Early RB Rankings: 11-24 + Buy/Sell, Elastic Life - Fantasy Football Podcast

They went with Jalen Rashard. They went with DeAndre Washington. Guys who have been in the league, then they know that they could trust them in the past block situation. I think, honestly, that is it. I expect that the target share is going to go way up for Josh Jacobs. There was still a lot of targets to the running back position from Derek Carr last year between Jacobs, Richard and Washington. It was 21%.

of the Raiders targets. So it's not that they aren't throwing to the position. They just weren't going to Jacobs. And I think that number goes way up. He's easily a thousand-yard rusher, assuming he stays healthy. And if you get him up into the, I don't know, just the 12%? If you get him up into the 12% target share, he's going to be dominant. He could end up easily as a top five running back.

Yeah, that's really all it comes down to for Josh Jacobs. We've talked a lot on the show over the last couple weeks about Derek Henry and Nick Chubb and their 1,400-yard rushing seasons and can it happen again? Josh Jacobs was on pace for 1,415 rushing yards. He's excellent. And Mike, you're right. His skill set is there. But at the same time, it was there last year.

and they just didn't utilize him in the passing him. His 16-game pace was just trust, man. Just trust. But that trust still has to be earned for this season. He can still fail in that role this season. I remember last year we were on the Lefco show and he brought up the, you know, this is that off-season hype train situation where it's like somebody says something. It's like, ooh, is that a story or is it a story? And it was about Aaron Jones. We said the same thing about his involvement in the passing game.

Jacob still has to do it because, you know, this is a situation where if he doesn't, Jalen Richard got re-signed to a two-year deal and they'll just throw him in there. And that's what I was going to bring up is basically the quote says we're going to get it more involved. The money and the transaction says they value Jalen Richard to your $7 million deal.

to be a part of this team. So I think Jalen Richard's role isn't going to just evaporate. And if he keeps that role, then that's why I've got Josh Jacobs at 11. Otherwise, he should be a top six running back. Yeah, he's got more upside than most. And anytime you're in a situation where you can go from, you know, 20 receptions to 30, 40, the area of his strength in college, there's a lot of optimism. And obviously we have him rated inside the top 12. So number 12 is Leonard Fernette.

I've got him at 14. Jason has him at 12. Mike at 11. Yeah, I don't like it. Yeah. Now that you see it. It feels bad. I don't think it's going to happen. I don't think he can get up there again. See, that's, it feels bad because I do. I think he's just going to end up as a top 12 guy. Six receptions. From 22 the year before. Six receptions.

Yes, and I get that that will, I don't think that's happening again, 76 receptions, but what also will not happen again is a guy getting 265 carries over 11150 rushing yards and getting three rushing touchdowns. So, I mean, you just, you just balance that scale a little bit. You raise the touchdowns up to seven or eight. You bring the receptions down by.

30, maybe 40, and I think you still end up with the top 12 guy. Aren't you worried about the potential of this offense, though? I feel like the pendulum can be swung pretty far in both directions with Gardner. You don't have foals there anymore. If this offense struggles, I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that Fournet ends up with more than five touchdowns personally. Maybe. I mean, just historically speaking, if you have that many yards, you're not going to end up.

with three rushing touchdowns. I mean, he had a ton of opportunity. He had the third most touches for a running back. Like it's just, it's insane that he ended up with three rushing touchdowns. And I personally, I believe that they're going to draft somebody. They're going to draft a running back. This is going to be the team that that submarines top tier value in my opinion. That is 100% the question.

I don't think they're going to draft a replacement or someone to come in and have an RBBC, maybe to be more of what the T.J. Yeldon role was and a better pass catcher. Because even though, I mean, they utilize him in the passing game a lot, a hundred targets. But, you know, you could see it. You could see the difference between him catching a ball and, you know, a Christian McCaffrey or, you know, an awesome Echler, where when they grab the ball, it's thoughtless, it's in stride, you know, they pick up the extra yards.

But he is built for that role. He is currently still on that rookie deal. I think they're going to run him into the ground. He'll be a workhorse this year. And the reality is, if he doesn't get injured, he's going to be near the top 12 just from volume alone. Yeah, I was going to say that they're going to DeMarco Murray him. Like, they're just, they're going to use him up. They're going to put another 300 touches on his body and not re-sign him. I struggle with that concession because of the fact that.

They're not going to re-sign him, and they didn't win with this game plan. This game plan did not lead to a successful season. Giving Leonard Fernette this amount of work, not having options behind him, I would be, I'm expecting them to draft a running back in those first three rounds. Wow. Okay. So you feel like a day two running back? I think that they're one of those teams that might consider that, yeah. But they haven't yet. So as it stands right now,

You have a track record of 1,100 yards and 76 receptions to go on. This was a guy that was the running back eight back in 2017, dropped all the way to running back 40 in 2018 and only eight games, and then right back at RB9 last year. So right on that edge of RB1 territory, you guys both have them inside of it. I have them just outside of it. I think at this point you're just waiting to see if the shoe drops at the draft, and if not, you probably have 250 plus carries, right?

Yes, he will be a player that you're not excited in the slightest to draft. But he will, if they don't spend a day two pick on a running back, lock it in. He's going to carry the ball 250 plus times. All right. Austin Ackler comes in at 13. He's number 13 on Mike's rankings, early running back rankings. He's number 13 on mine as well. Jason has him at 18. I am not going to disparage that disparity.

