RADIO
As draft season comes to an end, it is important to remember that there is good value available late in the drafts. Lottery ticket picks that work out often end up being difference-makers for the fantasy owners that select the aforementioned players.
An area that has traditionally been hard to predict, however, is running back. Because of the increased chance for injury and committee setups of the majority of NFL teams, predicting the emergence of late-round running backs is more of an educated guess than a calculated decision.
Nevertheless, let's take a look at some very deep running back sleepers and try to figure out if they are worth a lottery ticket selection in the final rounds of your drafts.
Five Very Deep Running Back Sleepers
Chris Ivory, Buffalo Bills
The 30-year-old pro makes a return to the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills, having previously played for the New York Jets. A stint in between with the Jacksonville Jaguars saw Ivory be replaced as the starting running back by rookie Leonard Fournette in 2017. Ivory still played well at times and was a workhorse back when Fournette missed a few games. Now in Buffalo, Ivory will play behind LeSean McCoy in the team's offense for the 2018 season. McCoy is also approaching the backend of his career and has been dealing with some off-the-field issues throughout the offseason. Because the team features a run-heavy offense and has very little talent in their wide receiver corps, Ivory may have a bigger role than anticipated in the team's offense, especially if McCoy is forced to miss some time. Ivory is at worst a decent handcuff selection who is guaranteed a workhorse role should he become the team's starter this season, making him an enticing late-round draft selection this year.
Frank Gore, Miami Dolphins
Somehow, Frank Gore has continued to play well. Despite being 35 years old, Gore's lowest yard total on the ground was 853 yards back in 2010. With nine 1,000 yard seasons in his career thus far and coming off of a 961 yard rushing year with the Colts, Gore is expected to be the backup to Kenyan Drake to open up the season for his new team, the Miami Dolphins. Gore has shown that he can continue to produce at the NFL level; in fact, Gore has never had below 1,000 all-purpose yards in his entire career except for his rookie season. The veteran running back and future Hall-of-Famer may not be a great option out of the gates. However, should the Dolphins lose faith in Drake, who was the third running back on the depth chart to start the 2017 season, Gore will be right there to pick up the slack as a reliable chain-mover and running back with a three-down skill set. For his basement valuation, Gore is an unsexy but solid pick with a last-round lottery ticket selection in 2018.
Jeremy Hill, New England
After having two good and two bad years with the Cincinnati Bengals, Jeremy Hill signed with the New England Patriots this offseason and has been competing for a backup running back role on the team. The former second-round pick made the team's roster and looks to be a short-yardage back. Because Hill was able to make the team, his ability to find the end zone makes him a premium late round pick given the nature of the Patriots offense and current injury situations to both Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel. The chances of Hill making a sizable fantasy impact are small, but it's the New England Patriots here. Fantasy owners have learned to expect the unexpected with head coach Bill Belichick, making Jeremy Hill a viable late-round selection in fantasy drafts on the hope that he can rekindle his early career form.
Kenneth Dixon, Baltimore Ravens
After impressing as a rookie, Kenneth Dixon was handed a four-game suspension and missed the entire 2017 season due to injury. Although he looks to be buried in the team's depth chart behind Alex Collins and Javorius Allen, Dixon still has the upside to become the team's starting running back given the fact that Collins really has one productive season under his belt and Dixon has been with the team for longer. However, because Collins played so well last season, it should be no surprise that Dixon starts the year on the bench. If he is able to have a significant workload at the start of the 2018 season, however, fantasy owners will be glad that they chose Dixon with their last pick due to his presence as a receiving back in an offense that looks to be trending upward.
D'Onta Foreman, Houston Texans
D'Onta Foreman was on track to displace veteran running back Lamar Miller as the starting running back for the Houston Texans in the 2017 season. With some very impressive rushing performances, Foreman looked to be the team's running back of the future. However, an Achilles injury would end Foreman's season and put his NFL future in doubt. Achilles injuries are notoriously hard to recover from, and Foreman will start the year on the PUP list. However, if he is able to return to the team and get some playing time by midseason, nothing about Miller's performances in recent years suggests that Foreman can't overtake him if he still has the same speed that he did before the injury. Therefore, as a potential starter down the road, a last-round fantasy selection on D'Onta Foreman is not the worst idea for fantasy owners looking for upside at the running back position late in drafts.
