Pittsburghs front five looks nothing like last years group. Back up Share project Close 2022 hyundai sonata limited interior; what is birkenstock oiled leather; bates high gloss duty oxford; most overrated running backs of all time. Andrew Davenport: Montgomery was the 26th-ranked PPR running back in points per game at 12.2 a contest through nine games last year. Therefore, we asked our staff to look through the Top 150 and identify players that should underperform their draft position. I think this is pretty unfair to call him the most overrated. There are plenty of clarified RB1 types later in the draft to avoid taking the variable shot on Williams. Detroit signed Jamaal Williams to take the heavy work and kicked the tires on Todd Gurley before declining his addition. Links to similar discussions on other positions: The flip side of succeeding with value players is failing with overvalued players. 2 fantasy back this year is a dubious decision. Gibson was even in the game after Robinson was out. Jamal Lewis-- RB, 2000-06 There have been seven running backs who have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season, and Jamal Lewis is by far the least memorable of the bunch. Kudos to James Robinson. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Director: Jonathan Demme. The new coaching staff is inexperienced (second-youngest in the NFL), the system is unproven, the quarterback is going to gobble up a ton of rushing yards and touchdowns, and the front office has added running back depth aggressively in the offseason. Ben Cummins: Henrys past two monster years were with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the head coach in Atlanta. Projections, Get The Most Out Of Your The following represent the most overrated NFL player on each team. McKissic take the bulk of receiving work in Washington -- even though Gibson himself is a converted wide receiver. Perhaps the political and social issues depicted in 'The Grapes of Wrath" were too controversial. Andy Hicks: It is hard for an undrafted rookie running back to succeed in the NFL. His value is trending in the wrong direction. The Top Ten. Jason Wood: We all want Dobbins to be an every-down workhorse. That enthusiasm should be tempered because Canada was the offensive coordinator fired by LSU before LSU hired Joe Brady, who oversaw Joe Burrow's historic season. Sigmund Bloom: Barkley may not be 100% to start the season, and he might not truly be 100% until next season. Preseason may help a little. 15 Best Running Backs of All-Time; I definitely do not want the most expensive option here (Carter), but Coleman and Johnson are arbitrage plays. Pat Fitzmaurice: This is the type of player I won't draft at any cost. Scoring at least once in 9 games (16 gms total) yields a 56% chance of a score in each game. Johnson was once a big name at the running back position and is still getting drafted based on that name and past production. In 2019, his last full season, Cohen averaged 5.8 yards per catch and 4.4 yards per target -- terrible numbers for a third-down back. They traded up in the draft to select Javonte Williams and, without the large contract, may have already released the former Charger. Instead, McKissic is a receiving-centric option where targets will be at a premium considering the competition in Washington, which was not present in the 2020 version with notable wide receiver additions Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries, and Dyami Brown. Swift relied heavily on touchdown production for his fantasy numbers. Ryan Hester: Chubb shares his backfield with a very talented player in Kareem Hunt, and Hunt is the one who gets the lions share of the passing game work. Also, Jalen Hurts is poised to siphon a few short-range scores from the running back position. He was a liability during pass plays because of his inability to catch passes. Whenever a new coaching group comes in, especially an inexperienced one, there is always the risk that players with a high fantasy price underachieve. Overall: 98 and 96. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville | Consensus Rankings RB26 | Consensus Projections RB26. He also spent his first 5 years on the saints, where he got 20 carries exactly 2 times there. After the Robinson selection, head coach Ron Rivera likened the potential Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr combination to the Jonathan Stewart and D'Angelo Williams pairing he used during his Carolina days. You wrote in to criticize me immediately following a 4-0 win against Forest where, for the first time all season, Moyes bowed to enormous pressure and played a back 4, told Declan to actually be . . Brown should have a role, most likely on early downs and at the goal-line, which would sink Gaskins chances of living up to his ADP. It is also quite possible that Gordon isn't even on the team by the time Week 1 rolls around. Anthony Amico: Dobbins is being drafted as if he has a far greater stranglehold on this Ravens backfield than he likely will. This is a major factor to any expectation that Robinson is fantasy lineup-relevant without an injury to one of the other options, especially beyond the very early weeks in the season. They will be pass-dominant inside the five-yard line, which doesn't help Edwards-Helaire's fantasy stock. We've seen running backs repeatedly return from severe knee injuries; very seldom do they return the following year and have a memorable fantasy season. David Montgomery, Chicago | Consensus Rankings RB18 | Consensus Projections RB18. First, Johnson turns 30 in December, and considering all the injuries he's dealt with in his NFL career, it's hard to see him aging well. Myles Gaskin, Miami | Consensus Rankings RB24 | Consensus Projections RB22. Harris stayed an extra year in college to improve his draft capital, and rightfully so, as the 2020 class was filled with elite running back talent. McKissic, one the league's better pass-catching backs. Johnson himself has acknowledged it, and the backs' usage in the first preseason game indicates frustration for anyone wanting to farm this barren land. With an almost entirely new coaching staff, quarterback and receivers, it is difficult to trust that Swift will be worth his asking price. Jordan McNamara: The news on Saquon Barkley does not reassure me. McDaniels is someone who deploys multiple backs throughout the course of the game. They did not pick up his fifth-year option and took Zamir White in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Phil Alexander: Beware of drafting running backs based solely on their perceived opportunity. Michael Carter, NY Jets | Consensus Rankings RB37 | Consensus Projections RB36. Gordon isn't going away just because fantasy managers want him to. That, plus the uncertainty of Edmond's role, leaves me more concerned than excited. Austin Ekeler, LA Chargers | Consensus Rankings RB9 | Consensus Projections RB9. Christian McCaffery and Nick Chubb, running backs. Here are some stats from footballoutsiders.com: * Note: ADY = adjusted line yards, PSR = power success rank, SR = stuff ranking Average ADY: 4.29 Average PSR: 11th Average SR: 9th * These stats werent kept until 1996, so this doesnt include Bettis first 3 years in the NFL. His best year came in 2011 when he ran for 10 touchdowns and 1,047 yards, but other than that he didn't do much else. Links to similar discussions on other positions: 12 Quarterbacks11 Tight Ends28 Wide Receivers25 Running Backs, 10 Quarterbacks12 Tight Ends23 Wide Receivers25 Running Backs, 9 Quarterbacks11 Tight Ends15 Wide Receivers13 Running Backs. The more problematic issue is that the Texans are a train wreck. If Robinson claims goal line work, there is an upward battle for returning a value in his ADP. My, my, how the game has changed. This is a major factor in any expectation that Robinson would be fantasy lineup-relevant without an injury to one of the other options, especially beyond the early weeks of the season. Sigmund Bloom: Not that the Texans offense was anything you wanted to go near in fantasy drafts in the first place, but Johnson's ADP needs to adjust by multiple rounds to the news that he will be sharing the backfield with Phillip Lindsay and Mark Ingram II and no longer in the lead back role. The additions of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, and a healthy Antonio Gibson should blunt his numbers and make his season look more like 2020's first half when he averaged 4.7 targets and 3.6 receptions per game instead of his second half when he saw 8.6 targets and 6.1 catches an outing. But even if he doesnt, this backfield could be a closer split than many think. Jim Brown Jim Brown spent a little less than a decade playing for the Cleveland Browns between 1957 and 1965, but that was enough time to prove he's likely the greatest running back to ever play the game and one of the greatest NFL players of all time. USA Today named the most overrated player on every NFL team in 2022 and for the Cleveland Browns, Jadeveon Clowney was given this unwanted distinction. Anthony Amico: The new regime for the Raiders is not particularly reassuring of Jacobs' role with the team. But he's 29, he's undersized, he had a hard time staying healthy last year, he adds little as a pass catcher, and the San Francisco backfield is awfully crowded now. No one can take away his heroics stepping in for Christian McCaffrey, and he was rewarded in the offseason when Atlanta presumably signed him to be new coach Arthur Smith's feature back. Gordon was adequate last year, but that was almost purely on volume. More of the stats of an average RB, which Laurence Maroney and Rashard Mendenhall are. Phil Alexander: Hunt finished last season as the RB10 in PPR scoring, but his cumulative stats were buoyed by a four-game stint as Cleveland's starter when Nick Chubb was out with an MCL sprain. Fred Taylor Chris "Beanie" Wells. Is he more talented than Melvin Gordon III at this point in their respective careers? But then he missed a game, the Bears had a bye, and he finished at a torrid pace of 25.7 points per game as the overall RB1 from Weeks 12 to 17. Footballguys staff members discuss running backs who are overvalued. He made general managers look like geniuses with more than 2,000 total yards and 20 touchdowns in 2016. Even if he isn't named the Saints' starting quarterback, Hill's continued presence in the red zone and at the goal-line infringes on Kamara's touchdown opportunity. James Brimacombe: I view Melvin Gordon III this season a lot like I viewed Leonard Fournette in Jacksonville last offseason. He's as gifted a receiver as he is a runner, which allows him to have huge games regardless of game script. Photo: Isaiah J. Lineup Builder Quick