Running backs roared back in a big way in 2016. There weren’t as many injuries as in the previous season and the surge of young rushers really made their presence felt.
If you’re looking for the next great, young Fantasy running back stud, you shouldn’t look in free agency. The draft will be rich with rushers.
But before they can draft, teams can spend. And if they so choose, teams can solve their running back riddles via veterans currently not under contract. If those veterans wind up in the right spots, they’ll be good for Fantasy owners.
With this year’s free-agency class of running backs big on names, it should make for an interesting spring.
Bell is technically a free agent, but he’s been franchise tagged by the Steelers. He’s not going anywhere. And that’s good -- the Steelers have been Fantasy heaven for running backs over the last three years. Bell specifically has been good for at least 10 Fantasy points in non-PPR leagues in 85.3 percent of his games over that span.
Best fit for Fantasy: Steelers | You really want him somewhere else?
You know a guy didn’t have that good of a year when he scored a dozen touchdowns and still didn’t finish as a Top 10 Fantasy running back. Murray may have averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 11.7 Fantasy points per game, but had eight games with fewer than 15 carries and never seemed to have the full confidence of the Raiders coaching staff. He’s proven to be a capable three-down back but has only a dozen games under his belt with a rushing average north of 4.4 yards and has more career 20-carry games without 100 yards (six) than with (four).
Best fit for Fantasy: Buccaneers | Murray needs a spot where he’ll get work, plain and simple. The Buccaneers are willing to run the ball a good amount (seventh-most carries in the league last year) and could be in the market for a Doug Martin replacement. He’d retain significant Fantasy interest if this were to play out.
Just look at those numbers above. LOOK AT THEM! Can you believe Peterson actually averaged 1.9 yards per carry? Can you believe he didn’t score any touchdowns? Not one! Who was this guy? And is this guy going to continue playing like Trent Richardson?
Best fit for Fantasy: Ravens | Peterson should be brought in as a running downs back for a team that uses its quarterback under center a bunch, like the Ravens. It’s a better fit for him that way. He’d clean up at the goal line in Baltimore and still contend for 15 touches per week ... if he can stay healthy and upright enough for 15 touches per week.
Can you believe it’s been two years since Charles’ last solid season? Since then he’s played in eight games (out of a possible 32) and totaled just over 400 rush yards. You don’t have to be a genius to know his second torn ACL and subsequent meniscus surgery are primarily to blame. At 30 years old, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever regain his form or stay healthy enough to be a factor in Fantasy.
Best fit for Fantasy: Colts | Forget about Charles getting 250-plus touches -- that would be a shock. But as a passing-downs guy for the Colts, Charles could reel in 50 receptions and five touchdowns easy and continue to at least be a factor in PPR leagues.
Each of the past two seasons have not gone the way we hoped, or the way Lacy hoped. Yet he still averaged north of 4.0 yards per carry, a testament either to his ability to run after contact or his offensive line (or both). Lacy probably isn’t pegged for every-down work but as a physical inside running back he will still contend for touchdowns and close to 15 touches per week. And yes, that’s assuming he manages to stay in shape.
Best fit for Fantasy: Packers | No one is excited to draft Lacy no matter where he goes, but at least we know he’s done well before in Green Bay. He knows the coaches, he knows the offense and, pending the results of the NFL Draft, he’ll be the best lead back the Packers have. He’s a much tougher sell for Fantasy if he goes somewhere new and/or somewhere with competition for the main rushing job.
Blount clearly was the right dude in the right situation last year, cashing in from inside the 5-yard line on 13 of his 18 touchdowns for the Patriots’ fourth-ranked offense. He otherwise got hooked up with a bunch of carries, landing 299 totes (a career-high by 98) for 1,161 yards (also a career-high).
Best fit for Fantasy: Patriots | Read it, say it aloud: You. Do. Not. Want. Blount. On. Your. Fantasy. Team. Unless. It. Is. With. The. Patriots. Do you really think he’s scoring double-digit touchdowns in another uniform? It’s all about the opportunity and situation, and Blount would remain relevant if he stays in one of the best opportunities and situations in the NFL. Even if he turned 30 last December.
Restricted free-agent running backs: Isaiah Crowell (CLE), Mike Gillislee (BUF), Terrance West (BAL), Chris Thompson (WAS), Orleans Darkwa (NYG).
Unrestricted free-agent running backs: Rex Burkhead, Danny Woodhead, Jacquizz Rodgers, Darren McFadden, DeAngelo Williams, Rashad Jennings, Robert Turbin, Tim Hightower, Travaris Cadet, Matt Asiata, Andre Ellington, Chris Johnson, James Starks, Christine Michael.