Soppe’s Fantasy Football Running Back Sleepers: Blake Corum, Tyrone Tracy Jr. Among Intriguing Options

The definition of “fantasy football sleepers” has evolved with time. Years ago, they were players who the general public had never heard of, let alone considered as a legitimate fantasy asset.

Running backs are some of the most important players in fantasy football. However, injuries and coaches “riding the hot hand” can lead to some pretty obscure names getting valuable playing time and racking up fantasy points. Here are some names to keep an eye on.

Fantasy Football Sleepers | Running Backs

Buffalo Bills: Ray Davis, RB

James Cook ranked 10th in touches at the RB position but 24th in red-zone touches, a ranking that is even more mind-blowing when you realize that the Bills ranked fifth in drives that landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

Davis isn’t generating a ton of “goal-line vulture” talk because Buffalo’s best asset in such situations sets up under center. But what if the drafting of Ray Davis was in response to new offensive coordinator admitting that the in-close usage for Josh Allen was a bit too much?

In 2023, Allen essentially doubled his career average for rushing touchdowns in a season. If he trends closer to his traditional mark, could Davis pick up the difference?

I’m not calling it likely, but at his current ADP, I’m willing to gamble.

Miami Dolphins: Jaylen Wright, RB

Jaylen Wright’s speed is enticing, but fantasy managers have been skeptical about investing redraft dollars in him with not one but two productive running backs easily ahead of him on Miami’s depth chart.

But is that right? Doesn’t that just double his chances of getting on the field via an injury for one of the most explosive offenses in the league?

Last season proves that the Dolphins’ offense can sustain two viable backs at a time. Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane were both top-10 RBs in 2023, combining for over 35 fantasy points per game, yet both carry at least some injury risk.

• Mostert: Age-32 season, 57.9% of his career carries have come in the past two seasons.
• Achane: Missed a game with a shoulder sprain and a month with a knee sprain.

I don’t want to say Wright could be a 2024 injury to Achane away from being 2023 Achane, but it’s not impossible and well worth his current asking price.

Kansas City Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB

We know who the Chiefs are, and that means finding a sleeper on this roster is largely an exercise in futility. Wanting a piece of Kansas City’s offense is logical, but it’s also what drives the ADPs up for the six primary players.

I think Rashee Rice is a Round 2 pick if not suspended, so that makes him a nice pick at cost right now, but that could change at a moment’s notice. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is in the final year of his rookie deal and could be fighting for his NFL life if given the opportunity.

For his career, CEH averages one touchdown for every 27.9 touches. That’s a good enough rate to give him the leg-up over Deneric Prince for the RB2 role behind Isiah Pacheco.

I don’t see a universe in which KC’s offense goes to a two-back system where multiple options hold standalone value. However, handcuffing a workhorse in one of the best offenses in the game isn’t a bad way to spend your final selection.

Los Angeles Chargers: Kimani Vidal, RB

I live life trying to eliminate uncertainty. I check the weather before I go for a run, consult the menu before I go out, and refuse to play games of chance. Some call me boring. Many, actually.

This is where I let my hair down. When I’m drafting in the late stages, I’m all in on chaos. Give me a backfield that lacks role clarity and comes preloaded with a run-centric playbook, and I’ll take a flier on just about anyone.

Kimani Vidal is in that spot this season. The Bolts are without Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler this season. Gus Edwards cashed in on a career season with the explosive Ravens, and J.K. Dobbins is trying to come back from yet another serious injury.

To say the Chargers’ offense is searching for answers would be an understatement, so why can’t Vidal be the answer?

He totaled over 3,000 total yards during his final two collegiate seasons and has the frame (5’8”, 215 pounds) of an instant-impact RB.

To keep with the analogy, Vidal busting would be like catching a single raindrop during a run or an Italian restaurant not offering veal parm. It’s a setback, but the day is not ruined.

