NFL Rookie Running Backs In The Best Fantasy Football Situations - James Cook, Kenneth Walker, Breece Hall, and More

July 17, 2022

NFL rookie running backs for fantasy football. Josh Constantinou breaks down the NFL rookie RBs to make fantasy football impacts in 2022.

With just a couple of weeks left before the season officially kicks off, the depth chart for each team has become much clearer. This is particularly important when assessing the opportunity each incoming rookie will have on their new team, especially at the running back position.

Each year, rookie running backs have a fantasy impact with multiple occurrences of players finishing inside the top-12 at the position, including Najee Harris last season. This is why identifying which of these rookie running backs are currently in the best situation for fantasy is so useful.

Below you'll find a breakdown of six players that landed in great situations, meaning they already have an established role on their new team, and four players in good situations that have a path to securing a role. You'll also find a summary at the end identifying the current role, fantasy value, and overall ceiling for each player discussed.

Great Fantasy Situations - NFL Rookies With A Locked-in Role

Let's start with the players that already have their role locked in for Week 1, making them an obvious target for fantasy.

#1 - Breece Hall (New York Jets)

Hall was the first rookie running back taken off the board, drafted 36th overall by the Jets. Everyone expected the Jets to draft a running back with their second-round pick although there was some debate whether it would be Hall or another to be discussed. In the end, they selected Hall, who projects to immediately take over atop the depth chart. Although, there have been reported about Michael Carter starting as the lead back, it won't take long for Hall to earn more touches, especially on the ground.

Jets Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Breece Hall
2. Michael Carter
3. Tevin Coleman
4. Ty Johnson

Hall joins first-round pick Garrett Wilson and last year's No.2 overall pick Zach Wilson to form a young nucleus the Jets hope will remain intact for years to come. He's already made some big plays including his one in the Jets practice.

While there is certainly cause for concern about Wilson's ability to elevate this offense, the workload and opportunity Hall will receive offer a nice floor with tremendous upside, including finishing as a top-12 running back.

#2 - James Cook (Buffalo Bills)

Once Hall and Kenneth Walker III were taken, many wondered if there would be another running back selected in Round 2, and evidently, there was. Cook was drafted 63rd overall by the Bills, one of the prime landing spots for a running back given their discontent with their current options, in one of the league's most potent offenses.

As the younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, he was certainly well-known by the NFL scouts, although he warrants this pick given his exceptional receiving talent. Cook finished with 27 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns through the air in his final season at Georgia. This skill set is what will earn him a role in Week 1 while he battles to climb the depth chart.

Bills Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Devin Singletary
2. James Cook
3. Zack Moss
4. Duke Johnson

Having seemingly conquered Moss, a former second-round pick who the Bills have essentially quit on, he now slots in behind only Singletary. Despite an impressive training camp and preseason from Moss, Cook will secure the passing role and Singletary will take most of the rushing work. Moss could factor in at the goal-line, which is more of a concern for Singletary than Cook.

Cook is explosive and possesses great vision, which could enable him to take on more work in the rushing game as the season progresses.

Singletary went out with a bang last season, ending the season on a run as the RB2 behind only Rashaad Penny during the last five weeks. This should solidify him as the Week 1 starter but there will still be plenty of opportunity for Cook to carve out a role in both the rushing and receiving game. This provides him with a solid floor for fantasy and lots of upside in this high-octane offense.

#3 - Dameon Pierce (Houston Texans)

The Texans had one of the oldest backfields in the league last year so most experts and analysts assumed they would make a splash in free agency or the draft. After only signing Marlon Mack and Dare Ogunbowale, there was a lot of excitement for the draft identifying the Texans as a nice spot for a high capital back to land. While the player they acquired was a later pick, Pierce joins this murky situation after being drafted 107th overall.

This was the Texans depth chart post-daft.

Texans Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Marlon Mack
2. Rex Burkhead
3. Dameon Pierce
4. Dare Ogunbowale
5. Royce Freeman

This is their current depth chart.

Texans Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Dameon Pierce
2. Marlon Mack
3. Rex Burkhead
4. Dare Ogunbowale
5. Royce Freeman

Pierce has put together an incredible training camp and preseason, rising on the draft boards of many. He's a strong runner who attacks defenders.

Mack seems likely to be a factor, at least to begin the season, but Pierce has earned the starting role and should become increasingly involved down the stretch, especially considering Mack is returning from an Achilles injury that could impact his efficiency and performance. Burkhead will also participate in passing downs but again lacks the talent Pierce possesses.

