Fantasy Football Sleepers: Late-Round Running Backs for Best Ball Drafts
There are numerous viable strategies to consider when it comes to Best Ball running backs. Running back has become one of the more divisive positions in the fantasy football community in recent years. Splurging for a Christian McCaffrey or Jahmyr Gibbs in the early rounds certainly sounds like a sexy approach, but we know the potential pitfalls with early-round RBs.
Running backs take a beating out there. It’s easy to forget now, but C-Mac was downright injury-prone during some of his earlier years in Carolina. While he’s played at least 16 games in back-to-back seasons, McCaffrey played just 10 total games between 2020 and 2021. Jonathan Taylor busted many a Best Ball draft just 2 years ago, while Bijan Robinson, Nick Chubb, and Tony Pollard were among last year’s early-round RBs that didn’t quite pan out from a fantasy standpoint.
If you’re looking to bypass some of those premium running backs and instead hunt for a few late-round sleepers, we’ve got you covered.
Before we look for RB sleepers, check out the Sleeper Fantasy promo code GRINDERS to receive a deposit match of up to $100 that can be used to kick off your Best Ball summer.
Fantasy Football Sleepers— Running Backs
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
The Derrick Henry era is over in Nashville. The Titans saw enough from rookie Tyjae Spears in a limited role last season to comfortably move on from what may be a future Hall-of-Fame running back. However, Tennessee won’t be handing Spears the keys to the backfield next season. That’s because the Titans inked ex-Cowboys standout Tony Pollard to a deal in free agency.
Pollard struggled as the guy in the Dallas backfield a season ago, but he and Spears will likely compete for the Titans’ starting gig in camp. Spears only logged 100 carries as a rookie, but he impressed with 4.5 yards per tote en route to 453 yards. He was also a useful weapon through the air, hauling in 52 of his 70 targets for another 385 yards and a touchdown.
The Titans are expected to be among the league’s worst teams next season, and running backs on bottom-feeding teams are generally a tough sell. However, Spears showed last season he’s capable of putting up numbers in PPR formats even if he isn’t logging the majority of the carries out of the backfield. With 2nd-year QB Will Levis set to start, it’s fair to assume Spears will again be heavily involved in the passing attack. That’ll help offset his potentially underwhelming rushing role. If the Titans are constantly playing from behind – which isn’t a stretch by any means – Spears should play a significant part.
As of this writing, Spears is coming off the board in Best Ball drafts at around RB36. Pollard, meanwhile, is the RB24 despite the uncertainty surrounding his role with his new team.
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are another team whose running game will have a new look in 2024. Joe Mixon is now in Houston, which means Joe Burrow will be handing the ball off to someone else next season. Cincinnati added Zack Moss in free agency, and he’s expected to compete with Chase Brown for the lead back role in the preseason.
Moss may appear atop most preseason depth charts, but Brown was useful in a very limited backup role as a rookie in ’23. The Illinois product averaged 4.1 yards per carry across just 44 attempts for 179 yards. Like Spears, he also played a solid yet limited role in the passing game, catching 14 of 15 targets for 156 yards with a score for an underwhelming and injury-plagued Bengals offense.
With Burrow back healthy ahead of next season, many are pegging the Bengals’ offense to bounce back. While Moss did play well filling in for the injured Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis a season ago, his 183 carries were easily a career-high. Moss hasn’t spent a lot of time as a featured back at either of his previous stops, so it feels like a bit of a stretch to assume he’ll suddenly be the guy for a Bengals team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations this year.
Of course, Brown isn’t a guy you’re drafting with confidence that he’ll step into a starting role. There’s a chance he does win the RB1 job coming out of camp, but he’s more of a depth flier than a player you’re banking on starting. Brown did show some explosiveness when he got the ball in space a season ago, so there is upside here if he can generate opportunities.
Moss is coming in around the RB30 in Best Ball drafts this spring, while you can get Brown around RB40.
Jonathan Brooks, Carolina Panthers
I mentioned Bryce Young as a potential sleeper to consider at QB in Best Ball drafts a couple of days ago. Why not run it back with another Panther?
Carolina’s entire offense was a disasterclass last season, and the running back position was no exception. Miles Sanders proved to be a woeful free-agent signing, as he plodded his way to an average of just 3.3 yards per carry before ultimately getting benched just a few games into a 4-year deal. Good stuff? Chuba Hubbard wasn’t a whole lot better once he started to get chances, as he finished the season averaging a paltry 3.8 yards per tote.
Sanders and Hubbard are still on the roster, while the team also added veteran Rashaad Penny in free agency for some reason. However, incoming rookie Jonathan Brooks is generating the most buzz. Carolina made Brooks the first RB off the board when they nabbed him with the 46th pick in last month’s draft. Brooks averaged better than 6 yards per carry during his college career at Texas, and he topped 1,100 yards on the ground for the Horns last season as the full-time starter with Bijan Robinson gone.
Even if he doesn’t emerge from camp as the unquestioned starter, it’s pretty easy to assume Brooks will play a significant role in the Panthers’ backfield at some point as a rookie. None of the other RBs on the roster have nearly as much explosiveness, and this is an offense that needs as much play making as it can get. Here’s hoping the additions of Xavier Legette and Diontae Johnson in the passing game help to open up lanes for the rushing attack. Just about nothing worked for this offense a season ago.
Brooks isn’t necessarily flying under the radar, but he is still coming in as the RB32 in Best Ball drafts. That puts him slightly behind fellow rookie rusher Trey Benson, who’s expected to challenge James Conner for looks in the Cardinals’ backfield next season.
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