The traditional backup running back appears to be an endangered species in today’s NFL. As teams are placing a smaller and smaller importance on the value of running backs, we are seeing more committees and timeshares than ever before. This means that it is all the more important for fantasy football managers to identify the few remaining true backup RBs who exist, as they often hold the most potential upside compared to their draft spot — with just one injury, your 13th-round pick could vault into a weekly top-20 option to close out the season.
With that being said, there are quite a lot of running backs going in the later rounds. In fact, according to Yahoo ADP, 17 different running backs have an ADP between 120 and 140, indicating that people are pretty much just blindly taking shots in that range.
In this article, I’ll try to sift through some of that clutter, trying to avoid guys like Jaleel McLaughlin or Khalil Herbert — who would simply enter committees if their team’s starter got hurt — and emphasizing guys who would be their team’s clear next-man-up.
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
From Matt Asiata to Alexander Mattison to Chandler, Minnesota has been the backup RB capital of the USA for over a decade. Chandler will enter the season as the No. 2 back behind Aaron Jones for the Vikings, with very little competition for touches beyond that — the only other running backs listed on the Vikings depth chart are return specialist Kene Nwangwu and Myles Gaskin. Chandler was effective in the same “pinch-hitter” role for the Vikings last year, averaging 12.2 fantasy points per game after becoming the starter in Week 15.
Jones will be entering his age-30 season this year and missed six games last year due to injury. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Vikings err on the side of caution with Jones and avoid giving him too large of a workload. This means that Chandler could potentially be relevant even with Jones healthy, and would obviously become an RB2 at minimum if Jones gets injured.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Hubbard might not exactly be the most exciting player in the NFL, but that doesn’t make him any less of a potential value in fantasy. Hubbard had perhaps the quietest productive season ever last year, putting up over 1,100 scrimmage yards and finishing as the RB26.
The Panthers added rookie Jonathan Brooks in the second round of the draft this year, and he will presumably become the starter at some point in the season. However, Brooks is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last November, and is reportedly unlikely to return until Week 3 or 4.
The Panthers seemingly have no interest in playing Miles Sanders, who is listed third on the Panthers depth chart right now. Sanders has been floated in trade rumors all offseason after getting benched for Hubbard last year. This means that by taking Hubbard at his ADP in the 11th round, you could potentially get a starter for at least the first few weeks who would also become a high-value handcuff after Brooks returns. Hubbard doesn’t have the same upside that some of these other guys do because the Panthers offense as a whole won’t be too productive, but he is still a great insurance policy to have on your bench.
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
Pierce is coming off a disappointing sophomore season. He struggled to adjust to the Shanahan run scheme that offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik brought over last year, and was benched for Devin Singletary as a result.
There’s no doubting that Pierce is a talented runner — in his rookie year, he ranked top-10 in PFF rushing grade and top-five in missed tackles forced as the lone bright spot on an awful Texans team. I’m optimistic that with an entire offseason to get healthier and more acclimated to the offense, Pierce will be the guy the Texans turn to if newly-acquired starter Joe Mixon gets hurt.
The Texans could have easily dealt Pierce to a running back-needy team if they didn’t believe in him, and I think it is telling that they not only kept Pierce but also did not address the position at all in the draft.
Mixon has never really been an efficient running back (he has just one season above 4.1 yards per carry), and has plenty of miles on his legs now entering his eighth season. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Pierce is a better pure running back than Mixon right now, and in the later rounds, I’m willing to bet on Pierce adapting to fit the Texans scheme better and potentially becoming the starter on a great offense.
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
Finally, we have Allgeier, who is perhaps the gold standard of backup running backs. He is in the unique position of likely being involved in the Falcons offense as the backup, but also would become the team’s three-down workhorse if starter Bijan Robinson were to miss time. This makes him an ideal target, as you might be able to start Allgeier in a pinch even while he’s splitting time with Robinson.
I think the fantasy community as a whole is a little too hopeful that Robinson will be the bellcow for this Falcons offense, as Allgeier has been quite effective in each of his two seasons in the league.
Notably, Allgeier is one of the best pass-blocking running backs in the league, and I believe he will see the field a little more than we expect especially with new quarterback Kirk Cousins fresh off an Achilles tear. I am aggressively drafting Allgeier at his ADP this year, as he has a combination of floor and ceiling that is hard to come by in the double-digit rounds.