Despite a Vegas win total of 4.5, the Texans will compete in games and their offense did sustain fantasy production last year, making Pierce an exciting name with top-24 upside if he receives a full workload.

#4 - Brian Robinson. (Washington Commanders)

The Commanders made it clear that they no longer felt comfortable with Antonio Gibson as their workhorse back, expressing interest in several free agents and draft options during the offseason. This is a sad reality for Gibson truthers everywhere (myself included) but does simultaneously provide some intrigue for incoming rookie Brian Robinson who was drafted 98th overall.

Gibson has further exasperated these concerns by fumbling in practice and again fumbling in his first preseason game. This led to Gibson participating on special teams, a role he has been reported to continue in the regular season.

Commanders Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Antonio Gibson
2. J.D. McKissic
3. Brian Robinson
4. Jaret Patterson

Robinson is a sure-handed physical, downhill runner, who finishes his five-year collegiate career with zero fumbles.

Unfortunately, due to the awful incident that Robinson was involved in, he will miss at least the first four weeks of the season, with an expectation to be out even longer. This makes it difficult to assess his impact for fantasy football in 2022.

#5 - Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks)

As referenced above, Walker III was the other player analysts and experts thought the Jets could consider in Round 2. Evidently, they went with Hall, allowing the Seahawks to grab Walker III just five picks later at 41st overall. With rumors swirling about Chris Carson's health and possible retirement due to the neck injury he sustained late last year, it is no surprise the Seahawks prioritized the running back position. This leaves Walker III behind only Rashaad Penny.

Seahawks Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Rashaad Penny
2. Kenneth Walker III
3. DeeJay Dallas
4. Travis Homer

Carson confirmed his retirement earlier this offseason, opening the door for Walker III. The stars were aligning for him when Penny went down with a hamstring injury, further amplifying his chance to secure the lead back role. Unfortunately, Walker III underwent a procedure for a hernia and it is currently unclear when he'll return.

Additionally, there are concerns about how effective this offense will be after the departure of Russell Wilson, particularly because they currently have Geno Smith slated to be their starting quarterback. This could limit the overall fantasy output of this offense, reducing goal-line opportunities and forcing them to pass more frequently due to negative game scripts.

This does not bode well for Walker III, who is unlikely to be their primary pass-catching back. Once back at full health, he will have the shot to challenge Penny for the starting role but even then, it's no guarantee he supplants him.

#6 - Rachaad White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

As a perennial contender since acquiring Tom Brady, the Buccaneers' offense is an attractive destination for every fantasy position. After riding the one-two punch of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones last season, they let Jones leave in free agency, opening up a void in the backfield.

This made them an exciting land spot for an incoming rookie, which ended up being White, who they drafted with the 91st overall pick. While the draft capital is lower than some of the other options discussed, it's high enough to warrant the second spot in the depth chart.

Buccaneers Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Leonard Fournette
2. Rachaad White
3. Ke'Shawn Vaughn
4. Giovani Bernard

Fournette projects to be a workhorse who is very involved in the passing game and is cemented as the current starter. Beyond him though, the depth chart is wide open in an offense that threw the ball a league-leading 736 times last season. While it's unlikely they hit that mark again this season, that could open more carries for the backfield, creating more opportunities for White.

Additionally, there are 111 vacated targets from the departure of Antonio Brown, O.J. Howard, and Rob Gronkowski, not to mention Chris Godwin who seems unlikely to begin the season healthy. This could also lead to an increase in volume for White, who has pass-catching in his profile.

Overall, White slots in as the No. 2 option in a powerful offense who could see a lot of touches (carries + receptions) this season, with extra upside if Fournette were to miss time from injury. He'll offer some standalone value as a top-36 running back, whose role could grow as the season progresses, leading to top-24 production.

Good Fantasy Situations - NFL Rookies With A Path

Next up is the rookies who find themselves in an offense with uncertainty in the team's depth chart and could take advantage.

#1 - Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons)

The Falcons leaned heavily on 31-year-old Cordarrelle Patterson last season, who was excellent for fantasy until his efficiency and production tailed off towards the end of the year. Understanding that this was no longer a viable option, they signed free agent Damien Williams but no one else.

This created a lot of optimism for whoever landed there in the draft, which ended up being Allgeier at 151st overall. This was followed up by a decision to cut Mike Davis shortly after. Much like the other names included in this section, the draft capital was lower but the opportunity is evident.

Falcons Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Cordarelle Patterson
2. Damien Williams
3. Tyler Allgeier
4. Qadree Ollison

This is another offense that will struggle this year, which could limit their scoring opportunities. Additionally, Marcus Mariota is a mobile quarterback who could vulture touchdowns at the goal line. Thus, it would need to be mostly volume that propels Allgeier to fantasy relevance.

Allgeier has shown some flashes in training camp and produced some impressive plays during the preseason.

He'll need to first overtake Williams to earn the early down role, but if he can accomplish this and Patterson wears down or gets injured, he'll become an intriguing top-24 back for fantasy. For now, he's more of a back to be aware of, and consider taking a shot on late in your draft.

#2 - Hassan Haskins (Tennessee Titans)

The Titans have long relied on their rushing attack to support their elite play-action game, led of course by Derrick Henry. For the first time in his career, Henry missed significant time last season after suffering a Jones fracture in his right foot. This forced the Titans to pivot and rely on multiple backs down the stretch, including D'Onta Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard.

While Henry returned for the playoffs and figures to be 100 percent healthy for Week 1, there is a risk of re-injury. Combine this with the possibility the Titans lighten his load by 3-5 carries each game, and the depth chart becomes crucial for fantasy.

Titans Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Derrick Henry
2. Dontrell Hilliard
3. Hassan Haskins
4. Trenton Cannon

The two things that stand out about Haskins, who was drafted 131st overall, are his receiving ability and similar style of play to Henry. His receiving ability makes him intriguing as their third-down back, a role that Henry has never been asked to fulfill, and his running style positions him to be the ideal replacement for Henry if he misses time from injury.

Haskins was unable to snatch the insurance back role from Hilliard but may still do so early in the season. Until that point, he profiles as a player to monitor but not necessarily draft.

#3 - Isaiah Spiller (Los Angeles Chargers)

The Chargers have made a concerted effort to find a secondary option in the backfield to replace Melvin Gordon since he departed in free agency to the Broncos in 2020. They have unsuccessfully cycled through players like Justin Jackson, Joshua Kelley, and Larry Rountree III.

This created a lot of hype entering free agency and the draft, the latter being where they made their move. They elected to grab Spiller 123rd overall, which is admittedly lower draft capital than one would prefer but the opportunity cannot be disputed.

Chargers Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Austin Ekeler
2. Joshua Kelley
3. Isaiah Spiller
4. Larry Rountree III

Originally touted as one of the top-three rookie running backs in the class until his NFL combine performance, Spiller has a strong production profile and projects as a nice complement for Ekeler, who is not built to be a prototypical workhorse back. Ekeler does excel in the receiving game so it's more likely Spiller does him damage on the ground, which could be a big role in one of the league's fastest and most exciting offenses.

What would really propel him into fantasy relevance would be if he's able to steal some of the goal-line work from Ekeler. Unfortunately, he has been unable to impress the coaching staff during training camp and recently suffered an ankle injury that could cause him to miss time in the regular season.

Therefore, Spiller is more of a stash with in-season upside at this point.

#4 - Tyrion Davis-Price (San Francisco 49ers)

The constant carousel the 49ers have had at running back has become almost unimaginable over the past two seasons. Injuries have decimated the consistency and reliability of any single player in the backfield. Combine this with a revolving door of personnel including an annual draft pick or two and solving this mystery has been a true challenge.

After Raheem Mostert's injury and Trey Sermon's inability to produce, Elijah Mitchell snatched the lead back role away. Unlike in years past, he maintained this role for the entire season when he was on the field and healthy. Although he projects as the lead back, the depth behind him is very questionable.

49ers Running Back Depth Chart 2022

1. Elijah Mitchell
2. Jeff Wilson Jr.
3. Trey Sermon
4. Tyrion Davis-Price
5. JaMycal Hasty

Davis-Price profiles as a bigger bruising back separating himself from the mold of the other options on the team, particularly Mitchell. It's very possible he earns a substantial amount of carries, especially given the hot-hand approach coach Kyle Shannahan likes to use. Furthermore, he becomes an extremely valuable insurance back if Mitchell misses time from injury, which was a common occurrence last season when Mitchell played only 11 games.

Unfortunately, he did not seize his opportunity thus far and remains firmly behind Wilson Jr. He is also currently behind Sermon and at times has been bested by Hasty during their preseason action together. He'll either need an injury, which for this franchise is absurdly common, or to impress the coaching staff to become relevant for fantasy this season.

NFL Rookie Running Back Fantasy Projections - Summary

There were six players in great situations and four players in good situations. Below you'll find a summary of their current role, fantasy value, and overall ceiling.

The season will be underway before we know it but first, you need to crush your draft. Consider the information above on each of these players so you know when or if to target each of them for 2022.

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!

More Fantasy Football Analysis