Okay, because this is a player that's very difficult to project. I love the contract, but the amount of variables that the chargers are facing this year with a different quarterback, with what's taking place, Melvin leaving, you know, Echler's going to have to do what he did last year, which is catch the football, 92 receptions, 993 yards, eight touchdowns, eight touchdowns through the air. That's a tough number to repeat. Just 132 carries on the ground.

that could go up. But Jason, talk to me why you have concerns about getting him inside your top 15. I have concerns because he's a pass catcher as much as he is. I mean, he even talked about it when he was on in the show. He's an offensive weapon. And Tyrod Taylor is not someone I think he's going to utilize him anywhere near the degree that Philip Rivers did. When Austin Echler was on the show, he was saying, when the play breaks down.

Tyrod is able to make something happen with his legs. Philip Rivers can't do that. When the play breaks down for Philip Rivers, it's always dump it down, check it down. That was his out. And so you had Austin Eckler last year, fewer than 600 rushing yards, but he was a great fantasy option because of the passing game. Go back and look at, you know, when Tyrod took over that Buffalo team. He had LaShawn McCoy, one of the best pass catching backs in his prime.

And he caught 32 balls. The next couple of years, he got up to 50. But that was a workhorseback. That was a guy who was on the field at all times. And that's not what Austin Eckler is going to be. He's going to be, you know, even if he's the lead dog and they don't go out and sign somebody in the, or draft somebody in the draft, he's not going to be a workhorse guy. His running totals are going to be low. So if his receptions aren't up near the level that they were this last year,

I, you know, that's where I see him more as a back end RDB2 as opposed to the sensational fantasy asset he was this year. I'll jump in. It's, Echler is very tough to, to navigate. I liked that he talked about when he was on the show that the team views him as an offensive weapon and not trying to force him just to be a running back. I totally agree the checkdowns won't be there, but there will be plenty of designed plays that.

that Austin Eckler will be the first target. If they don't add someone in the draft, and I'm talking to the Chargers, and they're moving forward with Austin Echler and Justin Jackson, those guys are basically both the same size. I mean, they're both 200-pound running back. So this isn't like, well, Justin Jackson's the big guy who's going to go in and grind it out and be the Melvin Gordon roll. Echler may see 175 carries. Even it.

His targets definitely will go down. And just to speak to that historically, you know, running backs with 90 plus receptions since the year 2000. It has happened nine times. Christian McCaffrey repeated. Then generally speaking, the other guys saw a massive plummet. We're talking like 40 plus plummet of receptions the following year. So we'll see if that's what happens. But the contract, the fact that I...

don't think they can spend a higher pick on another running backs. I believe that Austin Eckle will be the leader of the timeshare and still see 60 plus receptions. Yeah, my ranking is a reflection of his talent and them figuring out how to get a talented player of the football, kind of the way people used to view Darren Sproles in fantasy drafts, who kind of found his way near the top.

I could see the carries going up, the reception is going down, and maybe the fantasy finish going down a little bit. Let's talk about Miles Sanders at 14. It's one of six rookies ever with 800-plus rushing yards, 50-plus receptions, and 500-plus receiving yards. That is a great rookie season, especially from week 11 on, where he had three finishes in the top 10 at the running back position. He is very difficult for me to...

Figure out a value on in Dynasty League. Jordan Howard is gone. Sanders proved to be a great weapon. I think we all agree the Eagles are a candidate to add offensive pieces in the draft. They haven't added them thus far in free agency. And I think Miles Sanders has the capability to really improve upon 179 carries as a rookie. Where do you guys sit? Now, I have them at 12. I'm on the fringe. Got them on the edge.

Jason's got him down at 20, Mike at 16. I agree his range of outcomes is wider than many running backs at this range. But right now I just don't see other weapons in Philadelphia that I have confidence in. I did like that they used him. Once he became a starter at the end, he was seeing solid volume inside the 10. He saw seven carries inside the 10 once he was the starter at the end of the year. Amazingly efficient.

through the air. There were three running backs over 40 targets who had a yards per reception over 10, Austin Echler, David Johnson, and Miles Sanders. So he was in great company for elite pass catching running backs. But I'm with you, Andy, that of his range of outcomes, if he told me Miles Sanders is the running back eight, it's like, yeah, that makes sense. He finished the season as a running back 32. Like, yeah, yeah, that may.

Makes sense. It's like, what is Doug Peterson going to do? Because we've never seen him commit to one running back being the primary guy, but we also haven't seen to spend a second round pick on a running back. So he is all over the place to me and just very, very risky, but really high upside. Yeah, I mean, from my vantage point, I think Miles Sanders is a good player. The reason I've got him down at 20 is solely.

I mean, if the, you know, when we're making these rankings, we've got to weigh in what we think the odds, you know, the probabilities are here. And I don't think there's a very good chance at all of the Eagles going in with basically Boston, Scott, and Miles Sanders is the two running backs and not adding someone significant in the draft. You look at last year and how the, how the season played out. Once you got to about week six, all of a sudden.

Jordan Howard became the guy. They're like, he's the better running back. And they made him the starter over, you know, Miles Sanders, who got the start from weeks two through five. And he was dominating. And then through those weeks when Jordan Howard was dominating, they were giving Miles Sanders three carries, six carries, three carries, ten carries. It was like Jordan Howard, they viewed as better. Now, at the end of the season, Miles Sanders was very good. And so is that, but that was without Jordan Howard. That was with Jordan Howard.