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

Biggest Busts of 2018 - Running Backs

With the 2018 fantasy football season at an end, Dom Petrillo analyzes the biggest busts at the running back (RB) position based on ADP and draft cost for the 2018 NFL year.

Running backs are the worst position to go bust in fantasy. Most likely, they cost you an early pick and busting on such a high draft pick usually leads to a long and dreadful season for your team.

Did you draft Le’Veon Bell at number one or two only to watch him sit at home all season? Did you draft Kareem Hunt in the first round, only to have the rug pulled out from under you before the fantasy playoffs? Are you or have you ever been a Leonard Fournette owner?

If you answered yes to any of these then you know the heartache and pain which can be felt by having a bust on your team. Let us take a look here at some of the biggest of these players at the running back position for 2018. Oh, and the diva himself, Le’Veon Bell, will not be listed here as he didn’t play. He belongs in a different category which I won't mention here as it is rather NSFW.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars

Although he only played in eight games and I don’t like putting a player on the bust list primarily due to injury, Fournette has earned his place this season. Not just because he finished as the RB40 despite being a first-round fantasy pick, but also because he probably did not have to miss as many games as he did. If you believe rumors around the Jaguars, Fournette missed many games in which anyone else could have played. Not to mention his missed game due to a suspension for fighting.

In the eight games he did suit up, he managed 15.1 points per game in PPR leagues, leading to my conclusion of looking at more than the numbers. Everyone loves the points per game number as the end-all-be-all and forget to look at the number of games played in. He had 133 rushes for 439 yards and five touchdowns in what was just as bad a season for the Jaguars as it was for Fournette.

Looking ahead to 2019, if Fournette can put the injuries behind him which have hampered him since high school and he decides to fully commit himself, he could have a good season and he could be a value at the end of the second round or early in the third round. But if you decide to take a chance on him earlier, you could be extremely disappointed that you passed up on other players with more upside. A player like Nick Chubb or Joe Mixon provides much more in the form of ceiling and floor than the unpredictable Fournette. And they won’t actually gain weight during the season. I mean who does that? Other than those of us watching on TV and eating junk food every Sunday.

 

David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

Finishing as the ninth-ranked running back on the season might not seem like a bust year for David Johnson. When you look at the entirety of the season though, along with the fact he was drafted as a top-five back, the bust comes more into spectrum.

With the Cardinals being so bad this past season, it was likely you would have been better off avoiding all of the Arizona Cardinals possible. This went from Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen to Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson. 2018 started off with mediocre-at-best Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy doing everything in his power not to get David Johnson involved in the offense - a move which ultimately led to his firing.

With 940 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 258 carries, this was in fact a bad season for the running back. Just last year he was the consensus number one draft pick in many leagues coming off a 2016 season in which he totaled over 2,000 all-purpose yards and accounted for 21 touchdowns. A major contributor to this decline, one which should be short-lived with offensive-minded Kliff Kingsbury now in as head coach, was his lack of usage in the passing game. In his monster 2016, Johnson had 80 receptions for 879 yards on 120 targets out of the backfield. In 2018, these numbers fell to 476 yards on 50 receptions on only 76 targets. Having a talented pass catcher like Johnson and only giving him 76 targets over an entire 16-game season is not only embarrassing but clearly the major reason for his one-year hiatus from the top tier of running back rankings.

I do say one-year because the new coaching staff will use his to his fullest in 2019 if they want to stay in the desert. Even a bad team, and the Cardinals are just this, needs to use their best player. With all respect to the great Larry Fitz (I am glad he will be back for another season), his torch has passed to Johnson as the best on the team making it more than likely Johnson returns to that top tier.

 

Alex Collins, Baltimore Ravens

Something smells in the city of Baltimore and it is not the remnants of crabs after a mid-summer picnic on the Inner Harbor. It is the season put up by a lot of people's preseason darling, Alex Collins. Many fantasy players were taking the running back in the fourth or even third round in drafts, thinking he was going to have a miraculous season for the Ravens despite being cut by the Seahawks just a season prior and never being a solid NFL back. Well, this came back to bite those people hard. I am just glad I avoided the trap of taking him to high in my own leagues. Believe me, I made enough other mistakes. David Johnson and Carson Wentz, I am looking at you.

In 10 games before going on Injured Reserve, Collins amassed only 114 carries for 411 yards and seven touchdowns. He was unable to outdo Javorius Allen, Kenneth Dixon and eventually Gus Edwards to control the backfield. There is a good chance he will not be back in Baltimore in 2019 as the Ravens will likely head into the new season with Edwards and Dixon leading the way behind Lamar Jackson.

The time has passed for Collins to do anything in Baltimore. If he goes to another team, there is a chance of a solid season, but nothing to the level of what was expected from him in 2018. At this point, he is at best a fantasy RB3 and maybe a low-end RB2 in the right scenario.

 

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills

Shady is getting old. He looked old in 2018 and despite being the only offensive weapon in Buffalo, he still could not do anything this season to help your fantasy team.

161 rushes for 514 yards and three touchdowns is not even good for a committee back, let alone for a player who is supposed to be one of the last bell cow backs in the NFL. Add to this the surprising running ability of Josh Allen and the end looks to be near for McCoy. The Bills have a ton of cap space to play with and you can expect them to spend some of it on a younger running back which more fits their future.

Buffalo says they want to keep McCoy for another season, but at $9 million, why would they? Even if the price was not a deterrent for the team, the 3.2 yards per carry average from this season should be, as it is a full yard lower than his career average of 4.5 and the injuries seem to be catching up to him as he only played in 14 games.

Look for the Bills to make a run at a running back like Tevin Coleman or T.J. Yeldon, making McCoy at best a fantasy RB3, which is only slightly higher than he finished this past season when he finished as the overall RB39 behind players like Jalen Richard and Latavius Murray.

More NFL Year-in-Review




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

Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Sunday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP