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The difference between advancing in your best ball tournament and being eliminated early can be miniscule. Every draft pick matters if you want to compete for the biggest prizes.
The running back position has been especially volatile in recent years. With how many hits running backs take on a weekly basis, injuries are simply part of the game.
So which backs should you be targeting late in your drafts? Here are 5 guys (plus 1 bonus guy) who have an average draft position (ADP) of 120 or greater on Underdog that you should pay attention to in Round 11 and later.
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1. Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers
Underdog ADP: 124
Mitchell will be Christian McCaffrey’s top backup in 2023. He’s an injury risk, as he appeared in only 5 games in 2022 due to multiple leg injuries. McCaffrey is also a bit of an injury risk, so there figures to be plenty of work available to Mitchell if he can stay on the field. If you can get him in Round 11 of your draft or later, there’s certainly plenty of value.
2. Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints
Underdog ADP: 125.5
Williams led the NFL with a whopping 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022 for the Detroit Lions. That total was 4 more than Austin Ekeler’s second-place total of 13 touchdowns. Williams also finished his electric season with 1,066 rushing yards. While you shouldn’t expect that same level of production from him this year in a crowded New Orleans backfield that also features Alvin Kamara and rookie Kendre Miller, there’s still value to be found in a guy who clearly knows the path to the end zone.
3. Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Underdog ADP: 162.1
I’m drafting Ford in nearly every best ball tournament I’m entering this year. I think he’s going to have a very productive year (relative to his ADP) for the Browns. Ford is Nick Chubb’s top backup, meaning he’ll play the role Kareem Hunt played in 2022. Hunt rushed 123 times for 468 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 35 catches for 210 yards and a score. Ford should be in line for at least that many carries this fall and projects as a better receiver than Hunt. He could be one of the biggest breakout players in fantasy football this season.
4. Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Underdog ADP: 170.7
Derrick Henry has a lot of miles on him. If anyone can handle that, it’s Henry, who is built like a semi truck. Henry ran the ball 349 times in 2022. His top backup, Hassan Haskins, totaled just 25 carries. If the Titans want to keep Henry going for a few more years, they need to lighten his workload a bit. Enter Spears, who comes to Tennessee via Tulane. He’s been impressive so far this summer and figures to be the Titans’ new No. 2 back. If he can even get 125 carries this fall, he should make the most of them and exceed his draft position.
5. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Underdog ADP: 191.2
Brown was a workhorse for Illinois in 2022. Now he takes his talents to the NFL, where he’s currently listed as the No. 2 running back on the Bengals’ depth chart. With Joe Mixon’s future up in the air, Brown could find himself with a bigger workload than expected this fall.
Keep an eye on: Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders
Underdog ADP: 210.5
Josh Jacobs was incredible last year, but he wants a new contract from the Raiders and he wants it to be a long-term deal. While both sides still have plenty of time to negotiate, and while it’s likely the 2022 NFL rushing leader will end up with the Raiders in 2023 and beyond, White has some serious value with his current ADP. Jacobs ran for 1,653 yards last year. White was second among Las Vegas running backs with … 70 yards. Yeah, not much. But with how brutal the NFL is, expecting Jacobs to match his 2022 level of production might be foolish. Take a flier on White in a late round of your draft.
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Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
