Featured Articles

Was Corey Coleman over-drafted b/c of his athleticism? What are the odds both Josh Doctson and Devante Parker happen?

Jeff Janis or Rashard Higgins Truthers unite!

We’re drooling over guys like Rashaad Penny and Derrius Guice. Saquon Barkley is being fitted for his gold jacket as we speak. But there are five running backs going undrafted, or who are late-round selections in fantasy leagues that will exceed expectations in 2018.

As the team’s primary rusher in Weeks 13-17, Barber averaged 4.3 yards per carry, 2.68 yards after contact, and had a 92.3 catch rate. Barber is a legitimate threat to Ronald Jones’ workload and could conceivably see enough touches week-to-week to provide fantasy relevance. Even better, his ADP is well below Jones’ making Barber the more valuable commodity in the Tampa Bay backfield.

Alex Collins averaged 16.67 carries per game and 3.78 targets per game in weeks 8-17. If we push that to a full season, he would have 267 carries and 60 targets for 41 receptions. He’s a potential 300-plus touch running back with the possibility of running beside a mobile quarterback if Lamar Jackson usurps Joe Flacco.

The Colts drafted two different running backs in this years’ draft: Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. It appears the organization does not trust Marlon Mack as much as fantasy gamers want them to. Mack also had a late-surgery in the offseason. During OTAs, it was Wilkins who was handling the first team touches.

Mike Evans volume gives him a higher floor than Tyreek Hill.

Alvin Kamara has a real chance to maintain his historic efficiency.

Nelson Agholor can easily outscore Alshon Jeffery in fantasy football this season.

Walton looks more like Giovani Bernard than Joe Mixon, but that isn’t such a bad thing. His best comparable player, Devonta Freeman, implies a ceiling of NFL success, but his realistic outcome is more likely a back-up to Mixon.

Jordan Wilkins has a real shot at meaningful “2-down grinder” carries this season. Wilkins posted a 6.5 (85th-percentile) college yards per carry, and with Marlon Mack recovering from shoulder surgery, he could impress with additional reps in OTA’s.

As luck would have it, the Jake Peralta division featured four RotoUnderworld writers: me, Marc Mathyk, Nate Liss and the Podfather himself, Matt Kelley. Let’s take a deeper dive at how each of us approached the draft and our overall strategy.

Mark Ingram in the sixth was the type of high-upside pick needed to win a league so large and competitive. If Kelley can make do with Penny and Miller to start the season, getting Ingram back after four weeks could put his team over the top. Kelley then built his quarterbacks corps by drafting a high-floor option in Derek Carr paired with high-upside selections Mitchell Trubisky and Lamar Jackson.

Is Doug Martin a real threat to Marshawn Lynch in Oakland? How Jalen Richard could be this year’s Chris Thompson.

Courtland Sutton pushing Demaryius Thomas into the slot is a good thing.

Over the last two years, I have spent a tremendous amount of time becoming more immersed with the advanced stats and metrics that form the beautiful game we know as fantasy football. As a new metric to measure running back effectiveness, True YPC helps address the flaws in standard YPC by eliminating outlier runs. It can also help spot running backs more likely to break off a big run.

It should come as no surprise that Alvin Kamara came in as one of the most effective running backs in True YPC, posting an amazing 4.1 True YPC score. Kamara was the only running back in 2017 to exceed 4.0.

C.J. Prosise is Seattle’s forgotten back, there is no better time to pick him up at the end of your draft. All the pressure is off him now that the fantasy world is focusing on the current battle between first-round draft pick Rashaad Penny and last year’s surprise, Chris Carson.

Bilal Powell looked to be on the way out in New York, but Elijah McGuire’s foot injury has restored faith that Powell will be a major contributor for the Jets yet again. Always undervalued, never appreciated, Powell has been the Jets’ most consistent and productive running back in the past three years.

The Seahawks vacated 217 targets with the loss of Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson. Doug Baldwin’s range of outcomes includes 150-target upside, but he doesn’t even need to get there to deliver a fantastic return on investment as the 25th player off of the board.

The Ravens may not be sexy, but 336 vacated targets are appealing. The only question is where they’re going. Michael Crabtree is the big piece on the Ravens roster, and he’s not in a crowded situation.