1,837) in his final year of college, where he particularly thrived out of the shotgun; Brian Callahan’s Bengals ranked third in shotgun ratio last season.
Meanwhile, his competition for touches has shifted from Derrick Henry to Tony Pollard. Pollard has admitted that he didn’t feel fully healthy until midway through last season after undergoing TightRope surgery, and there’s no doubt that he improved in the offseason. However, his numbers remained disappointing in the second half, and Pollard somehow finished as the RB22 (11.5 FPPG) despite having the second-most red zone touches (72) in the league behind a strong offensive line. Spears had more targets and 24% more receiving yards while running 75 fewer routes than Pollard did last year.
Spears may not have a long NFL career, but he’s a much better option than Pollard in 2024. Their ADPs should flip.
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