Ten Deep Dynasty Running Back Sleepers
One of our trademarks throughout the years has been going deep (like really deep) in search of the next great sleeper. After all, unearthing a player who emerges and getting them for free off the waiver wire gives any owner an inner sense of self-pride and shows their league mates they may very well be the most savvy owner in their league, something any prideful (and maybe even egotistical) owner just craves as much as winning. While many of these players will never amount to much (including many on today’s list), each name is worth filing away, adding to your watch list or even grabbing to fill out that last deep roster spot you have open. After all, you likely had to drop a player like Justice Hill, Qadree Ollison, Travis Fulgham, Xavier Jones, Keke Coutee, Gerrid Doaks, Javian Hawkins, Dez Fitzpatrick or another deep sleeper who was injured or just didn’t pan out as you had hoped this off-season.
This list is going to be filled with my favorite sleepers at the running back position this season. To be clear, this is going to go really deep and won’t include semi-mainstream players like Chuba Hubbard, Alexander Mattison, Rhamondre Stevenson, Michael Carter, and Elijah Mitchell – we’ve talked about the value of each of those different players all off-season. Instead, we’re going to cover some non-household names. I’m going to list these in the order in which I would grab them off the wire and put them into some soft tiers. Again, I would not advocate dropping veteran players who have value for any of these players. However, if you have an open roster spot or two, these would be some running backs who would fit the bill of extraordinarily deep sleeper and at least be worth learning more about in case more injuries occur. After all, I really believe this is why many of you look to DLF in the first place. You never know who the next Arian Foster or James Robinson may be and it could very well be someone on this list.
TIER ONE (NAPPING, BUT NOT TOTALLY ASLEEP)
Ty’son Williams, RB BAL
Of all the players on this list, none is really hotter than Williams at the moment. With J.K. Dobbins and now Justice Hill both out for the season, Gus Edwards and Williams are the last two running backs left on the Baltimore roster. While the Ravens may indeed sign a veteran (they brought in the likes of Le’Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman, and Elijah Holyfield this weekend), it’s clear they really like the tandem they have at the moment. Williams has been impressive since the beginning of camp and was starting to gain some sleeper steam even before the Ravens were beset by injuries. Now, he’s getting to the point of real intrigue.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB PHI
The Eagles really don’t want to use Miles Sanders as a true workhorse runner and Gainwell showed a tremendous amount of promise this off-season. In fact, he was PFF’s highest rated rookie running back this preseason as he rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries (5.58 yards per carry) and added nine receptions for another 66 yards. Reports are indicating he’s already carved out a decent role as early as week one and it may not just be as a passing down option. Gainwell made Jordan Howard expendable and would be thrust into major value should Sanders get injured this season. Plus, as I’ve said all off-season, he HAS to be good with that last name – it would like having a receiver named Johnny Catchgood. As a side note, Gainwell is the only player on this list with an ADP over 225.
Tony Jones, Jr. RB NO
I liked the former Notre Dame star last off-season when he was a dart throw for the Saints. Unfortunately, he spent most of last year on the New Orleans practice squad and had only 13 yards on three attempts in 2020. Mostly an afterthought going into this off-season, Jones was a preseason bright spot for the Saints, who may have him slated to be their RB2 behind Alvin Kamara this season. If Jones has truly passed Latavius Murray (and most reports indicate he has), he could have some decent early season value. While Kamara is going to do the heavy lifting for New Orleans, Jones is a player on the rise who has clearly opened some eyes this preseason.
TIER TWO (IN A PRETTY DEEP SLEEP)
Jaret Patterson, RB WAS
There has been consistent buzz regarding Patterson since OTAs started right after the draft. In fact, he even got a shout out from Barry Sanders this preseason – not bad for a running back who played in the MAC at Buffalo and was hardly a mainstream favorite months ago. There are legitimate concerns about the level of competition he’s faced and he’s certainly behind popular breakout rusher Antonio Gibson this season. Still, you have to like what you’ve seen and read about Patterson. While he may not be built to be a true workhorse, there aren’t many of those in the league and many players have been proven to be very effective even when given limited touches.
Chris Evans, RB CIN
I often wonder what Jim Harbaugh actually thinks about. Evans was supposed to be the next big thing at Michigan, but Harbaugh rarely played him. Now with the Bengals, Evans may have a golden opportunity now that Giovani Bernard has joined pretty much every other veteran in the NFL and decided to play in Tampa Bay. If Evans can figure out pass protection and prove his worth as a pass catcher, you may just have something here in a dynasty league. With Joe Mixon still a bit unproven and needing to play a full season for what would be only the second time in his five-year career, you could certainly do much worse with a dart throw on a sleeper running back.
TIER THREE (HIBERNATING LIKE A BEAR)
Kylin Hill, RB GB
We know the Green Bay offense is going to run through Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Still, the Packers have found ways to make other running backs relevant and could do so again with Hill. After likely becoming frustrated with his role on Mike Leach’s air raid offense and worrying about COVID-19, Hill bailed on the season in 2020 and was an afterthought in this year’s draft. I personally love productive SEC running backs and Hill posted 1,350 rushing yards and ten touchdowns for Mississippi State in 2019. While I would have loved to see him in a better situation than Green Bay, an injury to Jones or Dillon would likely make Hill a very hot commodity – he’s been very impressive this off-season.
Ty Johnson, RB NYJ
Michael Carter was supposed to be the next big thing in New York since, well, Curtis Martin? Instead, he has yet to show the Jets what they thought they had when they drafted him likely to be their starter this year. Instead, it seems Tevin Coleman is the current RB1, with Johnson and Carter competing to be the backups. Coleman has never been the picture of health or consistency and Carter would likely be the next man up should he prove to be ineffective, but too many are sleeping on Johnson, who averaged nearly five yards per carry last year in limited action. If I’m an owner with Coleman or Carter, Johnson would move up this list as a player I’d want to have in order to protect my investment(s).
TIER FOUR (HELLO, ARE YOU ALIVE?)
Jermar Jefferson, RB DET
It looks like D’Andre Swift is going to be ready to play in week one and that’s a big relief for those who have invested heavily in him. Jamaal Williams has been brought in to provide insurance and the Lions have stated it’s going to be a 1-2 punch with them this season. Could it be a 1-2-3 punch with Jefferson involved as well? It seems as if running backs coach Duce Staley believes in Jefferson and could be trying to carve out a role for him early on this season. While this backfield should mostly belong to Swift, another injury or an aggravation of his groin injury (not exactly uncommon) would vault Jefferson into some short-term relevance at the least. He’s a riser in deep dynasty league circles for sure.
JaMycal Hasty, RB SF
Yes, the 49ers have Raheem Mostert. Yes, they also drafted Trey Sermon. We know about Elijah Mitchell and Jeff Wilson as well. So, what’s the deal with Hasty? There are two things. San Francisco is kind of like “Denver Bay” where the one-cut, zone scheme runners seem to be plug and play and arise from relative obscurity to have real value, much like the Broncos of the 90s and early 2000s under Kyle Shanahan’s Dad, Mike. The other thing? It just kind of seems like Hasty is good. While there are lots of running backs he’d have to vault over to gain real value, the 49ers also still believe they have something with him. If they somehow release him when Wilson comes back, keep a very close eye on where he lands.
Scottie Phillips, RB HOU
Now we’re getting seriously deep. The Texans currently “boast” a veteran three-headed monster featuring Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram and David Johnson. While that trio would have been unbelievable five years ago, they just aren’t now. With the Texans one of the worst teams (if not THE worst) in football, it would not be shocking to see them give some of their younger players a look and they really do seem high on Phillips. Would it be stunning to see even two of those three go down injured this season? I doubt it.
Again, there are going to need to be a lot of dominoes to fall the right way for any of these players to become relevant. I could have even added Jake Funk, Larry Rountree and Gary Brightwell on this list, but you have to stop somewhere. Each of these running backs has an easier path to obscurity than importance, but each also needs to be looked at, monitored, read about, or even picked up if you have a favorite. Look at the chart below as well – most of these players are essentially free.
I’ll be back next week with my favorite column of the year – “The Dynasty Aftermath.” Enjoy week one!
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
