RADIO
Yesterday, we reviewed the outlook for Eddie Lacy and the Seahawks now that he has officially found a new home in the Great Northwest. In this article, I will profile a few lesser-hyped running backs to determine how they might impact the fantasy landscape in 2017.
Although they may not have the name recognition of some other players, these receivers could make an impact on fantasy teams in the coming season.
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Running Backs Changing Teams for 2017
Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots
This signing could get a whole lot less interesting if Adrian Peterson ends up in New England. Peterson met with the team today, but nothing has resulted from that meeting yet. Burkhead's arrival was already a clear sign that the Pats were moving on from LeGarrette Blount, despite his incredible 18 touchdowns and 1,161 yards on the ground. His 3.9 Y/A may have something to do with it. Once again, Bill Belichick has proven that everyone (outside of Tom Brady) is expendable in his system.
Burkhead has seen limited playing time over the last four years in Cincinnati, but finally got a chance to be the featured back in the last week of the 2016 season. He responded with 119 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Maybe the Bengals were sitting on a gem all along and he only needed the playing time to show his skills. More likely, the production came at the expense of a Baltimore team that was already out of the playoff race in the final week. It took 27 carries for Burkhead to amass those stats, although to be fair he was still dominant when given the opportunity. Burkhead could play the Blount role for New England, taking goal-line snaps and grinding for yards on early downs. It appears he may be nothing more than depth, however, if the Patriots are serious about signing AP or another free agent. Wait to see how things play out before investing anything other than a very late-round pick on Burkhead, even in MFL10s. His appeal is limited to best ball formats for the time being.
Latavius Murray, Minnesota Vikings
Murray had a nose for end zone, but not much else, in 2016 for the artists formerly known as Oakland Raiders. Murray got off to a good fantasy start by scoring in each of the first three games, although he didn't even reach 60 rushing yards in any of those games. He then frustrated many a fantasy owner by collecting 24 total yards in Week 4 before missing the next game with an injury. Just when it looked like the Raiders were headed for a full-blown RBBC with rookies Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, they pulled the rug from under fantasy players by going back to Murray as the feature back. He ended the season with 12 TD, although he barely totaled 1,000 yards from scrimmage and his usage faded in the last three weeks.
Murray will be a welcome addition in Minnesota, but may find much tougher sledding unless the Vikes do some serious upgrading on their offensive line. In terms of yards before contact per attempt, Minnesota was third-worst in the league, whereas Oakland was near the middle. This means that the tandem of Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata barely stood a chance of finding running room before being contacted by defenders. Oakland's vertical offense compared to Minnesota's dink-and-dunk will be a big change for Murray, who will have to shoulder more of a load. Don't expect his yardage to increase much, despite the fact he should see a lot more carries and face less competition. He will be a decent RB2 in standard leagues due to goal-line potential for scoring, but he should be devalued in PPR leagues.
Danny Woodhead, Baltimore Ravens
Analysis of Woodhead's 2016 season is simple: he played in two games before tearing his ACL and sitting out the rest of the way. Woodhead put together two fine seasons as an all-purpose back in San Diego, going over 1,000 total yards and averaging 8.5 TD in 2013 and 2015. More concerning is the fact he missed the majority of his two other seasons with the Chargers due to injuries. Woodhead should be ready for training camp, but durability will always be a concern.
Assuming he's ready to go for Week 1, Woodhead has a golden chance to parlay his new job in Baltimore into fantasy value. Kenneth Dixon was suspended for the first four games, leaving Woodhead as the third-down, change-of-pace back while Terrance West presumably mans the early downs. Dixon averaged almost three receptions a game in the second half of his rookie season, despite not being known as an exceptional receiver. Woodhead should easily exceed that pace, while seeing about 10 carries per game. He is an ideal flex play in PPR leagues, but not much more than that. If you can acquire him late in fantasy drafts, plug him in for the first quarter of the season and reap the benefits.
Benny Cunningham, Chicago Bears
A seemingly minor transaction, Cunningham signing with the Bears has more of an impact on the rest of the backfield than it does to starter Jordan Howard. Howard was frustratingly pulled on passing downs and even goal-line situations for Jeremy Langford on occasion, despite Langford's pitiful 3.2 Y/A rushing average. Langford is bigger and tougher than Cunningham, so he may stick around but any fantasy appeal he had left even as a handcuff to Howard is gone.
The biggest loser in all of this is Ka'Deem Carey, whose job in Chicago seems to be on thin ice. Barring injuries to any of the top three backs, he may not make it out of training camp on the roster. Cunningham is a strong kick returner, which is the main reason he was brought in. He should beat out Carey as the RB3 and could even leapfrog Langford. He is no threat to Howard's value, however. Howard caught a respectable 29 passes in his rookie year, but he is not a three-down back by any means. He will remain a top RB due to his breakaway speed and running ability. Meanwhile, Cunningham will be part of a new-look Bears offense led by Mike Glennon that will prefer short, accurate passes as opposed to launching it downfield in an effort to play catch up. He is at best a bench stash on an MFL10 roster that already has Howard on it.
