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

Under-the-Radar Free Agent RB Signings - Risers and Fallers

Justin Carter breaks down all the recent running back free agent signings to determine who are RB risers and fallers for 2019 fantasy football leagues.

Free agency is in full swing and there's been a lot of movement among the league's big names. Odell Beckham was traded. Antonio Brown was traded. Le'Veon Bell signed with the Jets.

But there's been a lot of movement around the league that hasn't involved those big name players. After some of the bigger names like Bell, Tevin Coleman, and Mark Ingram, a whole host of backs have switched teams, though the running back market seems to be running a little slower than the wide receiver market.

Below are my thoughts on under the radar running backs who've moved to new places (and one who didn't), with some thoughts on their fantasy value.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller’s Dynasty content delivers year-round dynasty fantasy football rankings, trade advice, rookie analysis, and player outlooks. Build a title-winning roster with sleepers, stash targets, and our full dynasty fantasy football guide.

 

Latavius Murray, New Orleans Saints

Mark Ingram 2.0, basically. The Saints don't want to expose Alvin Kamara to every down work because a high volume of plays for Kamara is likely to have diminishing returns, so they've brought in Murray to play the role that Ingram played last season.

How well can he play that role? Here's a quick comparison of their numbers last year from Pro Football Reference:

The problem? While the numbers are close, Murray's were compiled in four more games. Ingram was a better runner last season, and Murray's move to New Orleans represents a downgrade for the Saints from a talent perspective.

Still, Murray's likely a decent enough approximation of Mark Ingram to maintain fantasy relevance next year, and anyone getting 150 carries in a high-powered offense has a chance to succeed.

Verdict: Murray is a riser relative to his own value last year, but don't just substitute him into your rankings in the spot you had Ingram.

 

Carlos Hyde, Kansas City Chiefs

With Damien Williams impressing at the end of last year, the Chiefs didn't need to bring in a new lead back in free agency, and in Carlos Hyde they get a player who can complement Williams without eating too much into his usage.

Hyde rushed for five touchdowns with Cleveland last year with all five coming on carries inside the 10-yard line, but he failed to find the end zone once he was traded to the Jaguars. Hyde's Jacksonville tenure was forgettable at best, so being in a new spot is good! He's likely to fill the role Spencer Ware held last year, with maybe some more red zone work mixed in. I'm not overly excited about that potential role, but it's a step up from what Hyde provided at the end of 2018.

Verdict: I mean, he's got to at least be a riser when compared to his time in Jacksonville, but he's not someone I'm going out of my way to target. Damien Williams should be the lead back.

 

Frank Gore, Buffalo Bills

Frank Gore continues to resist the linear advancement of time. Gore's signed with a Bills team that already had a pair of 30-year-old running backs, but with McCoy looking like he's taken a step back and Chris Ivory being Chris Ivory, Gore brings some positives to this team. For one, he can still run the ball effectively. While Gore's total rushing yards fell to 722 last year in Miami, the second-lowest mark of his career, he had his best yards per carry average since 2012.

Gore didn't find the end zone as a runner, though he did add a receiving touchdown, and his total carries aren't likely to increase with McCoy starting and Josh Allen's propensity for running the ball plenty himself, but he should be able to take on some of the load for Buffalo. I'd expect yardage somewhere in the 600s and maybe a couple of touchdowns. He's bound to be more useful in real life than he is in fantasy at this point, though.

Verdict: Faller. I love Frank Gore, but he won't see enough of a workload in Buffalo to justify me spending a fantasy pick on him.

 

Mike Davis, Chicago Bears

Tough to really know what to think of the Davis signing until we see if there's a corresponding move from the Bears to ship Jordan Howard out of Chicago. As it stands now, Howard takes the lead role, Tarik Cohen is the passing down back and also siphons off carries, and Davis is left with the Taquan Mizzel role? Except that while Davis is a capable receiver, he's done the bulk of his damage on the ground, so maybe we'd be looking at a three-headed backfield? I don't love Davis in that scenario, especially when Howard works much better as a goal-line option than Davis would.

If Howard moves on, though, we'd likely see Davis getting roughly half of the team's running back snaps and in that situation, I think his versatility gives him a little more upside than Howard in terms of receiving and total yardage, but with less touchdown upside.

Verdict: Check back later, because it all depends on Howard.

 

Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins

That Peterson didn't change teams is what's shocking to me. Washington gets back Derrius Guice, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, and have Chris Thompson for passing downs, which means the role Peterson slots into is...what, exactly? Does Washington not have faith in Guice and wanted an insurance policy? Do they want Peterson to mentor Guice? Do they just think Peterson still has enough in him to be a lead back?

Last year, Peterson had his eighth 1,000-yard season, though his 4.2 yards per carry were the lowest mark he's had in one of those 1,000-yard seasons. His seven touchdowns were his most since 2015, but it was also the first time Peterson played at least 14 games and didn't finish with double-digit touchdowns. Despite strong numbers, Peterson has hit the downside of his career, and with more players sharing the workload this season, Peterson seems bound for fantasy disappointment.

Verdict: Faller. Peterson sees a smaller role this year in a more crowded backfield.

More NFL Free Agency Analysis




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

Marvin Mims Jr.

Could be on Track for First 1,000-Yard Season
Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Luke McCaffrey

In Line for Larger Role?
Braelon Allen

Jets Viewing Braelon Allen as Long-Term Starter?
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Mike Williams

Heading to PUP List
Garrett Wilson

Lands Historic Deal
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF