The Fantasy Football season kicks off soon, and every fan is looking for the best sleeper running backs to help win their leagues. Here are our picks for five under-the-radar running backs to target in your draft.
Every Fantasy Football player knows the thrill of finding a hidden gem in the draft or on the waiver wire. Plucking an obscure third-string running back out of nowhere who steps into a bigger role than anticipated and helps you win your league.
Especially for running backs, perhaps the position most likely to get injured during the NFL season, it’s important for players to have plenty of options on their bench.
Here are five sleeper running backs, all currently projected to go outside the first eight rounds by ESPN, who you can get towards the end of your league’s Fantasy Football draft this year. Note, all stats and projections are assuming players are in a 10-12 person PPR league.
Best sleeper Fantasy Football running backs
Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks (ADP 142, RB 41)
The rookie out of UCLA was taken by Seattle with their second-round pick in the 2023 draft. After letting Rashaad Penny leave in free agency, the ‘Hawks leadership clearly believes that Charbonnet can replace most of Penny’s production.
He will start out as the number two behind second-year back Kenneth Walker III, but given Walker’s injury history from last year Seattle might be wise to limit his workload early. That means that some of those carries are likely to go to Carbonnet as part of an offense that loves to pound on the ground.
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (ADP 166, RB 47)
Even though Allgeier ended up as the Falcons’ number one back last year, he’s been a bit forgotten as the team elected to use their top-ten pick on Texas’s Bijan Robinson.
But given that Allgeier managed to cement himself in the top spot last year, it would make sense for Atlanta to continue featuring the second-year RB to complement Robinson. Especially on third downs and in goal line situations, Allgeier might get plenty of use.
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Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears (ADP 115, RB 33)
Herbert already turned heads in the preseason, converting a screen pass from third-year QB Justin Fields into a long touchdown. Now with a competent offense full of weapons (and hopefully Fields taking that next step), Herbert could be poised for a breakout year.
The third-year running back out of Virginia Tech hasn’t put up gaudy numbers in the past, but that’s largely because Chicago was one of the worst defenses in the NFL and he was behind David Montgomery. With Montgomery now gone, it should be Herbert’s time to shine.
Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos (ADP 135, RB 37)
Perine is new to the Broncos, having spent the last few years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was a fairly productive back behind Joe Mixon.
Now, he joins Javonte Williams in the backfield tandem in Denver. Even though Williams will probably be the starter to begin with, he is coming off ACL surgery. This means that the Broncos could lean more heavily on Perine than the Bengals had previously.
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (ADP 169, RB 53)
Another rookie running back, Bigsby also began turning heads in his first preseason action with Jacksonville, ripping off some massive runs against the mighty Cowboys defense.
Former first-round pick Travis Etienne will likely enter the season as the starting back, but don’t forget that Etienne missed the entire 2021 season after suffering an injury in the preseason. If Etienne goes down again, Bigsby could be the guy Jacksonville turns to.
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