At cost, there’s no real risk in scooping Vidal and playing the waiting game. You’re not planning on playing any of your reserves in the early going, and there is certainly the potential for Vidal to develop with time into a part of your weekly Flex conversation by November.

New York Giants: Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB

What if Devin Singletary is nothing more than ordinary? He’s spent all five of his seasons in offenses with a franchise QB under center (four with Allen and last year with Stroud) and considerable amounts of upside.

It’s safe to say that the Giants don’t check those boxes.

Despite the positive surrounding environment, Singletary averaged a career-low 0.19 PPR fantasy points per opportunity (targets + rush attempts), ranking him 31st of 35 qualifiers at the position.

The G-men spent a fifth-round pick on Tyrone Tracy Jr., a Boilermaker who showed some efficiency and versatility while in college. The rookie’s ADP is low because of the three-year contract that Singletary signed this offseason, and that, theoretically, gives him the leg-up role-wise early in the season.

That said, you’re not drafting Tracy for the beginning of the season before injuries and byes take a bite out of your lineup. You’re hoping for a role that carries volume down the stretch.

This is a low-risk, high-reward investment, which is exactly how I like to spend my picks in the double-digit rounds.

Green Bay Packers: MarShawn Lloyd, RB

Thanks to the massive 2022 season (2,053 yards and 12 touchdowns), the perception of Josh Jacobs is a little more favorable than his résumé suggests is wise. That was the only season of his career in which he’s played every game and saw him rack up 4.9 yards per carry. He’s been held under 4.1 in his three most recent seasons outside of that outlier year.

The Packers made the move to feature Jacobs after moving on from Aaron Jones and are pretty clearly trying to push the envelope to win now. On the surface, a four-year deal would suggest that Green Bay is significantly tied to its new RB1.

However, with a potential out after this season, the Packers are likely to be honest in their evaluation of their backfield. That gives MarShawn Lloyd more role upside than is being baked into his current ADP.

Jordan Love had essentially the same passer rating as Stroud in play-action situations, averaging more yards per pass on those plays than Patrick Mahomes.

Green Bay is going to continue trying to establish the run to open up opportunities for Love to thrive, and if Lloyd impresses early, he could carve out a niche in this upward-trending offense in rather short order.

Chicago Bears: Khalil Herbert, RB

It wasn’t long ago that fragility concerns were at the forefront of D’Andre Swift’s analysis, and now, after bell-cow season, has that storyline disappeared?

You could argue that a player seeing a spike in usage like he did last year (268 touches in 2023 after totaling 147 in 2022) is at risk of seeing his body break down a bit in the follow-up campaign.

RB Leaders in YPC Since 2021 (min. 350 carries)

1. Nick Chubb
2. Christian McCaffrey
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Raheem Mostert
5. Aaron Jones
6. Khalil Herbert

We all like the Bears to be on the shortlist for the most improved offense in the NFL this season, and that puts them in position to drag along a running back for the ride.

Khalil Herbert lacks versatility, which is not ideal. Yet, with four players ahead of the RB position in Chicago’s target hierarchy, I’m not sure how much fantasy meat is being left on the bone via a limited skill set.

Minnesota Vikings: Ty Chandler, RB

We only have 129 NFL touches to judge Ty Chandler. And with only one collegiate season of 150+ touches, his evaluation requires some guesswork.

What we can say with confidence is that Chandler runs hard, or, at the very least, he’s good at falling forward.

Touchdown Ty Chandler!

📺: MINvsCIN @NFLNetwork 
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/vtmfEKvOLy pic.twitter.com/O8u6w4GMCV

— NFL (@NFL) December 16, 2023

That may not seem like the sexiest of skills, but if Chandler can carve out a 10-15 touch role, he’s going to be on Flex radars. A season ago, 49 running backs had at least 100 carries, and Chandler ranked seventh among them in the percentage of carries that gained yardage.

