running backs

Knee Deep in Muddy Backfields: The Bucs

Knee Deep in Muddy Backfields: The Bucs

After the NFL draft, there are quite a few backfields without a clear picture of who the workload is going to fall on. While it’s possible some backfields may continue as committees, more than likely, a few of them will have one guy receive a large volume of the work. That’s what I’m aiming to dive into in this series: who will emerge from the muddy backfields and cement their place as a fantasy value this season?

Luckily, JJ Zachariason has already put in the research to show us what to look for. Even though his research is primarily for redraft, we can apply it to dynasty as well. Breakout running backs typically aren’t handcuffs. They come from ambiguous backfields and are oftentimes drafted as the 2nd back from their team. Pass catchers have an easier route to breakout, as there is typically a three rush to one reception workload ratio. Most importantly, age doesn’t matter. Players in their 5th year are just as likely as rookies to break out in these situations.

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The Redraft Wire: Week 16

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. You generally don’t find this kind of production on the waiver wire in Week 17 of the fantasy football season, but not much comes as a surprise in 2020. Sunday night became the AJ Dillon show after Aaron Jones appeared to suffer a minor injury early in the game. Maybe it was always part of the plan to give Dillon 21 carries after never receiving more than five in any other game all year long, but it certainly came as a surprise to fantasy managers. Dillon finished the game with 21 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He’s your top waiver wire pick up of the week without a doubt.

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The Dynasty Wire: Week 16

This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. 

James Robinson is the clear workhorse back in Jacksonville but a recent high ankle sprain opened the door for Dare Ogunbowale to show what he can do. The former Buccaneer carried the ball 14 times for 74 yards, proving he can still produce as a runner in the NFL. Ogunbowale isn’t about to take the lead role from James Robinson but he is worth rostering in dynasty leagues.  

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The Redraft Wire: Week 15

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation.

Raheem Morris has reported Todd Gurley will no longer be the starting running back for the Atlanta Falcons and Ito Smith will take over as the lead back. This is some pretty wild news heading into fantasy championship weekend. Finding a starting running back this late in the year on waivers is virtually unheard of. But, this is 2020, when Ito Smith can assume a lead role in Week 16.

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The Dynasty Wire: Week 15

This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. 

Someone will need to explain to me why Chad Hansen is still on the waiver wire in any dynasty leagues. Not because he’s going to break out and become an every-week starter going forward but because there hasn’t been a single game he’s played in which he didn’t score 10+ fantasy points. The Houston receiving corps is decimated by injuries and Hansen is feasting on the opportunities. You should own him to sell him to the highest bidder if nothing else. 

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The Redraft Wire: Week 14

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. Mooney truly shouldn’t be featured in this series any longer. I don’t quite understand how he’s still under 40% owned. Mooney has received six or more targets in four of the last six games, so the opportunity is certainly there.

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The Dynasty Wire: Week 14

This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. 

Week 14 marks the return of Gardner Minshew which is apparently great news for Keelan Cole. Cole caught seven of 12 targets for 67 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Titans. He’s received at least five targets in four of the last five games and 2.9 fantasy points per touch, good for first on the team among receivers with at least 20 targets. 

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The Redraft Wire: Week 12

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. Phillip Lindsay suffered a knee injury during the Broncos’ quarterback-less loss in Week 12, vaulting Royce Freeman into a little bit more work than he’s used to. Freeman has been the black sheep of the running back room in Denver this year with his season-high rushing total (8) and yards (50) in Lindsay’s absence. Reports indicate Linsday could miss some time, so Freeman could see even more touches than usual. Melvin Gordon has been hit with the injury bug in the past, and running backs come at a premium this time of year, so I’d watch to roster Freeman just in case during COVID-19 season.

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The Dynasty Wire: Week 12

This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. Ito Smith could be the unlikely hero for someone’s championship roster. If Todd Gurley misses an extended period of time, Smith would instantly vault into weekly fantasy relevancy. Gurley was a last-minute inactive due to a knee injury. We know he suffers from arthritis of the knee so maybe Atlanta is resting him in a lost season. We can’t be sure, but we do know Smith is part of the one, two punch in Gurley’s absence and he receives high volume in the passing attack. Smith scored a rushing and receiving touchdown in Week 12 and could be poised for some heavy lifting going forward.

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The Redraft Wire: Week 11

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. I’m honestly not sure how many times Frank Gore has made his way on my waiver wire article but much like his long and unending career, he simply won’t go away. Gore scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in the loss to the Chargers, finally pushing him over double-digit fantasy points in a single week. He’s received 10+ carries all but twice this year and is a must-own at this point with the considerable number of injuries and COVID related absences league-wide.

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The Redraft Wire: Week 10

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. The Las Vegas Raiders are fifth in the league in rushing attempts and while Josh Jacobs has been productive, he can’t handle all the carries. Jacobs’ backup, Devontae Booker, has been incredibly successful over the last two weeks. He’s received at least eight carries and scored a touchdown in each of the last two games. He took 16 carries for 81 yards and scored two total touchdowns. I’m not sure Booker can keep this kind of production up but his offensive snap share has increased to over 20% for the first time this year over the last four games. He’s also a great insurance policy if Jacobs were to suffer an unfortunate injury.

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The Dynasty Wire: Week 10

This week and every week going forward we’ll bring you several recommendations for players you should add to your dynasty rosters. We’ll mainly be targeting lower-owned guys who should be available in all but the deepest leagues. Are we sure the Baltimore Ravens roster more than two receivers? The Ravens seriously lack talent at the receiver position but that leaves Willie Snead, ol’ reliable, to hold it down for the group. He’s received at least seven targets two of the last three games and scored 15+ fantasy points in each of those games. Snead’s two-touchdown game against the Patriots certainly isn’t sustainable but he appears to be the number one option at wide receiver for the time being. 

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The Redraft Wire: Week 8

Wilkins’ offensive snap share spiked to 51% in Week 8 as he led the team in rushing attempts over Nyheim Hines and rookie darling Jonathan Taylor. He took 20 carries for 89 yards. Wilkins didn’t have a breakout game or anything but proved he could be more effective than Taylor who everyone expected to overtake the lead role at some point this season. That simply hasn’t happened and Wilkins could be in line for a whole bunch of work going forward.

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The Dynasty Wire: Week 8

I had to make sure someone didn’t spike my drink when I witnessed Foreman running the ball for an NFL franchise this past weekend. Foreman was a fantasy darling years ago before suffering a devastating knee injury as a Houston Texan. He’s now back up to Derrick Henry but got some run in Week 8 against the Bengals. He took five carries for 37 yards and looked healthy for the first time in years. This is the longest of shots but a guy with a pedigree on a run-first team. 

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The Redraft Wire: Week 7

This weekly article is focused on identifying players who are owned in less than 40% of redraft leagues. These players are going to help your team win this week and every week to come! We are looking for guys you should be able to plug into your starting lineup without hesitation. 

If you’re in any deeper leagues and need a wide receiver target, Guyton is your guy. He’s owned in very few leagues due to his low target share but he’s scored 14+ PPR fantasy points in two of the last three weeks. Rookie star quarterback, Justin Herbert, has built a connection with Guyton on deep balls and provides that upside many fantasy teams need. 

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