Start, Multi-Lineup The final reason why Jerome Bettis is the most overrated RB of all time is because of the offensive line he ran behind. If Gordon's injury is extended, Williams could be appropriately priced, but until there is more information, he is an avoid at cost. The flip side of succeeding with value players is failing with overvalued players. So what's the concern? Before his 2020 campaign, McKissic had never rushed for more than 205 yards in a season. Draft capital is not a predictor of talent as much as a predictor of opportunity. The Ravens have had the #1 rushing offense in the league for the last two years straight but have finished 31st overall in total running back targets in that same time span. Even if the split is swapped with Williams as the slight 1A to Gordon's now 1B, achieving a top-12 result will hinge on Gordon missing a chunk of the season. History has shown us that Harris's ADP will likely move into Round 2 or 3 as the next few months pass. Tevin Coleman was specifically brought in because he knows the run-blocking schemes the Jets will employ this year, and Ty Johnson hasn't gone anywhere either. Investing in Sanders as your RB2 is likely to leave you feeling disappointed. Jameis Winston is a downfield passer, and Hill would rather run than check down. Andy Hicks: The Broncos dont seem overly excited to use Melvin Gordon III this year. Henry is all but guaranteed to regress after rushing for over 2,000 yards last season, and he doesnt catch enough passes. Unless his ADP falls a bit, he's a pass where he's being drafted right now. His ADP has not shot up the draft boards as quickly as he propelled into fantasy relevance last year due to the almost non-existent target share he received in the passing game. Pat Fitzmaurice: The appeal is that he's an inexpensive lead back. Tatum Bell isn't the only Lions running back of the 2000s to get snakebitten. DYAR: 96 DVOA: 0.085% His average DYAR of 96 would rank him 24th in the NFL in 2009, right ahead of Laurence Maroney. Dave Kluge: Sure, youre not giving up any crazy draft capital to get J.D. The uncertainty of Fournette's touch volume will make it hard to start him with confidence throughout the season, so a late-sixth-round ADP seems steep. Chad Parsons: Travis Etienne and Carlos Hyde were both chosen additions by the new Jaguars regime with either Round 1 pedigree (Etienne) or a productive NFL profile (Hyde). David Johnson, Houston | Consensus Rankings RB27 | Consensus Projections RB31. He showed elite promise in his rookie year and followed it up with a top 10 season despite a high ankle sprain limiting his ascension. This slideshow lists the most underrated and overrated quarterbacks, running backs and receivers in the NFL, and the choices might shock you. That's right, Fournette was cut by the Jaguars, and I think the same could happen with Gordon entering this season. We use cookies to personalize content, ads and analyze site traffic. . Sigmund Bloom: Brian Robinson Jr had an excellent preseason debut, while Antonio Gibson fumbled *again*, so this is trending in the wrong direction for Gibson's 2022 redraft value. However, his footwork and explosiveness in tight spaces allowed him to slip would-be tacklers with consistency. Drafting Jacobs around this price is drafting him at his ceiling -- perhaps even above it. In Week 16 of the 2011 season, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and returned as the #1 overall running back in 2012. The first thing that pops out at us is that Jerome Bettis 3.9 YPC is a good deal lower than the offensive lines mark of 4.29 (ADY). Unfortunately, Dobbins is on a team with an elite rushing quarterback in Lamar Jackson, who will always cap Dobbins' upside in total carries and goal-line looks. Andy Hicks: D'Andre Swift had a patchy rookie season. Pat Fitzmaurice: The Buccaneers' playoff run was the best four-game stretch for Fournette since the early part of the 2019 season. The final reason why Jerome Bettis is the most overrated RB of all time is because of the offensive line he ran behind. He's not a player to build your team around if you pick in the top half of the first round. Miami will use a committee as none of the backs on the roster can handle the lead-back role. Edmonds is a great player who offers a ton of talent on the field to help win games, but he will never be the high volume type of player that we are all desperately looking for each year. I'm out. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh | Consensus Rankings RB15 | Consensus Projections RB13. Most Overrated NFL Players of All Time by Team By Paul Ladewski, updated on September 10, 2021 Matt York / AP Photo Don't you just love it that sports media are so quick to hype athletes as the biggest and the best. Adrian Peterson 10. Unfortunately for him, the team replaced the coaching staff that he impressed and signed veteran Carlos Hyde and drafted Travis Etienne in the first round. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals. However, I would ask - where is the upside to tilt a league here? This is more important for Barkley than most backs because he relies on his immense gifts more than most backs. 25 Running Backs Overrated Players 10 Quarterbacks 12 Tight Ends 23 Wide Receivers 25 Running Backs Deep Sleepers 9 Quarterbacks 11 Tight Ends 15 Wide Receivers 13 Running Backs The flip side of succeeding with value players is failing with overvalued players. David Montgomery, Chicago | Consensus Rankings RB19 | Consensus Projections RB20. 