By: Chris Januardi Lim
Finally, the 2017 National Football League (NFL) season is upon us! In just two more weeks, I will be able to yell at coaches for not jeopardizing their games so my team could get some extra fantasy points.
Last year, nothing frustrated me more than Sean Payton inexplicably pulling out Mark Ingram right at the goal line after an efficient drive. Running back (RB) has always been an important role in fantasy football, but in this new pass-heavy NFL filled with running backs by committees, a consistently solid running back is key to winning your league.
With everyone clamoring to pick up running backs early, it is inevitable for teams to be thin at the position. Here are some undervalued players and ‘hype trains’ (I don’t like the term sleepers, because everyone not taken in the first three rounds seems to be a sleeper nowadays) to strengthen your RB position.
Undervalued
Bilal Powell (New York Jets)
ESPN rank: RB 23
My rank: RB 15
The short-lived Matt Forte era for the New York Jets is coming to an end. Last week, the Jets announced that they had put Forte up on the trading block, and yesterday ESPN New York reported that he may not even make the roster. One man’s misery is another man’s fortune, and that’s the case here for Powell.
When he started the last five weeks of the 2016 season, he was the no. 5 RB in points per reception (PPR), and no. 8 RB in standard. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect him to be putting up no. 1 RB numbers, but at his average draft position (ADP) and rankings, he can be a steal, especially in PPR.
I understand that the Jets are a complete dumpster fire this year, but don’t be surprised when Powell inevitably racks up fantasy points in garbage/prevent time.
(Projection: Mid- to high-end RB 2)
Danny Woodhead (Baltimore Ravens)
ESPN rank: RB 27
My rank: RB 19
Ah . . . Danny Woodhead. If I got a dollar for every year I got laughed at for drafting him, I’d have $3. Dry jokes aside, Woodhead is always under the radar for fantasy owners every year, every draft. He’s that player in your opponent’s starting lineup that doesn’t scare you, until he drops 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards, with seven receptions and a touchdown.
The most important point for Woodhead is that he now plays with Joe “checkdown” Flacco, who last year targeted running backs a whopping 156 times. With Kyle Juszczyk, Dennis Pitta, and Kamar Aiken gone, and Kenneth Dixon out for the season, the pass-heavy Ravens would need to rely on the reliable hands of Danny Woodhead.
Unless Terrence West is able to somehow become a pass-catching back, Woodhead is still a lock for at least five catches a game with 70 all-purpose yards and a high chance of a touchdown. With numbers like that, I’d be ecstatic to snatch Woodhead in the seventh or eighth rounds, especially in PPR.
(Projection: Low RB 1, High RB 2)
[Other notable undervalued RBs: Carlos Hyde (SF), Mark Ingram (NO), C.J. Anderson (DEN), Theo Riddick (DET)]
‘Hype trains’
Marlon Mack (Indianapolis Colts)
Is 2017 the year where Frank Gore is finally going to decline? I, for one, think so. Frank Gore is 34 years old with 3,105 carries in a league where most running backs fall off a cliff on average at 27 years old and/or 1800+ carries.
Every year, there’s a late-round rookie that surprises and comes out of nowhere, and this year I’m betting on Marlon Mack. In college, he had three straight 1000-yard seasons, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He also has great hands, that would allow him to be a three-down back, which is always a plus in PPR.
When Gore gets injured or goes down in the depth chart, don’t be surprised when Marlon Mack becomes an important part of the Colts’ offense. I’m all in on Marlon Mack-daddy (yes, I just gave him a nickname), especially as a handcuff to Frank Gore. Have this player stashed on your team!
Dion Lewis (New England Patriots)
Ever since his rise from out of nowhere in 2015, I’ve been in love with “sweet honey Dijon” Lewis (I can’t seem to get this nickname to stick for some reason.)
One of the seven deadly sins in fantasy football is drafting a Patriots running back, and with the extremely crowded backfield, this season is no different. Mike Gillislee, James White, and Rex Burkhead are all competing for snaps with Dion Lewis. This may very well lead to a backfield similar to the 2014 Patriots, where four running backs each equally played around 25 per cent of the snaps in the season. The Patriots’ running back situation is always a question mark, but my blind love for “honey Dijon,” his undeniable talent as a pass catcher, his elusiveness, and his ability to hit the home run every time he touches the ball, will lead me to probably draft him and stash him all year. Have this player on your watch list!
[Other “hype train” RBs: Alvin Kamara (NO), Charles Sims (TB), Tarik Cohen (CHI), Wendell Smallwood (PHI), Jamaal Williams (GB)]
