Running backs remain king in fantasy football. While it seems like there are more elite quarterbacks and wide receivers than ever before, the number of consistent, reliable running backs is dwindling. This makes it all the more important to find value in running backs in fantasy football. To help you with that, each week I’ll take a look at a few backfields that stand out based on recent trends or new information we’ve learned.
As we enter the final stretch of the regular fantasy football season, the idea of a “league winner” is becoming a hot topic. A league winner is a player you pick up who explodes in the second half of the year to get you a fantasy championship. Historically, young running backs have been a potentially valuable group to find these hidden gems in, as they often begin to supplant their team’s veteran starter as they become more acclimated to the NFL. In this article, I’ll switch gears a bit and discuss my five favorite young running backs (all rookies) to save for the rest of the fantasy football season.
One quick note before we start: typical ‘stash’ running backs like Tyler Allgeier or Zach Charbonnet and notable newcomers like Tyrone Tracy Jr. or Bucky Irving are obviously valuable, but they’re already heavily rostered, so listing them here wouldn’t be too helpful. Instead, I’ll focus on more available players who are included in less than 30% of Yahoo fantasy leagues.
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5. Audric Estimé, Denver Broncos
Estimé’s rookie season got off to a rough start, as he spent weeks 2-5 on IR with an ankle injury. However, in recent weeks he has become increasingly involved in the Broncos offense, and head coach Sean Payton said he wanted to provide Estimé with even more details in the future. Estimé has been effective with his limited workload thus far, totaling 95 yards on 15 total carries. While starter Javonte Williams is doing well in his role, it’s possible the Broncos are trying to get a better idea of what they have with Estimé since Williams is a free agent after this season.
Estimé admittedly has a difficult path to becoming an impact player, as even with an injury to Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin would likely see action as a starter. I don’t mind picking up Estimé in deeper leagues (he’s only 2% on the roster) as it’s possible his efficiency remains strong over a larger sample size, but I’d temper my expectations.
4. Isaac Guerendo, San Francisco 49ers
Guerendo faces an uphill battle for fantasy relevance, with superstar Christian McCaffrey possibly making his long-awaited return this week. However, I think Guerendo is still worth mentioning as he could replace Jordan Mason’s role as San Francisco’s top backup. Guerendo has been outstanding whenever his name has been called – he has 184 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown in the two games where Mason has been limited. Mason has been dealing with a sprained left shoulder for much of the season and his production has been less effective. than at the beginning of the year.
With McCaffrey’s status for Week 10 unclear, I would consider picking up Guerendo on waivers this week. He has been included in just 17% of the competitions, but could be a potential starter if CMC isn’t ready yet. Even once McCaffrey returns, he’s far from the cleanest of health and I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers keep some control over his workload. Guerendo could certainly be cut if the next few weeks indicate he’s still behind Mason on the depth chart, but the low risk is well worth the potentially high reward.
3. Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
Benson had the best game of his young career on Sunday, turning in 8 carries for 37 yards and scoring in the Cardinals’ win over the Bears. James Conner is still the clear starter in Arizona, but like the Broncos situation, I expect the Cardinals to involve Benson a bit more down the road as Conner’s contract expires after this season.
The Cardinals also have a particularly light schedule during the end of the season, playing the Patriots, Panthers and Rams in the fantasy playoffs. So while Benson may not have much fantasy value right now and is splitting time with Emari Demercado as the Cardinals’ No. 2 pick, he still has a path to fantasy success if he starts to see a bigger role. It is available in 83% of Yahoo leagues.
2. Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
After a few weeks of hand-wringing in August, it has become clear that the rumors about Kyren Williams’ death were greatly exaggerated. Williams has been the clock cow for the Rams this season despite his kick returns and currently ranks as the RB6 in fantasy football.
Corum has hardly been used in the meantime, which is a surprise after his third round of draft capital. Still, Corum is a valuable fantasy stock, as he would immediately become the Rams’ top running back if Williams were to get injured. Frustrated managers have certainly sidelined Corum by now, as he’s included in just 15% of Yahoo leagues, and I’d be keen to pick him up as a next-man-up option.
1. Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
Davis is currently listed in 27% of Yahoo leagues, but I think that number should be much higher. Davis’ production as the Bills backup was hard to ignore. When James Cook missed Week 6 with a toe injury, Davis immediately went for 152 scrimmage yards on 23 touches. Davis has been much more effective than Cook from an efficiency standpoint – he has a higher yards after contact per attempt than Cook and has forced six more missed tackles despite 48 fewer carries. Davis has also flashed as a pass-catcher, including a 63-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown on Sunday.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on Davis’ usage in the coming weeks, and I think he could become a legitimate 1B to Cook’s 1A in this backfield. If Cook were to miss time, Davis would become a top-15 option, which can’t be said about most of the other guys on this list. I would have easily spent 10-15% of my FAB budget on adding Davis this week as he fits the bill of a potential league winner perfectly. Since waivers have already been granted in most leagues, you can now add him for free.
