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While fantasy football players love to obsess about the running backs at the top of the draft board, the league-winning players are in the middle rounds. Last year, Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, Kenneth Walker, and Rhamondre Stevenson were mid-round running backs. Yet, all four ended the year as a top-16 running back in half-point PPR fantasy scoring.
Furthermore, Dameon Pierce was a mid-round draft pick last year. Unfortunately, a high-ankle sprain forced the rookie running back to miss the final four games. Yet, he was the RB15, averaging 11.6 fantasy points per game before getting hurt.
With that said, which mid-round running backs are undervalued going into this year? Here are four mid-round running backs that fantasy players should target in their upcoming redraft leagues. The ADP used for this article is via Underdog Fantasy.
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Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers
ADP 66.1 | RB19
Sanders was awful in 2021. He was the RB45, averaging only 8.7 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Unfortunately, the veteran had unprecedented bad luck scoring touchdowns, totaling zero for the year despite having 163 total touches. However, things changed last season for the former Penn State star.
The veteran was the RB13, averaging 12.2 fantasy points per game. Sanders ended the year with 259 rushing attempts for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. Furthermore, his 11 rushing scores were a career-high, beating his previous career total entering the year. Sanders' game still has room to grow, though.
Last season, he had only 20 receptions on 26 targets for 78 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. However, Sanders can play a meaningful role in the passing game as he's shown before. He had 50 receptions on 63 targets for 509 receiving yards and three touchdowns as a rookie with Carson Wentz under center. Meanwhile, new Carolina head coach Frank Reich likes to use his running backs in the passing game.
Running backs have averaged 116.5 targets per season in the four full seasons that Reich was the head coach with the Indianapolis Colts. Fantasy players shouldn’t be surprised if Sanders has a career year in the passing game this season.
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
ADP 68.1 | RB22
The Los Angeles running back is arguably the most polarizing in fantasy football. Akers struggled in the first half last season. However, he tore his Achilles less than 15 months before Week 1 so we can attribute the slow start to that. Furthermore, the entire Rams offense struggled last year with injuries up and down the roster. Despite all the issues, Akers ended the season on fire.
He was the RB2, averaging 18.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game over the final four weeks last year, scoring at least 11.5 points in every contest. Over a 17-game pace, Akers would have been the RB3 last season with that fantasy points per game average.
Additionally, the former Florida State star had 75 rushing attempts for 410 yards and three touchdowns during that four-game stretch. Akers averaged 102.5 rushing yards per game during those four contests, totaling 100 or more yards in all but one matchup. More importantly, he had three rushing touchdowns in a Week 16 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Meanwhile, the former Florida State star forced a missed tackle on 22.7% of his rushing attempts during his late-season stretch. More importantly, the Rams didn’t add anyone this offseason to threaten Akers’ role as the bona fide RB1. They spent a sixth-round pick on Zach Evans but didn’t sign a veteran in free agency. Akers is nearly two years removed from the torn Achilles and I bet he has a career year in 2023.
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
ADP 77.3 | RB23
Despite having a productive career with the Chicago Bears, Montgomery is one of the most hated running backs in the fantasy football community. Last year, the veteran was the RB23, averaging 10 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. The former Iowa State star split the backfield rushing attempts with Khalil Herbert and Justin Fields. Yet, Montgomery still had 201 rushing attempts for 801 yards and five touchdowns last year.
While he didn’t have eye-popping numbers, the veteran running back has been consistent for fantasy players. Montgomery has never ended the season lower than the RB25 (his rookie year). Meanwhile, he had a top-five finish in 2020. More importantly, he signed with the Lions this offseason, putting Montgomery in a position to succeed for fantasy managers.
Last year, the Lions had a talented 1-2 punch at running back with Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift. However, neither running back will return in 2023, vacating a ton of touches. Williams signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency while Swift was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFL Draft. Detroit will have a similar backfield combination this year, however, with Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs.
Williams led the entire NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns last season while Swift averaged five targets per game. Gibbs has gotten all the hype over the past two months due to the fact that he was a first-round draft choice. However, he can’t handle the full workload by himself. Therefore, fantasy managers should expect Montgomery to take on the Williams role in 2023. Last year, the former Lion was the RB8, averaging 12.9 fantasy points per game.
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
ADP 80.5 | RB25
Should fantasy managers want Conner on their dynasty roster? Probably not, given his age and injury history. However, the former Pittsburgh running back is a steal at his current ADP for redraft leagues. The veteran has spent the past two years in Arizona, finishing as a top-20 running back in both years.
Last season, Conner was the RB20, averaging 13.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Unfortunately, he missed four games due to injury. However, the veteran ended the year with 183 rushing attempts for 782 yards and seven touchdowns. His seven rushing scores finished top-15 among running backs despite missing a quarter of the season.
While Conner had a solid 2022 season, fantasy players should be excited by how he played after Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL. After averaging only 8.7 fantasy points per game over the first five weeks, the veteran was the RB5 over the final seven weeks of the fantasy season. He averaged 17.9 fantasy points per game during that span with 21.3 touches per game. He scored at least 12.4 fantasy points in every contest.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals didn’t add a running back in free agency or during the 2023 NFL Draft. More importantly, the team lacks offensive weapons after releasing DeAndre Hopkins. Arizona is heading into a long rebuilding process. Due to his age and injury history, Conner obviously won’t be a part of the team’s long-term plans either. Therefore, fantasy managers should expect the Cardinals to run the veteran running back into the ground this season. Conner is one of my favorite running backs to target this year when using a zero RB draft strategy.
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