Finding daylight

By: Josh Frey-Sam

To anyone kind enough to subscribe to this newsletter, I’ve made it my mission to keep you ready for the fantasy season year-round.

You won’t see briefs every day, especially in the early portions of the off-season like we are in right now, but you can bet you’ll be better prepared for those drafts come August.

Today we’re connecting two of my favourite things: the NFL Draft and fantasy football.

I’ve graded the best landing spots for running backs entering the league and highlighted a few noteworthy teams.

This is something you can come back to during or after the draft to help you decide which rookie RBs could be worth selecting in fantasy.

Note: I’m trying to balance dynasty and re-draft leagues with these grades. I will specify if I like the landing spot for dynasty drafts in parentheses.

A+ (Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers)

The top RB on the Raiders depth chart is 33-year-old Raheem Mostert, and head coach Pete Carroll has always placed an emphasis on running the ball. Vegas is a dream landing spot for an RB.

Meanwhile, I believe the Steelers, who like Jaylen Warren, could be swayed if someone emerges as a better option.

A (New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers)

I’m not getting the sense that the Patriots are committed to Rhamondre Stevenson.

And Najee Harris might be a one-off in LA.

The Bears, Browns and Broncos all need legitimate starters.

A- (Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders (dynasty), San Francisco 49ers)

KC needs some juice in that backfield, and Andy Reid has never been afraid to shake it up. Also, GM Brett Veach has hinted that the team could be looking to add a back.

Would anyone be shocked to see Christian McCaffrey on the trade block if the 49ers have a rough first half?

B+ (Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings)

There’s a legitimate path to the starting job for the Cowboys.

The Vikings have 30-year-old Aaron Jones heading their depth chart, and while he’s the undisputed No. 1, he’s shown to be injury-prone. The backup job will be tough to grab, but it is attainable.

There’s an even easier path to the Colts backup job. Head coach Shane Steichen has already expressed the team’s desire to add a RB in the draft.

B (Baltimore Ravens (dynasty), Houston Texans (dynasty), New Orleans Saints (dynasty), New York Giants)

Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon and Alvin Kamara won’t last forever. When they depart, those will be three huge jobs up for grabs. If an RB goes to any of those places, it’s a player worth having in fantasy.

Worth noting that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, in particular, has expressed the team’s desire to add an RB in this draft.

The Giants are hosting RBs for pre-draft meetings, which is weird considering they have Tyrone Tracy, and it signals to me that their starting RB position could be available for this year and the future.

B- (Miami Dolphins (dynasty), Jacksonville Jaguars (dynasty))

The Fins just drafted Jaylen Wright, and they still have De’Von Achane. However, I do wonder about Achane’s longevity and still don’t know about Wright.

A lot of question marks in Jacksonville after last year. It’d be tough to overcome Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby this season, but it could be a whole different story this time next year.

C (Tennessee Titans (dynasty), Seattle Seahawks)

C- (Detroit Lions (dynasty), Green Bay Packers (dynasty), Los Angeles Rams (dynasty), Arizona Cardinals)

D (Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills (dynasty), Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

All of these backfields have a solid starting RB in place, and at least one strong backup. Some of these teams probably won’t sniff an RB in this draft.

F (Philadelphia Eagles)

Saquon Barkley… and AJ Dillion and Will Shipley.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh