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

UDFA Running Backs To Watch In Dynasty

Justin Carter takes a look at some undrafted free agent (UDFA) running backs that dynasty owners should keep an eye on as deep stashes. These players could emerge as fantasy football sleepers for their respective teams in 2021.

One of the biggest names in the fantasy game last year was Jaguars running back James Robinson, who went from UDFA to fantasy stud out of nowhere. Or at least it was out of nowhere if you didn't read last year's version of my UDFA to watch piece, where I mentioned Robinson. (Note: I also mentioned someone named Scottie Phillips, so take it for a grain of salt.)

Anyways, undrafted guys will emerge at running back sometimes. And this year, there are some interesting names who didn't wind up on a team.

Today, let's look at a few running backs who have a chance to be useful fantasy players, either now or in the future.

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

 

Jaret Patterson, Washington Football Team

If you watch football, you've heard of Jaret Patterson:

In just six games during the season, Patterson had 19 rushing touchdowns for Buffalo as he just tore the hell out of MAC opponents. The Bulls liked to run the football, finishing third in the country in rushing yards per game, and Patterson spearheaded that attack. Of the team's 287.1 rushing yards per game, Patterson accounted for 178.7 of them. He averaged 7.6 yards per run. He had 53 touchdowns in three years at the school.

The problem? Of all those scores, 52 of those were rushing touchdowns. Patterson had zero receptions last season and just 13 in his best receiving season. He was used in a very one-dimensional way in college, leaving lots of questions about how he'll adapt to the NFL game.

Add in that Patterson's smaller than your lead back typically is, and you can see why he went undrafted.

Still, productivity has to count for something, and Patterson has that in spades. He's just pure energy, someone who doesn't give up and finds a way to produce. Even without any pass-catching experience, Patterson is the UDFA I'd most be betting on to have a solid NFL career. And Washington is a place where the path to backup snaps is wide open. Antonio Gibson has that starting role locked down, but behind him are J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber. If Patterson can have a good camp and quickly learn to exist in the passing game, there's some value here as soon as this season.

 

Javian Hawkins, Atlanta Falcons

Hawkins is another player who should have been drafted in the later rounds of the draft over the other guys who were drafted.

Hawkins joins a Falcons team with an interesting depth chart. Mike Davis appears to be the lead back after the team didn't address running back in the draft. Davis had a solid 2020 season in Carolina after an injury to Christian McCaffrey forced Davis into the starting role.

Still, Davis is a 28-year-old journeyman who had just 13 carries in 2019 before his 165 carries last season. It's hard to really know what the back is at this point, especially when you look at some of his efficiency stats from last season.

Per PlayerProfiler, Davis was 55th in true yards per carry and 48th in yards per touch. His -26.8 expected points added ranked 188th. ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHTH.

Suffice it to say, I don't trust Mike Davis.

But his competition in Atlanta right now is Qadree Ollison, who I also don't trust.

All this means that there's room for Hawkins to be the James Robinson of 2021. The Louisville product averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season and started to show some ability in the receiving game, catching 16 passes in seven games after entering 2020 with five career receptions.

He's not a power runner, but he's a quick player who can come in to change the pace in Atlanta, and if he can get a little stronger, he could see some early-down work as well. He probably won't put up Robinson-esque numbers, but he could carve out a key role for fantasy managers in PPR leagues if he continues to improve as a receiver, as there will be a lot of room for him to work underneath in this offense.

 

Rakeem Boyd, Detroit Lions

Unlike the previous two players, I understand why Rakeem Boyd wasn't drafted. But I also think he landed in a good spot for a UDFA because the Lions at running back are pretty weak behind D'Andre Swift.

And sure, Swift rules and should be the lead back here for the foreseeable future, but you have to like a guy who could challenge for the No. 2 back role. Per Spotrac, Jamaal Williams -- who the team signed in the offseason -- could be cut after 2021 with a minimal dead cap hit. And after waiving Kerryon Johnson, the running back room behind Williams is really just two rookies: the undrafted Boyd and seventh-round pick Jermar Jefferson. Do I like Jefferson more than Boyd? Sure, but when the competition is between multiple guys who weren't well-regarded by teams this offseason, we have to assume there's always a chance to see a lot of movement on the depth chart.

Anyway, Boyd. The former Razorback played just six games last year and really struggled. His 3.8 yards per carry were a huge drop from the 6.2 he averaged in 2019, and his yards per reception dropped from 8.4 to 3.1.

If Boyd can recapture some of the quickness he showed in the past, he can be someone who can spell a starter and give you some solid rotational snaps. I'm not sure I believe that's the outcome we end up with when it comes to Boyd, but I don't want to let his 2020 struggles overshadow the fact that he's been a productive SEC running back in the past.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

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

Marcus Semien13 mins ago

Dropped To Five-Hole On Tuesday
Cody Poteet20 mins ago

Placed On 15-Day Injured List With Shoulder Inflammation
Will Levis22 mins ago

Unlikely To Be Traded
Trevor Rogers25 mins ago

To Make Rehab Appearance On Wednesday
Houston Texans31 mins ago

Texans Considering Trading Up
Kyle Gibson36 mins ago

Goes Five Innings In Latest Minor-League Start
Cleveland Browns41 mins ago

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Appears At Offseason Program
Thomas Detry43 mins ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
George Kirby43 mins ago

To Face Hitters This Week
Christian McCaffrey50 mins ago

Has No Restrictions
Terry Rozier55 mins ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Daulton Varsho55 mins ago

Could Make Season Debut This Weekend
Max Scherzer1 hour ago

Plays Catch
Damian Lillard1 hour ago

Will Have His Minutes Monitored Tuesday
Anthony Santander1 hour ago

Sitting On Tuesday Amidst Slump
Jayson Tatum1 hour ago

Listed As Doubtful For Game 2
Robert MacIntyre1 hour ago

Returns To Zurich Classic With High Hopes
Jake McCarthy1 hour ago

Sent To Triple-A
Justin Martinez1 hour ago

Unavailable Recently Due To Fatigue
Derek Forbort1 hour ago

Recovering From Surgery
A.J. Puk1 hour ago

Undergoes MRI Exam
Martin Fehérváry1 hour ago

Martin Fehervary To Miss Postseason Following Knee Surgery
Tyler Glasnow1 hour ago

Dodgers Expect Tyler Glasnow To Make His Next Start
Shane Lowry2 hours ago

Returning To Zurich Classic With Red-Hot Teammate
Nestor Cortes2 hours ago

Moved To 60-Day Injured List
Luke Glendening2 hours ago

Available For Start Of Playoffs
Tyler Soderstrom2 hours ago

To See Time In Left Field And As Designated Hitter
Mitchell Chaffee2 hours ago

Available Tuesday
Nick Kurtz2 hours ago

Will Not Be In A Platoon
Royce Lewis2 hours ago

Running The Bases
Cody Glass2 hours ago

Good To Go Tuesday
Giancarlo Stanton2 hours ago

Takes Outdoor Batting Practice On Tuesday
Brenden Dillon2 hours ago

Won't Play In Game 2
Martín Pérez2 hours ago

Martin Perez To Miss Rest Of The Season
Luke Hughes2 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Zac Veen2 hours ago

Getting The Day Off With Lefty On The Mound
Matthew Tkachuk2 hours ago

Activated From Injured Reserve
Brenton Doyle2 hours ago

Still Away From The Team
Brendan Donovan2 hours ago

Scratched With Rib Injury
Damian Lillard3 hours ago

Cleared To Play Tuesday
Brock Purdy4 hours ago

Reports For OTA's Amid Contract Discussions
George Kittle4 hours ago

Skips Start Of 49ers Offseason Program
Dallas Cowboys4 hours ago

Stephon Gilmore Spotted At Cowboys Facility On Tuesday
James Cook4 hours ago

Not At Start Of Voluntary OTAs
Kirk Cousins4 hours ago

Reports To Voluntary OTA's
Cam Ward5 hours ago

Titans Officially Staying Put At No. 1 Overall Pick, Expected To Select Cam Ward
5 hours ago

Ashton Jeanty's Tackle-Breaking Ability Sets Him Apart
6 hours ago

Jalen Milroe Not A Lock To Go In First Round
Denver Broncos6 hours ago

Broncos Willing To Trade Up In This Week's Draft
Indianapolis Colts6 hours ago

Colts Searching For A Tight End That Can Do It All
Daniel Jones6 hours ago

Colts Expect Both Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Help Them In 2025
6 hours ago

Giants High On Jaxson Dart
Rory McIlroy6 hours ago

Making Second Appearance At Zurich Classic
6 hours ago

Saints Not Expected To Take Shedeur Sanders
Aaron Rodgers6 hours ago

Situation Won't Affect Steelers Draft Plan
NFL8 hours ago

Browns, Giants Receiving Calls For No. 2, No. 3 Picks
Nikola Jokić9 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Posts 19th Postseason Triple-Double
Kawhi Leonard9 hours ago

Leads Clippers To Game 2 Victory
Jalen Brunson10 hours ago

Leads All Scorers With 37 Points In Monday's Loss
Tobias Harris10 hours ago

Notches Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Cade Cunningham10 hours ago

Leads Pistons To Victory With 33 Points
Rob Dillingham10 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Maxi Kleber10 hours ago

Remains Out For Game 2
GG Jackson II10 hours ago

Available For Tuesday
Evan Bouchard10 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Assists In Postseason Opener
Connor McDavid11 hours ago

Racks Up Four Points In Losing Effort
Nick Taylor11 hours ago

Can Surprise Again In The Big Easy
Phillip Danault11 hours ago

Nets Two Goals In Game 1 Victory
Adam Hadwin11 hours ago

Expects To Contend At Zurich Classic
Mark Scheifele11 hours ago

Bags Two Points In Monday's Win
Alejandro Tosti11 hours ago

Could Get Hot Again In New Orleans
Lane Hutson11 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Playoff Debut
Joe Highsmith11 hours ago

Struggling As New Orleans Approaches
Dylan Strome11 hours ago

Registers Three Assists In Overtime Win
Karl Vilips11 hours ago

Steps Up To Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Alex Ovechkin11 hours ago

Scores First Playoff Overtime Goal
Michael Thorbjornsen11 hours ago

Ready To Make Waves In New Orleans
Braden Schneider11 hours ago

Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Tom Hoge11 hours ago

Ready To Make Some Birdies In New Orleans
Billy Horschel11 hours ago

Has Game To Win Third Zurich Classic
Tennessee Titans19 hours ago

Titans Have Turned Down Offers For No. 1 Overall Pick
19 hours ago

Saints Targeting Jaxson Dart?
Aaron Gordon22 hours ago

Cleared For Action
Ousmane Dieng1 day ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Love1 day ago

Remains Away From Team
Terry Rozier1 day ago

Hurts Ankle Monday
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Officially Listed As Questionable For Game 2
Isaiah Stewart1 day ago

Ruled Out For Game 2 Against Knicks
Trent Frederic1 day ago

A Game-Time Call Monday
Leon Draisaitl1 day ago

Returns To Oilers Lineup For Postseason Opener
Jake Walman1 day ago

Available For Game 1
Brett Kulak1 day ago

Ready To Play Monday
Aliaksei Protas1 day ago

Expected To Return During First-Round Series
Isaiah Stewart2 days ago

Iffy For Monday Night
Aaron Gordon2 days ago

Listed As Probable For Game 2
Jaylen Brown3 days ago

Not Expected To Be Limited On Sunday
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
Lucas Glover6 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF