RADIO
With the sweet smell of Fantasy Football in the midsummer air, it's about time for us fantasy heads to lead you all in the right direction. While everyone knows you cannot win the league at the draft, you sure can lose it. So we're here for the rest of the summer to let you know what players you're going to have to highlight on your draft sheets and consider snatching up at times that don't quite match up with their projected value. AKA we're here to find you some sleepers. We'll kick off the festivities by looking at the backfield of "America's Team."
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The Cowboys are fresh off a season where they watched their offense rush for more than 2400 yards and yet, no one seems to be excited about the unit's potential in 2015. Granted, when you lose a player of DeMarco Murray's caliber to free agency and your running game is essentially blown up, it's hard to get excited about the reconstruction. The Dallas running backs have a lot to prove but any football fan knows that the running back is not the only factor influencing the run equation and I feel it's important to give more credit to where it is properly due. And like so many football experts have done in the past, I'm talking about the greatness that is the Cowboys' Offensive Line.
The Cowboys have a revamped O-Line with four former first round picks (and La'el Collins who has first round pick talent), three of whom were Pro Bowlers last year and a rotation of six men who are quite skilled in the "move the behemoth opponent in front of you out of the way" department. This unit could clear the way for a 1000 yard, 10 touchdown season for my Aunt Margie (of course, Aunt Margie is 6'4", 250 lbs and runs a 4.3 40, but that's besides the point). Enter Joseph Randle, the 6'0'', 210 lbs 23 year old back out of Oklahoma State.
Unfortunately for the third year pro, Randle has spent more time in the limelight for his activities off the field than he has for his feats on. Before being arrested on a dropped domestic abuse charge earlier this year, he was famously arrested last year for shoplifting after he decided that he was too important to wait in line to buy underwear and cologne; a charge that somehow led to an underwear endorsement. This year will be the first time he has the opportunity to shine due to the departure of DeMarco Murray and indications out of training camp are that he is taking full advantage of this opportunity and sits atop the depth chart for head coach Jason Garrett. With the only other backs on the roster being the oft injured Darren McFadden (who is already complaining about his hamstrings), Ryan Williams (whose injured knee has him on the roster bubble) and Lance Dunbar (who doesn't shape out more than just a change of pace back), Randle should be the lead benefactor behind the stacked offensive line.
Of course, any experienced fantasy football manager will tell you that opportunity does not directly correlate with production. Randle does have the right amount of talent to legitimize his claim to the running back job. Last season, the back amassed 343 yards and 3 TD's on just under 10% of the team's rushing attempts (6.7 yards per attempt). With Murray and his 75% usage rate running for Chip Kelly in Philadelphia now and questionable fellow running backs on the roster, it's not crazy to suggest that Randle will see his usage jump 40 to 60%. Blow his 2014 usage up to 65% and Randle produces numbers that surpasses Murray's from last year. (Note: I get it. We don't play football on paper. This is why general managers hire football men instead of mathematicians to coach their teams. I don't expect Randle to even think about touching the ball 400 times this season or get even close to the Murry-ian mark of 1845 yards, but it's hard to ignore the numbers that are right in front of us.)
Randle takes advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Throwing out the late season blowout win against the Colts, Randle averaged more than five yards per carry in every game that he got the ball at least three times. You're crazy if you believe he isn't going to see more than three carries a game this season.
I understand that there are some concerns going into the third year pro's potential breakout season. It's nearly impossible to predict whether or not a running back is going to withstand the brutal transition in becoming an every down back. The team seems poised to push the pass game this season and it doesn't bode well that Randle only caught four balls last year. The potential for well over 1000+ rushing yards in a league that is moving farther and farther away from the ground and pound makes Randle very valuable though. He's not a long term solution for dynasty players and he's had concussion problems in the past but otherwise could be a steal come draft time. A fourth round ADP should be expected once mock drafts really get going but reaching for him at the end of the second round/early third round is not crazy, so long as you're prepared to grab another back for insurance soon after. He definitely has potential to be a low end RB1 and projects to be a solid RB2.
