This fantasy football season has definitely been a lot different to what we are accustomed to. There have been COVID-19 exemptions keeping players out, games postponed, players injured an absurd amount, and there was a Tuesday Night Football game. Seems almost too hard to believe.
One constant in the fantasy football season, however, is the trade deadline. The trade deadline is an excellent time to upgrade your team to help you get into the playoffs, or if you're in a keeper league, accumulate draft picks and better keepers for the following season.
If you're looking to pick up a running back before the deadline, look no further!
Here are the five running backs that you should buy low on before your fantasy football trade deadline.
1. Leonard Fournette
*Incoming all of the teams that drafted Leonard Fournette have been extremely disappointed this year*
Yes, I will be the first to admit that Fournette has been quite a disappointment this season. He only has 35 carries all year for 173 yards and 2 TD's in 5 weeks with the Bucs.
He has been the clear number two running back on Tampa Bay up until week 7 behind Ronald Jones.
In week 7, Fournette had 11 carries for 50 yards on the ground to go along with 6 receptions for 47 yards in the air. Ronald Jones on the other hand, had 13 carries for 34 yards and 1 reception for 2 yards. Week 7 was the Leonard Fournette coming out party!
Ronald Jones has been very good thus far this year, but it would be foolish to label him as a better back than the LSU phenom, Leonard Fournette. Fournette has been dealing with nagging injuries, but now since he's healthy, it could be assumed that he will be the premier back moving forward.
Considering his lack of production this year, you can probably get Fournette for next to nothing. Pull the trigger and grab Fournette. If you already own him, keep him on your fantasy football roster.
2. Jonathan Taylor
With Marlon Mack out for the year, Jonathan Taylor was thrust into the RB1 role for the Colts. So far he has done a really nice job and he is only going to get better.
The Colts upcoming schedule includes games against: Titans (2), Jaguars, Texans (2), and the Lions who all have rushing defenses ranked 23rd or lower in the NFL. He is poised to have some major games against some of these teams.
Taylor also catches out of the backfield (16 receptions this year) so he is even more of a factor in PPR leagues.
Taylor may have a pretty high price tag on him now, but his numbers are only going to get better. Pay what you need to now, because Taylor has potential to be an RB1 from now until the rest of the season.
3. Chase Edmonds
This one is a risk, but if you buy low enough, the reward could be immense.
Kenyan Drake has been rather disappointing this year for fantasy owners considering all of the hype surrounding him entering the 2020 season.
Since virtually anybody can run for 100 yards against the Cowboys, let's take away that game from his season.
Drake has 99 carries for 348 yards (3.5 yards per carry). Not very efficient considering how high powered this offense is.
Take away the Cowboys game from Chase Edmonds (just to be fair), and he has 153 yards rushing on only 24 carries (6.4 yards per carry). Edmonds averages almost double the yards per carry as Drake does!
In the Cardinals' week 7 showdown against the Seahawks, Drake struggled to get anything going with 14 carries for 34 yards and 1 reception for 7 yards. Chase Edmonds, 5 rushes for 58 yards and 7 receptions for 87 yards. By far the better back.
If Drake continues to struggle, Kingsbury and the Cards will have no choice but to go with the better running back. Buy low on Chase Edmonds in your fantasy football league before it's too late.
4. Devin Singletary
The Bills look like they're going to be the best team in the AFC East with the Pats struggling and the Dolphins rolling with a rookie QB. They have struggled to find the end-zone the last few weeks, however, and games have either been lost, or closer than they should be.
This is likely because of the Bills inability to get the run game going. Singletary is averaging only 3.8 yards per carry on the season and has yet to eclipse even 80 yards on the season.
Don't give up on Singletary yet, look on the bright side.
The Bills have upcoming games against: Patriots (2), Cardinals, and the Broncos. All teams that have struggled with the run this season.
With Josh Allen's passing looking a little shaky over the last few weeks, I would not be surprised if McDermott decides to go run heavy for the majority of games remaining this season. Allen functions most efficiently in the play action, so going heavy run should help this offense really show its true potential.
5. JK Dobbins
This one is definitely a risk, but buying low on JK Dobbins (if he's even owned) could reap some major rewards going forward in your fantasy football league.
Mark Ingram, who has been a staple thus far in the Ravens offense, is currently injured allowing Dobbins a bigger share of the carries for the next couple of weeks. Dobbins is averaging 6.2 yards per carry to Mark Ingram's 4.5 yards per carry thus far, and also has just as many touchdowns as Ingram in half the carries.
Dobbins also is way more of a factor in the passing game which allows the Ravens offense to add another threat out on the field on passing downs.
Mark Ingram's injury definitely puts Dobbins in a position to succeed over the next couple of weeks, but even after Ingram returns, Dobbins could be the feature back in Baltimore.
This fantasy football season has been one for the ages. For the first time in possibly history, if you got a top five pick, it is likely that your team isn't doing the greatest.
Regardless of where you drafted, it's absolutely vital that you make some last minute additions to your roster to make a playoff push. If you're looking for a running back, I'd definitely try and buy low on one, or more, of these five fantasy breakout candidates.
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