2020 NFL Draft Rookie RB Landing Spots: Rounds 4-7 (Fantasy Football)
Most of the running backs selected in the back half of the NFL draft are depth pieces or special teams specialists. While we would never ask for or root for injuries, a few of these running backs could become fantasy darlings if they get an opportunity for more touches than expected.
You can take a deeper look at these rookies and more through our Rookie Player Profiles.
Round 4
Joshua Kelley – Los Angeles Chargers
Round 4, Pick 6 (112th Overall)
Kelley transferred to UCLA and racked up over 1,000 yards and exactly 12 TDs in each of his two seasons with the Bruins. He is a well-rounded athlete with prototypical size at 5’11” and 212 lbs with no glaring errors in his game. He is perfect as a depth piece and will compete for backup duties behind Austin Ekeler.
2020 Competition: Austin Ekeler, Justin Jackson
La’Mical Perine – New York Jets
Round 4, Pick 14 (120th Overall)
Perine adds depth behind Le’Veon Bell. Perine never carved out a bell-cow role with Florida hovering between 130 and 135 carries in his last three years with them, but he proved more than capable as a pass-catcher including a 40-reception campaign in 2019. As a depth piece on a struggling Gase-coached offense, Perine probably won’t have fantasy relevance without a series of events breaking just right for Perine.
2020 Competition: Le’Veon Bell, Josh Adams, Kenneth Dixon, Trenton Cannon
Anthony McFarland Jr. – Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 4, Pick 18 (124th Overall)
McFarland’s career at Maryland was marred by injuries, which made him miss his Freshmen year and limited his production in the last two seasons. When on the field, he was best known for his 4.44 40-yard dash speed that led to several breakaway runs. He lands in a backfield that has been racked with it’s own fair share of injuries over multiple years. McFarland might not slot very high on the depth chart, but he should be on speed dial if the injury bug hits Pittsburgh again.
2020 Competition: James Conner, Jaylen Samuels
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DeeJay Dallas – Seattle Seahawks
Round 4, Pick 38 (144th Overall)
Dallas is an interesting prospect coming out of Miami. Between high school and college, he’s played QB, WR, and finally RB. He still has plenty of room to progress as a runner and pass-blocker given his limited experience at the position, but he has plenty of athleticism and good size at 5’10” and 217 lbs to grow into a bell-cow role. He’s still quite raw as a player but could progress up the Seattle’s depth chart that’s ripe for some churn.
2020 Competition: Chris Carson, Travis Homer, Rashaad Penny
Round 5
Jason Huntley – Detroit Lions
Round 5, Pick 27 (172nd Overall)
Huntley is on the smaller side at 5’9″ and 193 lbs. His size was prohibitive between the tackles, but he was exceptional as pass-catcher collecting 126 receptions his last three years with New Mexico State. Given the depth chart on Detroit, Huntley was likely drafted to be used more on special teams where he excelled with New Mexico State returning 5 kickoffs for TDs, but he could be lined up in the backfield or the slot in special packages.
2020 Competition: D’Andre Swift, Kerryon Johnson, Bo Scarbrough
Round 7
Eno Benjamin – Arizona Cardinals
Round 7, Pick 8 (222nd Overall)
Benjamin was expected to be drafted somewhere between the Third- and Fifth-Rounds of the draft so this slot represents a sizable slide. The Arizona State product has three-down capability that allowed him to amass over 3,300 yards from scrimmage the past two seasons while scoring 30 TDs. Luckily, Benjamin won’t have to travel out of state and lands on a team that aligns perfectly with his skill set. Unfortunately, this sort of draft capital carries with it no promise of opportunity and it will be tough for Benjamin to make his way up the depth chart.
2020 Competition: Kenyan Drake, Chase Edmonds
Raymond Calais – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 7, Pick 31 (245th Overall)
Calais wasn’t very productive on the offense with only 198 carries and 16 receptions in his final two seasons combined with Louisiana. Standing at only 5’8″ and 188 lbs, Calais projects as a specialist on the special teams with little to no fantasy potential owed to the depth chart.
2020 Competition: Ronald Jones II, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Dare Ogunbowale