RADIO
NFL running back Chris Thompson is a potential 2020 fantasy football sleeper and ADP draft value. Target him as an undervalued RB in fantasy football drafts.
BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~120 Overall
CURRENT ADP: ~180+ (Undrafted)
UPDATE 8/31: On Monday August 31st, Leonard Fournette was officially released by the Jaguars. You can read the full news and analysis here. More updates will be provided shortly, but this should increase the value for Chris Thompson even further, especially in PPR leagues.
ANALYSIS: Chris Thompson has been one of the most format-dependent running backs in fantasy football since he first earned significant playing time in 2015. When healthy, he’s regularly been a solid option as a flex in PPR leagues. Thompson enters his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, after seven years with the Washington Redskins.
Over the last three years, Thompson has averaged 3.94 receptions per game and 6.92 yards per target. While Thompson’s production dipped from 2017 to the two following years, the dip only seems so significant because his 2017 campaign was so exceptional. Even with that bump down in numbers, Thompson still finished 2019 with 42 receptions over 11 games and 9.0 yards per reception (378 total yards), making it clear that he still has some gas in the tank.
Leonard Fournette was a workhorse for the Jaguars in 2019, totaling 265 rushes for 1,152 yards and 76 receptions for 522 yards on 100 targets. No one is moving him from the RB1 role of the team, and only an eventual trade out of town will see him out of that position. Thompson's real competition will come from second-year running back Ryquell Armstead, who didn’t flash a ton of upside as a rookie logging 35 carries for 108 yards in 2019 while adding 14 receptions for 144 yards on 24 targets.
In a worst-case scenario for Thompson, Fournette would retain his workload from 2019 and Thompson would be relegated to a third-down role and probably around five targets per game. Considering Thompson is currently the RB60 off the board (undrafted in most redraft leagues) he could turn into a fantastic value-pick. He doesn’t have low-end RB1 or high-end RB2 upside, but so few running backs taken outside of the top 150 do. Good last-round pick to slot in your FLEX position, and potentially great handcuff considering Fournette could be traded in the middle of the season or get back to his injury woes of years past.
More Fantasy Football Values and Sleepers
Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups - Kareem Hunt, Trey Benson, Sean Tucker Fantasy Football Outlooks
This time of year, it's incredibly difficult to find value at the running back position on the waiver wire. It's a scarce position to begin with. Most of the top-scoring running backs in fantasy football were drafted in the first two rounds. And most of them have been healthy all year, leaving little opportunity for […]
Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups - Devin Neal, Emanuel Wilson, Chris Rodriguez Jr. Fantasy Football Outlooks
Thanksgiving week has arrived, and fantasy managers who scooped Emanuel Wilson off the waiver wire in Week 12 have plenty to be thankful for, unless you were going against Jahmyr Gibbs. Week 13 is another big week for waiver wire pickups with the fantasy playoffs just two weeks away. In this article, we'll highlight three […]
Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups - Kenneth Gainwell, Bhayshul Tuten, Tyjae Spears Fantasy Football Outlooks
Thanksgiving week brings zero byes and a feast of football. It also means it's time to prepare your roster for the fantasy football postseason. You may not be looking for a league-winning running back this week, and that's okay. But you can ensure a starting running back on your roster, and that's where some of […]
Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups - Kenneth Gainwell, Emanuel Wilson, Sean Tucker Fantasy Football Outlooks
Adding and stashing backup running backs is one of the most important edges in fantasy football roster construction. Rather than holding players with limited upside or few pathways to meaningful production, managers should stack their bench with these contingency bets that can immediately step in for an injured starter and win you your week. That […]
Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups - Kareem Hunt, Trey Benson, Tyjae Spears Fantasy Football Outlooks
The fantasy playoffs are right around the corner, and it is time to start fishing on the waiver wire for players who can improve the floor and ceiling of your fantasy lineup. One area that fantasy managers can target is the running back position. There have been numerous injuries in recent weeks that have given […]
Download Our Free Draft App
Like what you see? You can download our free fantasy football mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more draft sleepers at very position, 24x7 player news, notifications, injury alerts & daily articles.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!
