Where to Spend the Last Picks of Your Draft – RBs (Fantasy Football)
We all know the fragility of the RB position. All it takes is an awkward left turn and your coveted first or second-round draft pick is relegated to being a benchwarmer for the rest of the season. Having players to target in the late rounds for the RB position is crucial for your survival so that you have some depth at the position. Here are some players to consider this season.
This is a reminder that all of the RBs mentioned here are currently being drafted after round 12, courtesy of the Sleeper ADP tool on the website. We are also using 12 team, 0.5-PPR data.
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys, 12.09
The possibility of drafting a starting RB on a high-flying offense at the end of round 12 sounds delightful. It becomes slightly more precarious when that RB is Rico Dowdle, but hear me out. The Cowboys lost Tony Pollard, their RB1 from last season, and replaced him with one of the least efficient RBs of the entire season – Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott is listed as the RB1 on the depth chart, but if he plays like he did last year in New England, it will be difficult for him to hold on to it. Out of RBs with at least 50 rushing attempts last season, Zeke had the 11th-worst YPA (3.5).
The chatter surrounding Dowdle has been great around camp, and even if he manages a timeshare with Zeke, he will pay off nicely at his draft position. In addition, with Zeke being an older RB at 29 years old, we know there is a higher propensity for him to get injured. Behind Zeke on the depth chart is Royce Freeman, who has been battling injuries himself, then Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn. If Zeke goes down, this backfield belongs to Dowdle.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers, 11.12
I snuck this one in, with Hubbard currently drafting at the tail end of the 11th round. Recently, Carolina revealed that rookie Jonathon Brooks probably will not see any action until at least Week 3 of the regular season, which was expected with him still recovering from his ACL injury. We could see Brooks start on the PUP list, and if that happens, then the Panthers will put Chuba Hubbard out there as their RB1. Hubbard’s ADP did drop slightly with the Brooks news, but it seems to have stabilized, and a starting RB at the end of the 11th round is a steal.
I know how unsexy Hubbard’s name sounds, but he had eight weeks last season as the RB24 or better – the man was startable, whether you were proud to do so or not. Miles Sanders is behind Hubbard on the depth chart, and he was the furthest from dependable as someone could be last year. The Carolina backfield belongs to Hubbard until Brooks is able to play, and even when that happens, you might be able to squeeze in a few more startable weeks. The situation is very similar to the Jonathan Taylor one that occurred last season. With Taylor out the first four weeks, Zack Moss shined bright, and when Taylor did return, the transition was not immediate, Moss was still startable for a few more weeks.
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings, 13.03
Aaron Jones made the move from Green Bay to Minnesota and now has Ty Chandler as his backup. The depth chart is sparse behind these two, meaning Chandler would be the lead back if Jones goes down. Chandler is an explosive RB who had a better YPC than Alexander Mattison last year – 4.5 to Mattison’s 3.9 – and HC Kevin O’Connell has been talking him up since spring. “I love where Ty is at. Going to be a big offseason for him. Really, really excited about Ty.” Last season, from Week 10 on, Chandler averaged 14 opportunities a game – the organization clearly trusts him, which should garner him a solid number of touches with Jones on the field, but would lead to extensive usage if Jones went down.
Minnesota #Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell spoke highly of RB Ty Chandler at the NFL Combine! 👀💪 #SKOL pic.twitter.com/looIEE99E0
— SKOR North – Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) February 28, 2024
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills, 16.07
Perhaps the most pro-ready RB coming out of this year’s draft class, Davis played for three schools during his college career that spanned five years. He logged over 3,500 yards on the ground and 762 yards receiving and now heads to a Bills team that started to feed James Cook after the OC switch from Ken Dorsey to Joe Brady halfway through the season. The team lost Stefon Diggs, and we are still uncertain about their identity this season, but we know they will need weapons, and Ray Davis could easily become a dependable one.
Rookies often have growing pains, and Davis is no different. Davis has been having common rookie issues in training camp, such as fumbling, but his ability to learn, process, and move on is wowing the coaching staff. He is an excellent snag with your last pick on talent and potential alone, and he could skyrocket in value if something happened to James Cook.
David finally had a chance to show off his talent in the second preseason game against the Steelers. He had eight carries for 58 yards and looked to have solidified the backup role behind Cook, especially making multiple defenders miss on an explosive 19-yard run.
Numerous fumbles for Ray Davis during #BillsCamp so far. OC Joe Brady said he’s been pleased with how Davis is able to move on to the next play, without letting his mistakes snowball. It’s not something many young guys can do says Brady. #Bills #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/g7m0FOauW5
— BillsDigest (@billsdigest_) August 1, 2024
Honorable Mentions:
- Tyrone Tracy (NYG, 16.08) – The Giants dodged a bullet with Tracy only suffering a low ankle sprain, so managers could easily stash him, knowing he should return.
- Tyler Allgeier (ATL, 13.06) – Allgeier had five top-20 finishes in 2023, and if Bijan ever got injured, he would get all of the work.
- Braelon Allen (NYJ, 16.12) – The presumed backup to Breece Hall looked great as a rusher and a pass-catcher in his second preseason game.
- Bucky Irving (TB, 17.06) – Irving’s ability as a pass-catcher could get him on the field more than Rachaad White managers would like.