Running backs remain truly important in fantasy football and everyone loves rookies. Therefore, we look at five rookie running backs fantasy football owners should keep track of heading into 2016 drafts.
Ezekiel Elliott
Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott was the first and only running back selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. It wasn’t hard to believe that Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys pulled the trigger on the big-name playmaker with the fourth overall pick.
Elliott became a household name because of his performance in the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship game. He amassed 246 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries. Elliott was named the MVP.
Elliott will enter the NFL after rushing for more than 1,800 yards in back-to-back seasons as a Buckeye. His 23 rushing touchdowns led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation last season.
The Cowboys and Elliott may be a perfect match. The Cowboys averaged 118.1 rushing yards per game in 2015. However, their backfield was headlined by Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle. This goes to show that the Cowboys employ one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. In fact, they sent three offensive linemen (Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Travis Frederick) to the Pro Bowl last season. With the addition of a generational talent, the Cowboys’ rushing attack could be the NFL’s best in 2016.
Derrick Henry
After much debate on where he would land, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round (45th overall) of this year’s NFL Draft.
Henry was astonishing in 2015. He rushed for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns, both tops in the country. In the College Football National Championship game, Henry gained 158 yards and scored three touchdowns.
The power back will join a rushing attack that struggled mightily last season. The Titans ranked 25th in average rushing yards per game with 92.8. Antonio Andrews led the backfield with an uninspired 520 yards.
It’s still unclear how Henry will be used, however. In March, the Titans acquired DeMarco Murray from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fourth-round selection in this year’s draft. Murray averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season and finished with 720 rushing yards.
After the draft, according to the Titans’ official website, Head Coach Mike Mularkey assured Murray that he was “still going to be the guy who is going to carry the load for us.”
At this point, Henry stands as a guy to stash on your bench. If Murray struggles, you better believe Henry will have every opportunity to cement himself as the starter. If not, Henry could establish a significant role in goal line situations. The six-foot-three-inch, 238 pound rookie is already one of the biggest running backs in the NFL.
Kenyan Drake
Kenyan Drake spent the last four years contributing to the University of Alabama. Last season, Drake served as Derrick Henry’s backup, amassing 684 total yards and two total touchdowns. These aren’t stellar numbers, but there are reasons why he was selected in the third round (73rd overall) by the Miami Dolphins.
During his four years at Alabama, while battling through a broken arm and leg, Drake averaged 6.4 rushing yards per game and 12.4 yards per pass reception. He served as a kick returner last season, averaging 26.6 yards per return. The biggest play of his career came in the College Football National Championship game. Drake returned a Clemson kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.
At the NFL Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds, third-best among running backs. Drake possesses six-foot-one-inch, 210 pound frame, giving him the ability to run with power.
After losing Lamar Miller to the Houston Texans, the Dolphins are desperately searching for a starting running back. Drake’s biggest competition will be Jay Ajayi, the second-year player out of Boise State. Ajayi averaged just 3.8 yards per carry last season.
Jordan Howard
Jordan Howard of Indiana University was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round (150th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
After transferring from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Howard played one season for the Hoosiers. He totaled 1,213 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Howard is a powerful runner and led the draft class with 3.7 yards after contact. The biggest concern scouts have is Howard’s ability to stay healthy. Howard played in just nine games with the Hoosiers.
He’ll join a run-first offense with the Chicago Bears. The Bears rushed for 115.7 yards per game last season, ranking 11th in the NFL.
With the departure of Matt Forte, the Bears will likely give Jeremy Langford the first opportunity at securing the starting role. However, as we saw last season, Head Coach John Fox is not afraid to play rookie running backs. Jeremy Langford managed to carry the ball 148 times.
Devontae Booker
Devontae Booker will enter the NFL after just two seasons with the University of Utah. During his time with the Utes, Booker averaged 5.0 yards per carry and scored 21 total touchdowns. He was active in the passing game and possesses exceptional cutting ability. He did, however, fumble nine times in two seasons.
Booker was drafted by the reigning Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos in the fourth round (136th overall). Last season, the Broncos only rushed for 107.4 yards per game, ranking 17th in the NFL. Neither C.J. Anderson nor Ronnie Hillman impressed enough to cement themselves as the team’s future starter. Hillman led the team in yards with 863.
Booker will get a great opportunity to showcase his skills, especially since the quarterback role is still uncertain. Just like last season, the Broncos will rely on their run game and their defenses to take them back to the Super Bowl.
- Brian Murphy
Champship-winning owners look deep. These players are not in the majors, but deserve your attention.
- Brian Murphy
It’s no secret that David Price has gotten some rotten results in his first season with the Red Sox. He has a 6.75 ERA through seven starts. He leads the league in earned runs allowed. The Yankees’ anemic offense has scored 12 percent of their season total in runs against Price just this month. So, what’s up and should fantasy owners do with Price?
Everyone wants to point to Price’s fastball velocity, which has averaged 92 MPH. He sat at just above 94 MPH last year, so the drop is clearly significant. Still, even after his two most recent starts in which he struck out a total of seven batters in 11.2 innings, Price is averaging 11.5 Ks per nine, way above anything he’s done previously. During his Saturday start in New York, he topped out at only 93.5 MPH, a career low, but let’s see if the strikeouts continue to diminish. In general, Price has shown this year that less fastball velocity isn’t keeping him from accomplishing one of a pitcher’s main missions: miss a ton of bats.
Price is still a high-quality starting pitcher. His FIP, xFIP and SIERA all say so as each one is less than 3.00. Obviously, some bad luck has played a major role in Price’s struggles. He owns a .373 BABIP and a strand rate (54.4 percent) that is 20 points lower than his career average. Those types of things tend to right themselves as the season continues.
