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Even with the NFL being a passing league these days, running backs still rule the roost in fantasy football.
You cannot win a fantasy football league without a decent pair of high-caliber running backs, and many times you need three above-average backs to win thanks to injuries, bye weeks, COVID outbreaks, and because you can use an extra RB if your league has a flex position in its weekly lineup. With how hard it is to find workhorses in today’s running-back-by-committee football world, fantasy general managers know stockpiling talented tailbacks on their roster remains one of the truest ways to win fantasy championships. If you can find some sleepers to stash on your squad, your running backs could lead you to riches, trophies, and bragging rights.
Now is the time to start charting which running backs could be sneaky surprises this upcoming season. Here is a look at my early sleepers at running back heading into the 2021 NFL season!
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A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers
2020 Stats: 46 rushing attempts, 242 rushing yards, 2 TD
Aaron Jones re-signed with Green Bay to be the top tailback for Aaron Rodgers or whoever mans the offense for the next several seasons, so there is no doubt who the Packers’ No. 1 RB is coming into the year. And thanks to Jamaal Williams taking his multiple talents to the division-rival Detroit Lions, there is no question who Jones’ top understudy will be either.
Dillon is a different runner than Jones and will get the time and touches in Green Bay’s offense whether Jones is healthy or injured. Dillon has Derrick Henry-like skills since he is a bulky between-the-tackles runner with above-average breakaway speed for someone with his body type. Jones’ 33 rushing touchdowns over the past three seasons might make fantasy managers wary of taking Dillon since he will not vulture too many touchdowns, but do not be scared off. Dillon will be an integral part of the Packers' offense and would immediately become a top-10 fantasy RB (especially if Rodgers is not traded) if Jones missed games, something the veteran has done in three of his four NFL seasons.
Darrel Williams, Kansas City Chiefs
2020 Stats: 39 rushing attempts, 169 rushing yards, 1 TD
Williams has been a solid secondary contributor in Kansas City’s high-powered offense over the last couple of seasons. While Williams’ numbers will not flatten any pancakes or pizzas, he rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown in KC’s two playoff victories leading up to its Super Bowl LV loss. He also averaged 4.8 yards per carry during the postseason and 4.3 YPC during the regular season. So when given the opportunity, especially when defenses are keying on every other skilled position player the Chiefs have, Williams can deliver decent numbers.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be Kansas City’s main man at RB entering 2021, but the second-year man hit a wall during the second half of his rookie campaign and failed to rush for 100 yards in any game over the final two-plus months of the season. CEH could be a breakout superstar in season two, but he could also suffer a sophomore slump that opens the door for Williams to split touches and touchdowns with him. Williams is not the second coming of Gale Sayers and is still known more for his pass blocking than any Pro Bowl-esque attributes. That said, if Edwards-Helaire is benched or injured and the Chiefs do not add any other running backs of note in the offseason, Williams could stumble into scores and rack up yardage as the No. 1 rusher in this potent offense.
Ty Johnson, New York Jets
2020 Stats: 54 rushing attempts, 254 rushing yards, 2 TD (1 rushing, 1 receiving)
Johnson came out of the cellar of the depth chart last season to provide a little spark to a moribund Jets running game that was built around 700-yard-old Frank Gore’s three-yard plunges for much of the year. Johnson outplayed 2020 draft choice La’Mical Perine and had the nerve to average 4.7 yards per carry even though he ran behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league. He also led all Jets backs with 16 receptions despite limited playing time. Johnson’s biggest issue was finding the end zone as he only turned two of his 70 touches into touchdowns last season.
New York’s backfield situation is as murky as a polluted ocean as we approach the new season. The Jets signed injury-prone veteran Tevin Coleman to a one-year deal, and while he could be the odds-on favorite to be the Jets' top tailback, the guy was No. 3 or No. 4 on San Francisco’s depth chart in 2020 and has only suited up for 16 games in one out of a half-dozen seasons. In other words, Coleman is no lock to be the best back.
The Jets recently selected Michael Carter out of North Carolina in the fourth round, so many project him to be the main tailback for the team. But what if, hear me out here, he's not? That's not exactly heavy draft capital. Fourth-round RBs from last season include Joshua Kelley, Anthony McFarland, DeeJay Dallas, and... La'Mical Perine.
Carter, Perine, Coleman, and Johnson will be battling in the backfield behind rookie signal-caller Zach Wilson and running behind an improved line supercharged by another first-round pick in Alijah Vera-Tucker. Many fantasy players will put their money on Coleman or Carter in this situation, but I will roll the dice with Johnson as a last-round pick in this scenario. Johnson has upside and could take his game and fantasy value to the next level if the Jets' offense does the same under Wilson and a new coaching staff.
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