Finding value in mid- to late-round running backs is often the difference-maker in a championship season for a fantasy player. Whether or not you choose to use the zero-RB strategy former PFFer Shawn Siegele made famous, it’s the right decision to use as many late picks on high-upside running backs as you can get away with.
These high-upside players are not always rookie running backs. To be sure, excellent arguments will be made for players like Jordan Howard and C.J. Prosise, and their respective ADPs will rise several rounds, but you can return good value by targeting non-rookie RBs who will be viewed by most as nothing more than a handcuff option.
Today, we’re profiling four running backs who fit into this category. They could make for unbelievable draft-day values, and their ADP is unlikely to fluctuate too much from now until the start of the season. Let’s take a look.
Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions
Is Riddick the best overall back on the entire Lions roster? He certainly was in 2015. Being the best on your team doesn't mean you have to be a three-down back, especially on a Lions team that hasn’t featured a true workhorse back in a very long time. Used almost exclusively as a passing-down back, Riddick still manage to rack up 482 snaps — the 24th-most among all RBs. Thanks in large part to his receiving and blocking grades, he finished as our third-highest rated RB. He also earned the best receiving grade of any RB in the history of PFF, dating back through 2007. It’s not a stretch to say that Riddick is the best receiving back in the NFL.
DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32
Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades
Already have a subscription? Log In
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.