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Justin Carter takes a look at some undrafted free agent (UDFA) running backs that dynasty owners should keep an eye on as deep stashes. These players could emerge as fantasy football sleepers for their respective teams in 2021.
One of the biggest names in the fantasy game last year was Jaguars running back James Robinson, who went from UDFA to fantasy stud out of nowhere. Or at least it was out of nowhere if you didn't read last year's version of my UDFA to watch piece, where I mentioned Robinson. (Note: I also mentioned someone named Scottie Phillips, so take it for a grain of salt.)
Anyways, undrafted guys will emerge at running back sometimes. And this year, there are some interesting names who didn't wind up on a team.
Today, let's look at a few running backs who have a chance to be useful fantasy players, either now or in the future.
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Jaret Patterson, Washington Football Team
If you watch football, you've heard of Jaret Patterson:
In just six games during the season, Patterson had 19 rushing touchdowns for Buffalo as he just tore the hell out of MAC opponents. The Bulls liked to run the football, finishing third in the country in rushing yards per game, and Patterson spearheaded that attack. Of the team's 287.1 rushing yards per game, Patterson accounted for 178.7 of them. He averaged 7.6 yards per run. He had 53 touchdowns in three years at the school.
The problem? Of all those scores, 52 of those were rushing touchdowns. Patterson had zero receptions last season and just 13 in his best receiving season. He was used in a very one-dimensional way in college, leaving lots of questions about how he'll adapt to the NFL game.
Add in that Patterson's smaller than your lead back typically is, and you can see why he went undrafted.
Still, productivity has to count for something, and Patterson has that in spades. He's just pure energy, someone who doesn't give up and finds a way to produce. Even without any pass-catching experience, Patterson is the UDFA I'd most be betting on to have a solid NFL career. And Washington is a place where the path to backup snaps is wide open. Antonio Gibson has that starting role locked down, but behind him are J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber. If Patterson can have a good camp and quickly learn to exist in the passing game, there's some value here as soon as this season.
Javian Hawkins, Atlanta Falcons
Hawkins is another player who should have been drafted in the later rounds of the draft over the other guys who were drafted.
Hawkins joins a Falcons team with an interesting depth chart. Mike Davis appears to be the lead back after the team didn't address running back in the draft. Davis had a solid 2020 season in Carolina after an injury to Christian McCaffrey forced Davis into the starting role.
Still, Davis is a 28-year-old journeyman who had just 13 carries in 2019 before his 165 carries last season. It's hard to really know what the back is at this point, especially when you look at some of his efficiency stats from last season.
Per PlayerProfiler, Davis was 55th in true yards per carry and 48th in yards per touch. His -26.8 expected points added ranked 188th. ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-EIGHTH.
Suffice it to say, I don't trust Mike Davis.
But his competition in Atlanta right now is Qadree Ollison, who I also don't trust.
All this means that there's room for Hawkins to be the James Robinson of 2021. The Louisville product averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season and started to show some ability in the receiving game, catching 16 passes in seven games after entering 2020 with five career receptions.
He's not a power runner, but he's a quick player who can come in to change the pace in Atlanta, and if he can get a little stronger, he could see some early-down work as well. He probably won't put up Robinson-esque numbers, but he could carve out a key role for fantasy managers in PPR leagues if he continues to improve as a receiver, as there will be a lot of room for him to work underneath in this offense.
Rakeem Boyd, Detroit Lions
Unlike the previous two players, I understand why Rakeem Boyd wasn't drafted. But I also think he landed in a good spot for a UDFA because the Lions at running back are pretty weak behind D'Andre Swift.
And sure, Swift rules and should be the lead back here for the foreseeable future, but you have to like a guy who could challenge for the No. 2 back role. Per Spotrac, Jamaal Williams -- who the team signed in the offseason -- could be cut after 2021 with a minimal dead cap hit. And after waiving Kerryon Johnson, the running back room behind Williams is really just two rookies: the undrafted Boyd and seventh-round pick Jermar Jefferson. Do I like Jefferson more than Boyd? Sure, but when the competition is between multiple guys who weren't well-regarded by teams this offseason, we have to assume there's always a chance to see a lot of movement on the depth chart.
Anyway, Boyd. The former Razorback played just six games last year and really struggled. His 3.8 yards per carry were a huge drop from the 6.2 he averaged in 2019, and his yards per reception dropped from 8.4 to 3.1.
If Boyd can recapture some of the quickness he showed in the past, he can be someone who can spell a starter and give you some solid rotational snaps. I'm not sure I believe that's the outcome we end up with when it comes to Boyd, but I don't want to let his 2020 struggles overshadow the fact that he's been a productive SEC running back in the past.
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