Running backs win fantasy leagues.
Well, at least they have the potential to impact leagues more than other positions. The new Best Ball Win Rate Explorer tool lets us see the top-10 highest best ball win rate seasons over the last five years. Eight of them — including the top-seven — are RBs.
| Player | Position | Year | ADP | Win Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | 2019 | 2.4 | 36.9% |
| Todd Gurley | RB | 2017 | 20.7 | 30.8% |
| Devonta Freeman | RB | 2015 | 87.5 | 27.8% |
| Christian McCaffrey | RB | 2018 | 16.7 | 27.3% |
| David Johnson | RB | 2016 | 7.5 | 26.4% |
| Le’Veon Bell | RB | 2017 | 2.1 | 24.1% |
| Austin Ekeler | RB | 2019 | 88.2 | 22.9% |
| Doug Baldwin | WR | 2015 | 161.9 | 21.4% |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 2018 | 129.2 | 21.3% |
| Alvin Kamara | RB | 2017 | 137.3 | 20.8% |
All of those RBs were either drafted very early or relatively late. Not many high-end outcomes come from the middle rounds, which shouldn’t come as a surprise.
You don’t need me to tell you to draft Christian McCaffrey. But who are those late-round RBs with league-winning upside?
Let’s start with what we know. We know we want to target RBs who can catch passes in the late rounds. We also want to target RBs in ambiguous backfields, although there comes a point where that simply isn’t possible.
Today, we’ll look at two RBs — one going right in the sweet spot for Zero RB targets and another who is basically free right now — you should target in fantasy drafts this year. Both of these players have something special about them. Something unusual. A teaser: At the NFL combine, Cardinals linebacker Isaiah Simmons was asked what position he plays. His response highlighted what made him such a highly sought-after prospect.
“Defense.”
The two RBs we’ll talk about today really just play offense.
