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Fantasy Football season is upon us. It is one of the most exciting times of the year. Leagues are being renewed and drafts are being planned. On draft day, the running back position will once again be one of the toughest to figure out.
Year in and year out, the top-tier running backs are selected early leaving the rest of the pack wondering who will get touches. The running back position in the NFL has turned into one that is commonly handled by multiple players. There are not many Christian McCaffreys or Saquon Barkleys that will play three downs and contribute in the passing game.
Heading into your draft, it is important to know which running backs will burst onto the scene and which will lose carries to new players. Let’s take a look at five players who could see less action during the 2020 season.
5. Mark Ingram
The Baltimore Ravens dominated the ground game during the 2019 season. They averaged 206 yards per game on the ground, which was far and beyond the most in the league. Opposing defenses had difficulty defending Baltimore because of the threat that Lamar Jackson posed as a runner.
Ingram benefitted from this greatly. He has his best season as a professional posting 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ingram averaged five yards per carry and totaled 26 catches. The Ravens will continue to run the ball effectively, but Ingram could lose carries to J.K. Dobbins this season. The Ravens selected the Ohio State product in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft and he is expected to make an immediate impact.
Baltimore will still use Ingram as the feature back, but with Dobbins in the equation, he may not reach 200 carries again. The Ravens will now have to focus on splitting carries three ways.
4. Chris Carson
Carson had a big year in 2019, but fumbling issues have worried the Seattle Seahawks. He carried the ball 278 times for 1,230 yards marking his second straight season with at least 200 carries and 1,000 yards.
Carson fumbled six times last season and it is something that is a slight concern. The Seahawks signed veteran running back Carlos Hyde in the offseason. He is expected to be thrown into the mix as a backup to Carson. Like Ingram, Carson will remain as the No. 1 back, but he could see a dip in carries and this will impact his draft stock in fantasy.
One area that could be impacted is around the goal line. Carson scored seven touchdowns on the ground last season and could not afford to lose touches around the end zone. Carson is still worth a draft pick, but he should hesitantly be selected as your RB1.
3. Sony Michel
Michel has been the top running back in New England since he entered the league. He has eclipsed 200 carries and 900 yards in each of his first two seasons. Michel is not much of a receiver out of the backfield since that skill is dominated by James White. There are a few reasons why Michel could see a decrease in workload in 2020.
First, it is unknown if Michel will be ready for Week 1. He has been dealing with an injury that has sidelined him during camp. This would have left the Patriots with James White and Rex Burkhead. New England added Lamar Miller, who will be returning from an injury that kept him off the field in 2019.
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The addition of Miller is the key that will decrease Michel’s carries. This gives the Patriots a strong duo in the backfield, but both will be difficult to trust in a fantasy aspect. Heading into the season, this is one of the biggest handcuffs you will need if you decide to draft a Patriots running back.
2. Marlon Mack
The Colts made significant strides in improving their offense for the upcoming season. They will feature one of the best, if not the best, offensive lines in football. Philip Rivers will be under center and Indianapolis used the draft to add some weapons.
Indianapolis drafted Michael Pittman Jr. to pair with T.Y. Hilton on the outside. They also added Jonathan Taylor to the backfield. Taylor had a legendary career at Wisconsin. He rushed for 2,000 yards twice and scored 50 touchdowns in three years. Taylor will join Mack, who finished with 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019. Mack finally took the next step as the Colts’ No. 1 running back but he could see a decrease in workload with the addition of Taylor.
This is another interesting handcuff to consider heading into the season. Neither player has shown a great ability to act as a receiver out of the backfield. Taylor totaled 26 catches in his final collegiate season. Mack will enter as No. 1 on the depth chart but Taylor is a true runner that will take some carries, especially in short yardage situations around the goal line.
1. Phillip Lindsay
Lindsay joined the Broncos in 2018 out of Colorado. In two years, he has been nothing short of electric. As a rookie, Lindsay rushed for 1,037 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. In. 2019, Lindsay finished with 1,011 yards and seven touchdowns. The Broncos were another team that significantly improved their offense.
It was a good offseason for Drew Lock who gained two weapons in Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. The Broncos also signed Melvin Gordon to a two-year, $16 million contract. Gordon played in 12 games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019 after a short holdout. He scored eight touchdowns but averaged just 3.8 yards per carry.
This is an interesting situation regarding fantasy. It is nothing but good for the Broncos on the field. They will have a runner who has went for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons and another who used to be a premiere back in the league. There is only one ball and the Broncos will have to think strategically on how they will split the carries.
This is not a situation where either Lindsay or Gordon will sit on the bench. They will both get their fair share of carries over the course of the season. In fantasy, it may all come down to which back get the most work in the red zone.