However, I can’t put a pretty face on all of Price’s numbers. While his BABIP is very high, it’s not as if hitters are getting a bunch of cheapies off of him. Price currently has a hard-hit percentage of 41.2; he has never topped 30 in that category in his career. That number is very concerning and odd for the pinpoint craftsman Price is. Yet, entering Sunday, the only qualified starting pitcher with a greater hard-hit percentage was Chris Archer, at 41.4.
Archer is another ace who came out of the gates getting knocked around the yard. But in the past couple of weeks, Archer has returned to his previously brilliant form, allowing just two earned runs and only 17 baserunners over 18.2 innings. Thus displaying that sometimes those hard hits just don’t fall. They are falling against Price right now, but that should change.
I don’t think the permanent move to the American League East or the pressure of a $217 million contract are playing parts here either. Price often dominated this division late last year while on the Blue Jays. The Red Sox have said Price is healthy, so perhaps it all boils down to some unknown mechanics that need to be cleaned. But as long as the K rate stays up and the walks stay down, Price is going to rediscover his greatness.
Now would be a good time to see if you could buy low on Price. On Sunday alone, he has been dealt in Yahoo leagues for Bartolo Colon (twice!) Josh Harrison and Jordan Zimmermann, which seems like a perfect buy-low, sell-high trade.
I trust Boston’s words about his health, and even after more than 1,500 career innings pitched, I don’t believe the 30-year-old Price is over the hill. I am not that alarmed yet by the velocity dip. If he strikes out only 3-4 batters per start – as he’s done in his last couple – then I would become very worried. But Price is by and large getting plenty of whiffs and has the metrics backing him up to say that he is no way near this bad of a pitcher and should see his fortunes change in time.
In short, go get David Price. Getting walloped by the Yankees will certainly lower his market value. Buy low and benefit when Price, barring injury, inevitably turns his season around.
- Brian Murphy
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- Brian Murphy
Since news broke of Miami Marlin's, Dee Gordon, 80-game suspension, some fantasy owners are wondering how they're going to replace him. The cupboard isn't totally bare.
- Brian Murphy
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- Brian Murphy
Deflategate is back. Like the bloodthirsty villain in a slasher flick, it just won’t die. Like the cockroach, it’s a major nuisance to most and will undoubtedly outlive us all.
On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled by a 2-1 vote to knock down a lower court’s ruling from last year and to reinstate the four-game suspension Tom Brady was initially doled out in May 2015. If you think this latest chapter will mark the end of this story or cause either side to settle Deflategate after its more than 15 months of life, you are seriously mistaken.
The fight will continue, possibly with the NFL Players Association requesting a rehearing of Brady’s case before the court’s 14 eligible judges, not just three. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the mere filing of a rehearing request would automatically put Brady’s suspension on hold. That would last until either the court decides to not grant a rehearing or the rehearing is completed with another judgement in the league’s favor. Maybe that NFLPA will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved, but let’s not entertain that right now.
Put simply, Brady may still not be suspended for any games in 2016. It could be business as usual for the New England Patriots and fantasy owners, and we all continue to get through this thing called life.
But let’s say Brady is suspended for the first four weeks. That would assuredly lower his average draft position, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Drafting Tom Brady at a discount, even at age 39, should be enticing to most owners. The trick is picking the right four-week replacement before Brady’s Week 5 return in one of his tastiest matchups of the season, at Cleveland.
Jimmy Garoppolo remains the in-house backup. Numbers need not apply when making a case for him; preseason results tell us nothing, and Garoppolo has rarely played during the regular season. All you need to know is Bill Belichick and the Patriots trust him. They were set to have Garoppolo be their starter last year until Brady’s suspension was negated just one week before the season opener. The only other QB on the roster is third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett. He’ll compete and has plenty of upside thanks to his athleticism and big arm. But it’s hard to imagine New England handing the keys over to a complete greenhorn. Garoppolo should be the man if Brady is indeed banned.
The Patriots’ schedule during the first month is anything but a cakewalk. They start at Arizona and then host three games versus Miami, Houston and Buffalo. Two divisional foes and two opponents that ranked among the top 10 in pass defense last season.
However, this is the Patriots we’re talking about here. You know they aren’t light on pass-catchers. Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola will continue to skitter all over the field. Tight end Martellus Bennett will team up with Rob Gronkowski to create mismatches galore. Running back Dion Lewis, who caught 36 passes in seven games last season, is expected to be available in Week 1 following his ACL reconstruction in November.
Barring Brissett having an otherworldly camp display, Garoppolo should be a sufficient handcuff for Brady owners who want to spend as little as possible on a No. 2 QB. If you would rather cover those first four games with a starter in another city, there are a few decent options to choose from during the middle rounds.
Philip Rivers, after an always-daunting task in Kansas City for Week 1, gets to sling it against the Jaguars, Colts and Saints, respectively. Two of those three matchups will come at home. Derek Carr has to go on the road for three of his first four games, but those matchups against the Saints, Titans and Ravens appear friendly. Kirk Cousins will challenge the Steelers, Cowboys and Browns at home as well as the Giants’ overhauled defense. Jay Cutler of all people is worth a look versus the Eagles, Cowboys and Lions in Weeks 2-4. Plus, he’ll have a healthy Kevin White raring to go.
Tom Brady has been suspended for his role in Deflategate. Again. Like the first time this happened, he may not actually serve any time. But don’t fret if he has to take a seat. A handful of other quarterbacks can help keep your team afloat in September, and selecting Brady in Round 7 or 8 instead of Round 4 might be the bargain that nets you a championship in the end.
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