X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Dynasty Stock Watch - Running Back Risers

Justin Carter identifies running back risers for dynasty fantasy football leagues ahead of the 2019 season. These RBs could be buy-low or hold candidates.

If you play in dynasty leagues, you know how volatile things can be on a year-to-year basis. One year, you're winning a title, and the next year, your players are getting benched for rookies, injuries are tearing your team apart, and you're heading to the bottom of the league.

To stay ahead, you've got to be able to look forward and figure out which of your players are trending up and which are trending down so you can plan your moves accordingly. Today, let's look at running back dynasty risers for 2019.

Stay tuned for the second part of this column, which will look at running backs whose dynasty stock is falling ahead of the 2019 season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

Do people like rookie Alexander Mattison, who the Vikings brought in during the NFL Draft? Sure. But Mattison isn't a threat to Dalvin Cook at this point, and the Vikings letting Latavius Murray leave for New Orleans is proof that they plan to firmly establish Cook as the lead back barring another injury that sets him back.

Cook played in just 10 games last year, finishing second on the Vikings in carries and rushing touchdowns, but first in rushing yards. Cook wasn't necessarily that efficient on a per-play basis, ranking just 26th among qualified players in yards per carry, but that still beat out Murray, who was 34th.

A big part of why I like Cook is that he's effective as a runner and receiver. He was sixth among running backs in catch rate last season at 81.6 percent, and over a full season, his ability to make receptions out of the backfield gives him a big boost in PPR leagues. Cook has an explosiveness to him that Murray didn't have and that his new backup, Mattison, doesn't have either. Mattison could see short yardage opportunities open up, but on most of the field, Cook will be a three-down back.

 

Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts

Heading into last season, it didn't seem like Marlon Mack's time at the head of the Colts backfield was going to last. Indianapolis added a pair of rookies -- Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins -- to the mix, and it looked like we were heading toward a major committee situation.

Instead, Mack had more carries in 12 games than the rookies had combined in 16 games, and he was on the field for over 60 percent of the team's offensive snaps in each of the final three games. Instead of a committee, Mack took control of the backfield as the season went along and he enters this season atop the depth chart.

Among all running backs, Mack had the ninth-most goal-line carries, a good indicator that he'll be Indianapolis' guy in the red zone. He also was 14th in total carries of 15 or more yards despite missing four games. That Mack is both capable of breaking off big chunk plays and also being a short yardage weapon down near the goal line is a good sign for his ability to stay in front of the other players on this depth chart, and he's just now entering his third NFL season, so he's got plenty of time ahead of him to continue making a key impact.

 

Damien Williams, Kansas City Chiefs

I've been a believer in Damien Williams since he was on the Dolphins bench, and that belief finally paid off when he became the Chiefs' starting running back last year after they let Kareem Hunt go. Williams was impressive once he took over, carrying the ball 47 times for 255 yards over the last four games of the year while also catching 20 passes for 142 yards. He rushed for four touchdowns and added another two on receptions.

The Chiefs brought in Carlos Hyde this offseason, but at this point, Hyde is basically just an insurance policy for teams. He had just 189 rushing yards in the eight games he played with the Jaguars, and between Cleveland and Jacksonville, he had just 10 total catches all of last season.

The Chiefs bringing in Hyde doesn't worry me. Neither does them spending a sixth-round pick on Darwin Thompson, a small back who showed an ability to explode for big plays at Utah State and can be a good receiver, but whose stature is likely going to prevent him from being used the same way he was in college.

Factor in that Williams runs a 4.45 40-yard dash and that he was 11th among all running backs last year in fantasy points per opportunity, and Williams is trending upwards ahead of the 2019 season.

 

Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

*deep sigh*

Okay, so compared to where he was exactly one year ago, when Jones was sliding high in re-draft boards and all that, Jones is undoubtedly not a riser, but compared to where he was at at the end of the season? Maybe!

Here's the thing with the Buccaneers backfield: it looks a lot like it did last year, with Peyton Barber helming it and Jones there as the number-two guy. The team drafted no running backs, instead opting to bring in UDFA Bruce Anderson and to sign Andre Ellington, who I am not falling for ever again, since I've spent years getting burned by thinking "hmm, maybe Ellington will be good again!"

New coaching staffs usually mean a lot of shake up, but the Buccaneers want to get a look at their backs. Barber's fine, but let's not forget why we all collectively became obsessed with the idea of Ronald Jones last year: he was a fast back for USC who was capable of breaking off chunk plays, getting involved in the passing game, and finding the end zone. He'll have more opportunities this year to prove that his rookie year failings weren't the real Jones (and to make me feel less bad about the mid-season trade I made to get him last year that ended up looking really bad in retrospect!).

More Dynasty League Strategy




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Sebastian Walcott

Smacks Second Home Run Of 2025
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Kenley Jansen

Records His Sixth Save Of The Season
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Miguel Vargas

Homers Against The Twins On Thursday
Hunter Goodman

Delivers In Game 1 On Thursday With Two Hits
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Christopher Morel

Home Run Seals Victory For Rays
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Zach Neto

Hits Go-Ahead Home Run On Thursday
Yandy Díaz

Yandy Diaz Tallies Three Hits In Win Against Arizona
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Pete Fairbanks

Picks Up Fourth Save On Thursday
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Picks Up Save On Thursday
Corbin Burnes

Picks Up Eight Strikeouts In Thursday's Start
MacKenzie Gore

Strikes Out Eight In Loss On Thursday
Cade Povich

Picks Up Win On Thursday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Scores Three Runs, Steals A Base On Thursday
Alex Bregman

Homers In Loss To Seattle
Mike Yastrzemski

Homers, Drives In Two On Thursday
Salvador Perez

Notches Four Doubles, Four RBI In Thursday's Doubleheader
Jordan Beck

Homers Three Times On Thursday
Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Michael Lorenzen

Tosses Quality Start
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
A.J. Puk

Likely To Miss Multiple Months
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall

Matthew Golden Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants

Omarion Hampton Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF