Early 2018 Dynasty Sleepers - Running Back

Fantasy football dynasties can still be built on the shoulders of running backs, even though the NFL is a pass-first league built around quarterbacks and receiving corps. The running back position is not be loaded with as many 1,000-yard workhorses as there was 5-10 years ago, and that makes it even more important to have […]

Early Dynasty Startup Mock Draft - Rounds 5 and 6

RotoBaller's dynasty football staff got together recently to perform a mock draft before the NFL draft in order to get an idea of where player values lie. We continue with our early dynasty mock draft series into rounds five and six with an overview of each team's roster near the midpoint of the draft. If […]

Carlos Hyde to the Browns - Fantasy Spin

The Cleveland Browns have been the most active franchise thus far in the free agency period, and that continued on Wednesday when they signed former San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde to a three-year, 15 million-dollar contract. Hyde, a second-round draft pick in 2014, will fill the void left by the departure of starting […]

DeMarco Murray To Visit Dolphins On Sunday

Free-agent running back DeMarco Murray will visit with the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Murray had a career-low 3.6 yards per carry and six rushing touchdowns last year with the Titans in 15 games, and nagging injuries continued to wear him down and make him less effective. It's fair to wonder how much the veteran back […]

Marshawn Lynch Staying With Raiders

Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch will stay with the team and will receive a $1 million roster bonus on March 18, according to sources. It's a great sign for Oakland's running back depth, but a bad sign for everyone involved from a fantasy perspective. Lynch will likely remain as the lead back, but he'll […]

Danny Woodhead Announces Retirement

Free-agent running back Danny Woodhead announced his retirement less than a week after being released by the Baltimore Ravens. The pint-sized back was marred by injuries the last two seasons and missed all but three games in 2014 while playing just two games in 2016. Last year, he was injured in the season opener and […]

Dolphins Inquiring About DeMarco Murray

The Miami Dolphins have asked about free-agent running back DeMarco Murray, according to a source. However, it is unclear if there is a visit lined up. The aging Murray appears to be on his last legs in the NFL after racking up the yardage earlier in his career with Dallas. In 2017 with Tennessee, Murray […]

Lions, LeGarrette Blount Agree to Deal

The Detroit Lions have come to terms with free-agent running back LeGarrette Blount on a one-year, $4.5 million contract. New head coach Matt Patricia is known to be a big Blount fan, and the two worked together when Blount was on the Patriots. Blount followed up his 18-touchdown 2016 season with just two touchdowns last […]

Patriots Sign Jeremy Hill

The New England Patriots signed free-agent running back Jeremy Hill on Friday, according to a source. Hill had a promising rookie year with the Bengals, putting up 1,124 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns, but aside from his career-high 11 scores in 2015, he averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in his last […]

Jerick McKinnon To Have Large Role In Niners Offense

The San Francisco 49ers placed a large priority on running back Jerick McKinnon in free agency, which is why they signed him to a four-year, $30 million deal ($11.7 million in guarantees). Head coach Kyle Shanahan sees McKinnon filling the Devonta Freeman role from his time in Atlanta. McKinnon averaged 4.0 yards per attempt on […]

Lions Re-Sign Zach Zenner

The Detroit Lions re-signed running back Zach Zenner. Terms were not disclosed. Zenner was a deep backup on a poor running team last year, only mustering 14 carries for 26 yards on the season. With Detroit looking at multiple free-agent running backs, it seems likely that Zenner will be buried on the bench once again. […]

Latavius Murray Restructures Contract

Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray restructured his contract ahead of the deadline Friday, when he would've been guaranteed $5.15 million. Murray ran for 842 yards and eight touchdowns for the Vikes last season, but he saw more work than expected when rookie Dalvin Cook blew out his knee early in the year. With Cook […]

Thomas Rawls Visiting With Chiefs

Free-agent running back Thomas Rawls is visiting with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday, according to a source. Rawls had a promising rookie year in 2015 with 147 carries for 830 yards (5.6 yards per carry) and four touchdowns for Seattle, but an ankle injury later that year has doomed him since. He has been […]

Bills Re-Sign Taiwan Jones

The Buffalo Bills re-signed running back Taiwan Jones to a one-year deal on Friday. Jones broke his arm in Week 9 against the Jets last year, but when healthy played a "gunner" role on special teams mainly. Unless Buffalo's running game suffers widespread injuries, Jones can be ignored for fantasy. He didn't have a single […]

Lions Host Mike Davis

The Detroit Lions are continuing their search for a new running back, this time bringing in former Seahawks back Mike Davis. Davis spent most of last season on the practice squad but exploded onto the scene late in the year, rushing 68 times for 240 yards and hauling in 15 catches for 131 yards. Again, […]

Jeremy Hill To Visit With Patriots On Friday

Free-agent running back Jeremy Hill will visit with the New England Patriots on Friday, according to a source. Hill really fell off the fantasy map the last two seasons. He posted 3.8 yards per carry but had nine touchdowns in 2016 and was sporting a career-low 3.1 yards per carry in seven games for the […]

Kyle Shanahan Gushes Over Jerick McKinnon

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he got "lost" watching running back Jerick McKinnon's game film before they signed him for four years and $30 million. "There's so many things I liked about him, just visualizing how I would use him and the stuff that we would do," Shanahan said Thursday. "Even though […]

Raiders Not Planning To Part With Marshawn Lynch

The Oakland Raiders have no plans to part ways with running back Marshawn Lynch, even after signing Doug Martin on Thursday. In his first season in Oakland, Beast Mode had 207 carries for 891 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns as one of the few bright spots in what was a disappointing offense. […]

Frank Gore, Lions Nearing Deal

The Detroit Lions are close to striking a deal with veteran free-agent running back Frank Gore. Detroit's running game struggled mightily last season, and they have been active on the free-agent market. They have been connected to Gore and DeMarco Murray. Detroit's pass-heavy offense and poor offensive line is not an ideal spot for an […]

Raiders Agree With Doug Martin

The Oakland Raiders agreed to terms with free-agent running back Doug Martin on Thursday, according to a source. With Marshawn Lynch not a lock to return for his second season, there is a chance that Martin could become the team's lead back, although he'd surely split repetitions with Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington. Martin didn't […]

Fitzgerald Toussaint Signs One-Year Deal With Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint have agreed to a one-year deal. The Steelers did not tender Toussaint, who was a restricted free agent, but they will bring him back to town to compete for a backup role. He will likely battle with second-year running back James Conner for second-string behind starter Le'Veon […]

Patriots, Falcons Showing Interest In Danny Woodhead

The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons are showing interest in free-agent running back Danny Woodhead, according to sources. Woodhead played with New England from 2010 to 2012, so he's certainly familiar with them. He's looking to rehabilitate his image after playing in just 10 games the last two seasons due to injuries. The Pats […]

Lions Bringing in Legarrette Blount For Visit

The Detroit Lions will be bringing in their fourth veteran running back on a visit this week, as former Eagles running back Legarrette Blount will visit with the Lions. New head coach Matt Patricia is known to be a big Blount fan, and the two worked together when Blount was on the Patriots. Blount followed […]

Lions Do Not Tender Zach Zenner

The Detroit Lions did not tender a contract to running back Zach Zenner, making him a free agent. Even on a poor running team, Zenner only saw 14 carries for 26 yards last season. He seems unlikely to catch on with team in anything more than a deep backup role, and he is not fantasy […]

Dion Lewis to the Titans - Fantasy Spin

It is fair to say that the single most obvious offseason move was the Titans release of DeMarco Murray. As early as last summer, it was abundantly clear that the Titans were done with Murray after the 2017 season. Once Murray was released, nothing really changed for Derrick Henry because Henry's 2018 value was always […]

Mike Davis, Thomas Rawls Hit Open Market, J.D. McKissic Given Tender

The Seattle Seahawks did not tender running backs Mike Davis and Thomas Rawls, making them unrestricted free agents. However, they did give a qualifying offer to exclusive-rights free-agent running back J.D. McKissic. Rawls had plenty of potential in Seattle, but he was never the same after he suffered a broken ankle late in the 2015 […]

Patriots Retain Rex Burkhead

The New England Patriots agreed to an undisclosed multi-year extension with running back Rex Burkhead on Wednesday, according to a league source. Burkhead had more than 500 yards from scrimmage with eight touchdowns last year in his first season with New England. He should be lined up for even more work in the backfield in […]

Cardinals Release Adrian Peterson

The Arizona Cardinals have officially released running back Adrian Peterson after Peterson played down the stretch for the team in the 2017 season. With running back David Johnson (wrist) coming back from the injury he sustained in Week 1 of the 2017 season, Peterson's services have become rather expendable to the team. With this move, Johnson […]

Buccaneers Re-Sign Running Back Peyton Barber

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed running back Peyton Barber to a one-year deal worth $630,000, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Barber finished last season as the Buccaneers leading rusher with 423 yards and three touchdowns. He saw solid work near the end of the season once Doug Martin was out with injury issues. […]

Detroit Lions to Host Frank Gore

The Detroit Lions are hosting free-agent running back Frank Gore on Wednesday. Gore rushed 261 times for 961 yards and three touchdowns last season and has been a reliable running back for over a decade. Detroit's running game struggled mightily last season, and they have been active on the free-agent market. They have been connected to Gore […]