League-winning Late Round Running Backs

There is only one type of running back you should draft for your bench. One that has the upside to be a Top 24 back. If there’s no path to this type of production, don’t draft them! That means guys like Tyrone Tracy, Alvin Kamara and Nicholas Singleton are totally wasted picks. So, who should you select?

I’m going to take you through the best late round running backs, but first, make sure you check out my earlier article on running back draft strategy.

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The guys who might already have a role (draft them if you’re weak at RB):

-Tyjae Spears has a real chance of supplanting Tony Pollard in Tennessee. They’ve split snaps 50-50 throughout camp, with the pre-season games suggesting Pollard is the starter, but Spears will be more involved under the new coaching staff. Hence, Spears is an upside pick who will be a starter if Pollard goes down, but could win the role on merit.

-Zach Charbonnet’s ADP is falling so drastically, you can get him in the last couple of rounds at times. So I’m drafting him and stashing him on IR, knowing he may be the starter when he returns. At worst, I have a viable bye week filler, especially in PPR.

League-winning bench stashes:

-Brian Robinson is Bijan Robinson’s clear backup. This offense is generous to any runner, regardless of their talent level, and Brian would get the majority of touches if Bijan went down. He’d be a mid-high RB2 if he got a chance to start.

-Mike Washington is the every down backup to Ashton Jeanty. With Jeanty already injured and a risk of missing games, Washington could be an immediate starter in Week 1 with the chance for more if Jeanty gets injured again. He has RB2 upside with a late round cost.

-Isiah Pacheco is this season’s David Montgomery, but he’s being drafted like he’s this season’s Craig Reynolds. While Jahmyr Gibbs will be the clear lead back, Pacheco may have flex-worthy production and will be an immediate starter if Gibbs goes down. Beware though, if Kareem Hunt signs, Pacheco loses a lot of his value. There’s also talk he may be injured which explains the Hunt speculation.

-Tank Bigsby is a clear lead back if Saquon Barkley misses time, in a high-volume offense with no touch competition outside third down back Will Shipley. He’ll be a mid-range RB2 if he gets a chance.

-Marshawn Lloyd’s role is a little unclear, but he appears to be the clear backup to Josh Jacobs. Chris Brooks’s involvement may reduce Lloyd’s upside, but the possibility of a Jacobs suspension makes Lloyd a viable stash. There’s a higher chance of start-worthy production here than with most other stashes.

-Kaelon Black appears to be the Christian McCaffrey backup, though it may be Jordan James and we just don’t know which yet. You’ll know by Thursday night of Week 1 though, and we know that the 49ers backup is hugely valuable, as they often produce RB1 value. So I’m drafting Black and in deeper leagues, James as well, with the plan of dropping one after that first game.

-Jaylen Wright appears to be De’Von Achane’s backup. I don’t think he’ll have the same receiving volume as Achane if given the lead role, but he’ll still be a solid RB2 with upside.

-Seth McGowan appears to be the RB2 in Indy. We’ve seen in the past how good Jonathan Taylor’s backup can be for fantasy, so I’m drafting him in the last round, then waiting until Week 1 to confirm his status.

-Keaton Mitchell has emerged as the clear RB2 in LA, with the possibility of occasional boom weeks if he gets the hot hand. He’s exactly the kind of back Mike McDaniel loves and his ADP will continue to drop due to his recent injury issues.

-Dylan Sampson is the only viable backup to Quinshon Judkins. While I wouldn’t usually target the Browns RB, Sampson brings enough receiving work, even with Judkins healthy, that he could be a flex option in deeper PPR leagues.

Players I’m avoiding:

Tyler Allgeier is Jeremiyah Love’s backup, and he will have some weekly value. But the upside is very low relative to his cost. He’s being drafted as a Top 40 running back but the upside is the starting running back for the Cardinals, ie. not much. Plus, he’s not traditionally been a good receiving back, so you’d think James Conner or another back gets the receiving role, which is where a lot of the value will be. Yes, he might be the Week 1 starter, but with no players on byes, it doubtful you’re using him then anyway.

RJ Harvey is the Broncos receiving back, but there is no guarantee he even keeps that role. Receiving backs are occasionally worth drafting (Kenny Gainwell is an example) but they usually carry some upside if the starter goes down. That’s not the case with Harvey. JK Dobbins is the starter and if he’s out, Jonah Coleman would be so heavily involved that you’ll still be benching Harvey. And to make matters worse, Harvey’s ADP is earlier than multiple legit starters. It’s awful. Don’t do it.

Tyrone Tracy’s role in New York is a total question mark. Devin Singletary played ahead of him in the second pre-season game, Najee Harris is probably Cam Skattebo’s backup and Tracy’s poor blocking has made him unusable on third downs. That leaves Tracy as an occasional chase of pace back with no upsides even if multiple injuries occur. Why would you want that on your bench?

As always, if you have any questions or thoughts, pop them in the comments below. Good luck for your drafts.

Message me on my socials @hashtagwasley. You should also check out my rankings here, to ensure you’re making the right picks every round. Plus, if you are looking for strategies specific to your league, feel free to email me and I can arrange some personalized rankings for you.