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We're in the thick of training camp now. We're getting regular updates from around the NFL, and would you believe it, everyone's in the best shape of their life. Even Ben Roethlisberger! And everyone is working with the No. 1 offense! Everyone looks amazing, and if they don't, don't worry — that injury is probably minor.
We're at the time of the year when everything is about potential. Eventually, teams will start to sort out their depth charts, position battles will come into focus, and attrition will leave us with the cold hard reality. But for now, it's all upside, baby!
And what position has more upside than running back? Based on the last few years, none even comes close. We're previewing the RB position this week, with our trio of experts going deep on the deepest position in Fantasy. As with the previous two weeks, we're kicking off RB Week with our experts answering three big questions about the position at the start of training camp.
1. Is the "Zero-RB" strategy dead?
Jamey Eisenberg: I don't think it's dead at all. If you draft toward the back end of Round 1, you might find it the best way to build your team. For example, based on CBS Sports Average Draft Position data, you can start your team at No. 12 overall with Odell Beckham and Julio Jones with your first two picks, then Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper with your next two selections. You can draft Greg Olsen in Round 5 with Mark Ingram, Dion Lewis or Kerryon Johnson in Round 6 and then get RB crazy in Rounds 7-10 with high-upside guys like Marlon Mack, Tarik Cohen, Matt Breida, Aaron Jones or Devontae Booker, among others. I like that.
Dave Richard: I can't do it in non-PPR leagues with 12-plus owners, because there aren't enough running backs for me to confidently buy into as starters past Round 4 or 5. In PPR it's easier because the league has been bombarded with speedy scatbacks with good hands. In smaller leagues, especially PPR ones, going Zero-RB just might be the best attack plan. So, no, it's not dead.
Heath: Not at all. Maybe wounded, in that it doesn't make much sense at all for the first half of the draft. But if you're drafting at the back end and land a trio like Odell Beckham, Julio Jones and Zach Ertz to start? I'm in. There are still plenty of value running backs available in the late rounds, but I'm specifically targeting guys like Isaiah Crowell and Giovani Bernard when I go receiver-heavy early.
Heath Cummings:
2. Le'Veon Bell is coming off a 431-touch season. Is he a risk at the No. 2 pick?
Jamey: He's risky because of his training camp holdout, not because of his workload. The concern you have with running backs is when their carries become an issue, not the work in the passing game. Bell's 321 carries in the regular season in 2017 were a career high, but he's still about 50 carries shy of the number that makes you nervous. However, his holdout could be a concern since last year it took him about a month — the time for training camp — to start looking like one of the best running backs in the NFL. With Ezekiel Elliott and even David Johnson right behind him, you could pass on Bell for one of those guys, but I like Bell the best at No. 2 overall.
Dave: This comes down to scoring for me. If catches count, I'm willing to overlook the twin warts of a heavy workload the year prior and no training camp participation. It could mean a slow start, but Bell's among the most productive Fantasy running backs in the universe. But if catches mean bupkis then I'll play it a little safer and roll with Ezekiel Elliott. And if the Cardinals offense looks good in the preseason then David Johnson could jump Bell in both formats.
Heath: It does feel like were overlooking a lot of things when it comes to Bell. The touches, the holdout, the injury risk. But on the other hand, he is coming off a 431-touch season! I could see passing on him for Ezekiel Elliott, but I can't drop him below David Johnson, who has risk of his own.
3. Who is this year's Todd Gurley?
Jamey: Jordan Howard seems to be the most similar to Gurley in terms of someone who has fallen into that same range of ADP — end of Round 2 or beginning of Round 3 like Gurley was last year — who could have a big season. Howard was the No. 9 Fantasy running back in non-PPR leagues in each of the past two seasons, but he's being drafted as the No. 15 running back this year. If Matt Nagy's offense helps the Bears blow up — especially if Mitchell Trubisky improves in his sophomore campaign — then Howard can easily finish in the top 10 again this year.
Dave: I'm going to have Alex Collins on a lot of my teams. I buy into him as a three-down running back in an offense that should be better than it was in 2017. Collins, like Gurley last year, can be had in Round 3 in every league. Do I think Collins could finish as the No. 1 rusher in Fantasy? No. Do I think he can finish top-12? I think it's possible.
Heath: I think there's a very good chance it's Dalvin Cook. Cook is fully recovered from his torn ACL and Pete Prisco was even raving about how good he looks at camp. Cook has a similar situation where he could be the primary early-downs back while also handling a lot of the pass-catching. And if the first 3 1/2 games from 2017 are any indication, he may have the transcendent talent as well.
4. What should you do with LeSean McCoy?
Jamey: Avoid him if you can. He's 30, has more than 2,000 career carries and 2,500 total touches and the Bills have to replace three starting offensive linemen from a year ago with Cordy Glenn, Richie Incognito and Eric Wood no longer on the team. Buffalo has a new quarterback in either A.J. McCarron or rookie Josh Allen, and this offense could be awful. With the potential of an off-the-field problem as well, he should not be drafted before Round 4, and even then that could be risky. Do not draft him at his current ADP, which is No. 25 overall.
Dave: Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to walk into my draft room, plop down on a comfy couch (maybe a love seat), open up my laptop and delete McCoy from my draft list. My plan will change if everyone else in my draft does the same thing and it's Round 4 and he's still there, but short of that he will be on 0.0 percent of my teams. He's hit the mark I look for when a running back breaks down, his offensive line is an unsightly mess, and the Bills passing game is ... how can I put this gently? ... nastier than grandma's dentures after eating chicken wings (the gross overcooked kind). Shady, assuming he hasn't broken any laws, will have a few big games but otherwise he's not going to do well. The only way that changes is if he gets traded ... which might happen come the NFL trade deadline.
Heath: Draft him if he falls to the fourth round. And I'm close to amending that to say "end of the third". All indications we're getting from McCoy and the Bills are that he'll be there Week 1. McCoy has risks outside of a potential suspension. His offense looks awful on paper and he's turned 30. But we're talking about top-seven upside at running back in the fourth round. You have to pounce.
5. Which non-Saquon Barkely rookie RB are you targeting?
Jamey: You know the obvious names after Barkley in Derrius Guice, Rashaad Penny, Ronald Jones, Royce Freeman and Sony Michel, and that group has the potential to be awesome. Guice is my favorite, but let's look at two other prominent rookies who could help Fantasy owners in a big way. Kerryon Johnson (Round 7 ADP) and Nick Chubb (Round 9) aren't getting the same hype as the rest of the class, but Johnson should be a nice surprise as the lead rusher for the Lions, who could have a great offensive line. And Chubb could be this year's Alvin Kamara as a No. 3 running back going into the season — he'll be behind Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson — who could emerge as a star.
Dave: I love a bunch of rookie running backs, but my second-favorite is Buccaneers runner Ronald Jones. After less than four days of training camp, Jones was promoted to the first-team offense and was making plays as a pass-catcher, something Tampa Bay desperately needs out of him. He's in a great situation given the lack of talent in Tampa Bay's backfield and is part of a team that improved both along the O-line and defensively. I am taking him as soon as mid-to-late Round 4.
Heath: I'm most interested in Royce Freeman and Rashaad Penny, but I'm not willing to reach to where they go in some drafts. Both backs are in committees to start the season, but I'd expect they're both three-down backs sooner rather than later. That's an advantage over most of the rest of the rookies who have true pass-catching backs on the roster. One other back I want to have at least some exposure to is Michel. His upside may be the second highest in the class.