X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Dynasty Stock Watch for 2019 - Running Back Fallers

Justin Carter identifies running back fallers for dynasty fantasy football leagues ahead of the 2019 season. These RBs could be sell candidates in dynasty leagues.

In the first part of this column, I took a look at some of the running backs whose stock is rising in dynasty leagues ahead of the 2019 season. Today, it's time to look at the opposite side of things.

Fantasy football rankings are a zero-sum game. For a player to break into the top-10 at their position, someone has to drop out. For a rookie to come in and carry a major workload, some player has to lose touches.

Let's take a look at the running back dynasty fallers for 2019.

Editor's Note: Steer clear of costly draft mistakes with RotoBaller’s expert Fantasy Football Bust analysis. We break down overvalued players, potential letdowns, and risky ADPs to avoid, so you can build a smarter, safer roster.

 

Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

Arthritis in the knee is not a good thing for a high-volume NFL running back to have, and that issue is going to limit Gurley's workload moving forward. The Rams know this, which is why they drafted one of the top running back prospects this year in Memphis' Darrell Henderson. Gurley's still one of the league's most talented backs, but his per-game opportunities are going to drop and his career length is likely to be shorter than we were expecting, which has him tumbling down the dynasty rankings.

 

Jordan Howard, Philadelphia Eagles

Jordan Howard feels so much like a throwback to a different NFL, one where a downfield power rusher who could hit his holes but was never going to be that effective when going east-west and was never going to be a huge factor in the receiving game aside from the occasional dump-off could be the lead back on a team.

That throwback worked for a little bit in Chicago, but Howard saw his yards per carry drop from 5.2 to 4.1 to 3.7 over the course of his Bears career. He was targeted less each year too as it became clear he wasn't going to be able to contribute much in that phase of the game, and the Bears shipped him off to Philadelphia this offseason, where he enters the league's most confusing timeshare.

The Eagles drafted Miles Sanders, and then they have a seemingly never-ending stream of guys who had decent sized roles at points last season: Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams. Now, all three of those guys might not even make the final roster, but they all had at least 68 carries and multiple touchdowns last season, so it'll be an adventure to figure out which one ends up as part of what's expected to be a three-headed running back committee. Heck, could it turn into a four-headed one? Could Jordan's one-dimensional skill set leave him as the odd man out in Philadelphia? We're definitely staring at a situation where anything could happen, and that's not a good one to be in if you're invested in Howard.

 

Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks

The writing was on the wall for Carson the moment the Seahawks drafted Rashaad Penny, but Carson still managed to lead Seattle in carries, yards, and touchdowns last season.

However, Carson also saw his snap share hover somewhere in the 50% region in each of the final six games of the year. Penny saw his hit double-digits over this time frame before a knee injury cost him some games and led the team to use him on just 6.3 percent of offensive snaps in the team's final game.

Penny is clearly trending up at this point, and what was firmly Carson's backfield now looks like at least a committee between the two. Because youth is becoming increasingly important at the running back position, Penny is the back to own in dynasty moving forward. Expect diminishing returns from Carson moving forward unless he ends up on a new team in a clearer role at some point.

 

Jerick McKinnon, San Francisco 49ers

Well, that Jerick McKinnon hype train got derailed last season by an ACL injury. Then hopes that he'd step right back into the forefront of the 49ers backfield got derailed by productive 2018 seasons by Matt Breida (who, just based on how crowded this backfield is, also belongs on this list) and Jeff Wilson. Throw in the offseason signing of former Falcons running back Tevin Coleman, who is expected to be San Francisco's lead back, and things are really messy.

Let's talk about Coleman, who I left off the rising portion of this list because of the uncertainty of this backfield, but who I feel really good about. Last year, Coleman was seventh among backs in breakaway runs and breakaway run rate. He was 12th in yards created per carry. Coleman finally gets his chance to be a lead back, and his explosiveness in that role is a big part of why I'm down on McKinnon. Coleman's just -- and I know this is a very unscientific proclamation -- a better running back.

And if Coleman is the lead back, what's McKinnon's role? He's not the kind of bruiser who would work well as a guy to spell Coleman in the red zone, so he's essentially just going to be...a guy who resembles Coleman and comes in at times? His workload isn't going to be high enough in that situation to justify him being more than an occasional flex option in fantasy.

 

T.J. Yeldon, Buffalo Bills

I'm a huge Yeldon fan, but winding up with the Bills was one of the worst outcomes I could have imagined for him this offseason. Instead of Yeldon making this list as a riser as he could have in some situations, he's quickly found himself staring irrelevancy in the face. If Yeldon can't make an impact in Buffalo, I'm not sure another team gives him a chance.

Last year, Yeldon was 10th among running backs in targets and 11th in receiving yards, but he was far less effective when asked to be a pure runner, finishing 44th in true yards per carry. In Buffalo, he'll have to compete with LeSean McCoy, who at this point seems like he's earned a spot as a tenured Professor of Somehow Being A Lead Back at the University of the Bills, and rookie Devin Singletary.

And then there's quarterback Josh Allen, who started 11 games as a rookie and had 89 carries while leading the team in rushing yards. Allen's propensity for pulling the ball down and running -- not to mention all the designed run plays for him -- will cut into what Buffalo's running backs can do. There's also the factor of Allen's arm and if he can get the ball to a receiving back like Yeldon consistently, which -- well, Allen was 35th in true completion percentage, 47th in red zone completion percentage, 35th in accuracy rating... basically, Josh Allen was a very good runner last year and a very bad passer, so Yeldon's facing that issue too. RIP, all my hopes that T.J. Yeldon was going to be a good player to own going forward.

More Dynasty League Strategy




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Vitor Petrino

Set For His Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Set To Open Up UFC Nashville Main Card
Junior Tafa

Set For Light-Heavyweight Bout
Alex Bregman

Will Return to Red Sox This Weekend
Chris Sale

Braves Won't Consider Trading Chris Sale
Clarke Schmidt

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery on Friday
Nick Nash

Unlikely to Make Falcons Active Roster
Lane Johnson

in No Rush To Retire
Jalen Williams

Signs Contract Extension With Thunder
Blake Corum

has "Gotten His Speed Back"
Jarquez Hunter

Picking Up Rams Offense Quickly
Alijah Martin

Agrees to Two-Way Deal With Raptors
Tristan Vukcevic

Set to Return to Washington
Kirk Cousins

Feels Misled by Falcons
Bijan Robinson

Says Falcons Have "Outlandish Goals" for the Running Game
Luther Burden III

Bears Expect Luther Burden III to be Ready for Training Camp
Cole Kmet

an Unlikely Trade Piece
Tony Pollard

Titans Hope to Balance Rushing Attack With Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears
Byron Buxton

Sitting Thursday
Quentin Johnston

Not Assured of Starting Role
Cordarrelle Patterson

on the Roster Bubble in Pittsburgh?
Shedeur Sanders

Not Assured of Roster Spot in Cleveland?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Hoping For More Downfield Opportunities
Anfernee Simons

Celtics Are "Actively Trying to Trade" Anfernee Simons
NBA

Alex Ducas Heading to Australia
Dominick Barlow

Inks Two-Way Deal With 76ers
Jordan McLaughlin

Spurs Re-Sign Jordan McLaughlin to One-Year Deal
Dylan Harper

Out Thursday, Expected to Play Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Homers Twice on Wednesday
Mike Trout

Homers Twice in Win Over Rangers
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Leads Yankees to Victory
Salvador Perez

Crushes Two Homers in Win
Cleveland Browns

Greg Newsome on the Trade Block?
VJ Edgecombe

Diagnosed with a Sprained Thumb
Zach Tom

An Extension Candidate in Green Bay
Devin Booker

Agrees to Extension with Phoenix
Trevor Williams

to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery
Kyren Williams

Rams Not Willing to Pay Kyren Williams Top-Market Money?
Byron Buxton

Exits After Hit-by-Pitch, X-Rays Negative
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Playing on Wednesday
Alex Bregman

has "Really Good Chance" to Return Before All-Star Break
Christian Kirk

the No. 2 WR in Houston?
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Expected to Return on Friday
Jerome Ford

the Likely Starter for Cleveland to Begin 2025
Chig Okonkwo

"Poised" for Best Season of Career
Xavier Watts

Falcons High on Xavier Watts
Xavier Restrepo

Training With Star Wideouts
Walter Clayton Jr.

Leads Jazz to Summer League Win
Carter Bryant

Struggles in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Drops a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Oklahoma City Thunder

Malevy Leons Logs Impressive Summer League Outing on Tuesday
Dalton Knecht

Collects 25 Points in Lakers Summer League Win
Los Angeles Lakers

Darius Bazley Drops 27 Points in Summer League on Tuesday
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Chet Holmgren

Agrees to Rookie Max Extension
Alex Bregman

Not Returning Wednesday
Jhoan Duran

Unavailable Due to Illness
Shane McClanahan

Tosses Clean Frame in First Rehab Appearance
Jacob Wilson

Day-to-Day After HBP
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. to be Reassessed Wednesday
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Malaki Branham

Traded to Washington
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Blake Wesley

Moves to Washington
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Kelly Olynyk

on the Move Again
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Anthony Davis

Recovering From Eye Surgery
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Jacob Wilson

Exits Early On Tuesday With Left Hand Contusion
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
Luis Garcia

Fans Four in Rehab Outing
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF