RADIO
“Don’t pick me up in fantasy no more; I really don’t care." Those were the exact words spoken by Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders in a late-June interview with John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The declaration, unsurprisingly, sent the fantasy football community into a frenzy. Many people took his comment as fantasy advice, others looked into how the offense might operate in 2022, and some simply filed it away for draft day.
So why did Miles Sanders say not to draft him in fantasy football? Who are his running mates in the Philadelphia backfield? Are any of them worth drafting? Let's dive into it.
Why Did Miles Sanders Say Not to Draft Him for Fantasy Football?
Although Sanders' comments turned heads in the fantasy community, it wasn't malicious. Instead, he offered a resolution for fantasy managers upset with his inconsistent role in the offense. He said, "You're going to keep getting two to three points if that's just how our offense is."
It certainly was an inconsistent year for Sanders in the Philadelphia backfield. The Penn State product had the worst season of his career, tallying just 754 rushing yards and 158 receiving yards through 12 contests. He never found the end zone.
Sanders logged three games with double-digit fantasy points last season, and one of them barely qualified as such: a 10.1-point finish in Week 5. Only twice did he appear on the field for more than two-thirds of the Eagles' offensive snaps. When all was said and done, he finished the year as the RB44.
Sanders didn't play in an offense with too many mouths to feed, and he certainly didn't find himself in a highly-competitive backfield. So why did his production falter last season, and will he get back on track this year? Let's take a look at the weapons that surrounded Sanders in 2021, then compare that to the roster that the Eagles will roll out in 2022.
Who Are Miles Sanders' Running Mates in 2022?
Quarterback Jalen Hurts actually led the rushing attack for the Eagles in 2021, picking up 784 yards on the ground. He finished with just 30 more yards than Sanders but 378 yards higher than the third-busiest running back, Jordan Howard, who scored three touchdowns but didn't factor into the passing game.
While Howard played in less than half of the Eagles' games, players like Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott were on the roster for the whole season. In his rookie year, Gainwell amassed 291 rushing yards, 253 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns.
Evidently, he was more involved in the passing game than Sanders, and he also received greater opportunities near the end zone. Scott also played a role, rushing for 373 yards while leading the running back room with seven touchdowns.
Howard is gone, but Hurts, Gainwell, and Scott remain active members of the Eagles' offense in 2022. All three (plus Sanders) have a shot at carving out a large rushing workload this coming season, but Gainwell's stock is the most likely to trend up considering his young age (23) and impressive skills both on the ground and in the passing attack. Gainwell's versatility will earn him more playing time over Sanders and Scott, especially on downs where fantasy points are up for grabs.
Not only is Sanders' value impacted by the running back room, but the Eagles' wide receiver corps could dictate how Sanders fares in 2022. Last season, Hurts threw for 3,144 yards and just 16 touchdowns. He used his arm to get down the field, but once the Eagles were positioned in the red zone, he preferred to run the ball himself or hand it off instead of pass.
The Eagles' poor group of wide receivers likely factored into this run-over-pass approach. Philadelphia did have Dallas Goedert as its big-bodied tight end, but the rest of the group left a lot to be desired.
Rookie DeVonta Smith garnered just eight red-zone targets, which ranked 59th among NFL receivers. As a whole, the Eagles ranked 23rd in red-zone targets (58) and 20th in red-zone (38) receptions.
This proves that Philadelphia threw the ball in the red zone well below the league median (73.5 targets), instead trusting the rushing attack to find paydirt. The result? Still zero touchdowns for Sanders and just 15 for the backfield as a whole.
Red zone stats via Sports Reference
Heading into 2022, the Eagles' red zone splits won't be as favorable for the running backs. Hurts is expected to throw the ball more, and the team added big-bodied A.J. Brown to the receiving corps. The former Tennessee Titans wide receiver garnered 11 red-zone targets and three red-zone touchdowns last year.
Hurts will be given much more opportunity to throw the ball near the end zone this coming year, which doesn't bode well for any of the running backs, especially Sanders and Scott.
Facing increased competition and unfavorable red-zone usage, Sanders' fantasy stock doesn't project to look any better in 2022 than it did last year.
Which Eagles Running Backs Should I Draft for Fantasy Football?
Sanders is currently being drafted at an ADP of 87, making him the 31st running back off the board. In theory, that means he should have a mid-to-low RB3/FLEX value every week. While he didn't even achieve that level of production in 2021, he did finish as the RB24 in 2020 and the RB14 in 2019, so he does have a history of offering solid value in lineups.
He is also entering a contract year and is fully healthy after missing nine games over the last two seasons. Both of these factors bode well for Sanders' pursuit of positive regression towards fantasy relevance in 2022, whether he wants that or not. He is worth drafting at his current price tag, but fantasy managers must acknowledge that he can't guarantee legitimate fantasy points weekly.
Gainwell enters the fantasy draft season with an ADP of 128, which equates to RB46. He is certainly trending up and offers promise in the passing game, but it's still tricky to trust him as the fourth-best running back on your roster. His current ADP has him drafted ahead of intriguing names like Tyler Allgeier, James Robinson, and Ronald Jones.
He's also being drafted a whole 25 spots earlier than his fellow NFC East receiving back, J.D. McKissic. If you established a solid running back core in the early rounds of your draft, you can try to swing for a home run with Gainwell at his current price. Otherwise, though, he's a bit too expensive at the moment.
The final piece of the puzzle is Scott, who has an ADP of 271 (RB76). Assuming you still have open roster spots at that point in the draft, he's a fine option, especially if you picked Sanders earlier. He offers no allure in the passing game but certainly showed a knack for physical running and finding the end zone last season.
Scott is a fine bench stash in deep leagues and is being drafted around players with similar stocks, such as Chuba Hubbard, Rex Burkhead, Mike Davis, Jeff Wilson, and Samaje Perine.
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