Finding the right value on the draft board for your fantasy football roster is key to outsmarting your leaguemates. Not reaching for value, and instead letting the value fall to you, is what can separate a good team from a league-winning team.
The running back position feels like it has hit a breaking point when it comes to fantasy football, especially with the amount of superstars fighting for a fair market value. With Christian McCaffrey still leading the way at the position this year, finding a few value pieces later on in the draft is important.
Utilizing Underdog ADP, the following five names are undervalued running backs that you should take advantage of when you are drafting your fantasy football teams this season.
Undervalued RBs Based on ADP
5. Khalil Herbert Current 2023 ADP – 93.6
The Chicago Bears have one of the toughest offenses to predict for fantasy purposes this season, even with the hype train having picked up Justin Fields. While Fields will have a lot to say when it comes to running the ball, so will Khalil Herbert.
A three-headed race between D’Onta Foreman, Herbert, and rookie Roschon Johnson seems to have found its winner, as Herbert has really only spent time with the first-team unit during the preseason. With his current ADP situated near the middle of the ninth round, getting a starting RB that late represents a steal of a value.
4. Dameon Pierce 60.2
There were some rumblings this offseason about how the addition of Devin Singletary would impact Dameon Pierce’s starting role. Those rumblings seem to have quieted down a lot.
Once seen as a placeholder back just keeping the seat warm, Pierce looks to have fully ascended into the starting role for the Houston Texans. Having an ADP near the five/six turn may not feel like a huge value, but Pierce is on the same timeline as what rookie QB CJ Stroud is, so DeMeco Ryans will likely look to Pierce as his starter.
3. Jaylen Warren 117.2
It may be odd to have a backup running back be listed as a value on this list, but the comments made by the coaching staff for the Pittsburgh Steelers makes it seem like Jaylen Warren will certainly have an impact this year.
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While seen as a third-down back with some early-down potential, Warren has been impressive this preseason, even if he hasn’t been giving Najee Harris a run for the top spot. In a Matt Canada-led offense that has looked quite stagnant at times, the potential for the running game to carry the load this year is real, something that can help make Warren a great bench stash in the 11th round of your fantasy football drafts.
2. Antonio Gibson 99.3
Anointed as the proverbial ‘chosen one’ once he was drafted, Antonio Gibson has failed to live up to high expectations. But with Eric Bieniemy running the offense in Washington, it may finally be time.
Gibson is still behind Brian Robinson on the depth chart, so his work will be more focused in the passing game. But as the former collegiate wide receiver has shown so far, he is more than capable of filling that role.
With Gibson’s role pretty well defined already, his ADP right around the 9/10 turn is one you can take advantage of, especially with Bieniemy having a penchant for his dual-RB utilization.
1. James Conner 80.0
For the final running back on this list, we head out west to the Arizona Cardinals. With Kyler Murray likely missing a good chunk of the season and the team looking to be in tank mode, James Conner will see a healthy amount of work.
With no real challengers behind him on the depth chart, the former Steeler looks ready to assume yet another bellcow role for the Cardinals. His pass-catching acumen is healthy too, and with either Joshua Dobbs or rookie Clayton Tune starting at QB after the release of Colt McCoy, expect a lot of work in the passing game through dump-off opportunities.
There are plenty of other values out on draft boards to take advantage of, and it is especially important to find those values at the running back position. Wide receivers seem like all the rage this year for drafts, which means the running backs you draft will be even more important.
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