For reference, here’s what the back end of that metric’s top 10 looked like:

7. Ty Chandler: 86.3%
8. Christian McCaffrey: 84.9%
9. De’Von Achane: 84.5%
10. Derrick Henry: 84.3%

I’m going to guess you didn’t think you’d see those four names on the same statistical list. Chandler isn’t on par with those fantasy superstars, but the fact that he’s been viable when given the opportunity is encouraging if you’re buying my argument that he could find himself on the plus side of a committee with time.

Even if you’re not with me, the contingent value is worth a dart throw at his current price. Jones has missed multiple games in three of the past four seasons, including six DNPs in 2023.

Atlanta Falcons: Tyler Allgeier, RB

From a profile standpoint, the idea of Tyler Allgeier is simple: I’ll never have to make a decision about playing him. If Bijan Robinson is healthy, I have better options. If Robinson were to get hurt, I’m penciling in Allgeier for 70% of his production and starting him.

Context: Robinson is my RB2 this season, and 70% of RB2 last season would have been 14.9 fantasy ppg, good for RB15 honors.

Situation aside, Allgeier might just be a decent player. Last season, he ranked 22nd among running backs in production compared to expectation, one slot behind what Robinson produced in the exact same environment.

I don’t doubt that Allgeier is an NFL-caliber running back, and I’d be comfortable playing him as a high-floor option if the situation presented itself.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucky Irving, RB

Bucky Irving cleared 1,000 rushing yards and 30 catches in each of his two seasons at Oregon, a versatile skill set that makes him an interesting fantasy option if given the chance.

Rachaad White produced for us last season, but is it that crazy to think that the Bucs could give their fourth-round pick some work? Of the 35 running backs with 150+ carries in 2023, White ranked 34th in percentage of attempts that picked up 5+ yards (28.3%, league RB average: 33.7%).

Rookie running backs burst on the scene when they’re given the opportunity to be on the field, either because of their raw talent or the incumbent struggles. In Tampa Bay, both of those boxes could be checked. It’ll cost you nothing to find out (over 30 kickers and D/ST currently hold a higher ADP than Irving).

San Francisco 49ers: Isaac Guerendo, RB

Nobody is Christian McCaffrey, but Isaac Guerendo has a similar physical makeup and a level of versatility that would instantly become interesting should CMC go down (over 1,800 regular-season touches).

Guerendo was a wide receiver in high school and averaged 10.6 yards per reception last season at Louisville in addition to scoring 11 times on the ground. He has more draft capital investment than Elijah Mitchell, and the 49ers went out of their way to add depth at the position.

San Francisco closes the regular season with the Dolphins, Lions, and Cardinals. If McCaffrey is banged up and the team rests him down the stretch to prepare for the playoffs, we could be looking at a Flex option when it matters most in advantageous matchups.

Los Angeles Rams: Blake Corum, RB

Kyren Williams missed five games last season, and yet, he was handed the ball 20+ times in a league-high seven games. Yes, he’s a great player, but the Rams made it clear with the drafting of Blake Corum that burning out Williams again isn’t in their plans.

That’s not to say that Corum will hold standalone value in an offense that has three fantasy staples. Yet, I do believe he’ll get consistent usage with strong contingent upside.

If Corum can carve out a 6-10 touch role, there’s “break in case of emergency” Flex value should your roster fall a certain way. But you’re drafting him as one of the better handcuffs in the sport, targeting the lack of depth behind him (Boston Scott and Ronnie Rivers) as a driving factor.

Seattle Seahawks: Zach Charbonnet, RB

Among the 35 running backs with 150+ carries last season, Kenneth Walker III’s rate of gaining yardage was seventh lowest (78.5%, below the rates of a declining Elliott and Alexander Mattison).

Seattle’s starter is a home-run hitter, but the lack of consistency is a problem and could result in the team shifting some usage the way of Zach Charbonnet.

As a rookie, Charbonnet caught 82.5% of his targets, a level of versatility that gives him a path to Flex value. I don’t think it’s likely that he unseats Walker, but the 80+ pick discount is interesting, at the very least, for fantasy managers looking to throw darts at the position.