1 status. The Top Ten 1 David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham is (born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president & co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City.. I feel like most drafting Gordon right now are doing it on name value, but he now has plenty of competition with Javonte Williams and Mike Boone as priority adds this offseason. Andrew Davenport: Fantasy managers are drafting Carter as though he is the unquestioned starter. Only he and Jim brown had a full career average of 5.0 ypc lifetime. When we go into advanced stats, we can tell even more about Bettis: * Note: The stats are Bettis averages per season, not total career. Can he still be fantasy-relevant? Jason Wood: Jacobs was the only projected Raiders offensive starter to play in the Hall of Fame game, which should be a blaring red flag for how much new head coach Josh McDaniels values Jacobs as a centerpiece. No thanks. He's not a player to build your team around if you pick in the top half of the first round. And just how many touchdowns should we expect from an offense with glaring question marks at quarterback and the worst wide receiver depth chart this side of Detroit? Henderson was arguably the best blocking fullback during the late 90s, paving the way for nine 1,000 yard rushers in his 12 years in Green Bay. Worst of all, he is now playing on the Houston Texans, who have no identity on offense heading into the season. Matt Waldman: Many of my peers at Footballguys are worshippers of draft capital as a predictor of talent. It appears as if theres a change of guard happening in San Fransisco. Most overrated players in Madden 21 J.J. Watt, defensive end, Houston Texans. At times he looked like the future back Detroit has been looking for this century. We don't yet know how much of Kamara's past success as a pass-catcher to attribute to Brees. The Eagles consistently added to the depth chart this offseason with Kerryon Johnson, Jordan Howard, Kenneth Gainwell added to Boston Scott. Chad Parsons: It's a crowded Jets depth chart, and assuming Carter rises to the top of a collection of similar profiles is overstated with his draft valuation. Marcus Allen 15. 24 Overrated RBs. This likely puts Gibson two injuries away from a full workload, and Robinson is capable of taking away money touches in the redzone as well. That is not the stat line of an elite RB at all. Combine a true committee situation with a quarterback who racks up 1,000 yards and a handful of scores, and you have a ceiling on Dobbins that won't be unlocked without a rash of injuries. By the season's end, Mike Davis will be a case of "I knew it," but the guy who pushes him down or out is pure guesswork at this stage. Chad Parsons: Cohen is coming off an injury, and Damien Williams is a notable veteran addition to the depth chart. Gordon's arrow is pointing down for 2021, and he could be marginalized as the season goes on because the team also likes free agent signing Mike Boone. Williams is extremely talented, but as of now, it looks like this will be a split backfield. There's zero appeal here. His ADP has been climbing recently, and while his price says drafters are aware of the easy schedule down the stretch, he's still being overvalued at his current price. Combine a true committee situation with a quarterback who racks up 1,000 yards and a handful of scores, and you have a ceiling on Dobbins that won't be unlocked without a rash of injuries. If you're optimistic about the Lions running game, take Williams at a deep discount from Swift's highly aspirational price tag. The 4.29 ADY by the Steelers offensive line would be tied for 8th place in the NFL in 2009. Chad Parsons: Malcolm Brown looks, at a minimum, like a strong 1B option but did get the start and most of the snaps with Tua Tagovailoa with the first team in the initial preseason game. Barry Sanders - 15, averaged one 50-plus-yard TD every 204 carries. Ty Johnson has strong athleticism and played over Carter in the first week of the preseason, and La'Mical Perine has a similar profile to Carter. But just like Logan Thomas, McKissic benefitted from a perfect storm of low average depth of target throws from the quarterbacks last year and the lack of receivers outside of Terry McLaurin. "Footballguys is the best premiumfantasy football He had the second-worst catch rate in the league last year among running backs, catching only 56% of his targets and dropping eight passes along the way (tied for most with Ezekiel Elliot). McKissic on your fantasy squad, but his outlier of a 2020 season is going to cause some to reach for him heading into 2021. James is the more physically gifted player. The Raiders are sure to recoup as much production as they can on the $8.5 million guarantee they gave Drake on a two-year deal, so this will look closer to a committee than a true lead-back situation. Even if he receives most of the early-down and passing game work, it still wont be very valuable on a putrid offense. To point out these players, we asked our staff to look through the Top 150 and identify players that should underperform their draft position. WHO ARE THE MOST OVERRATED FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACKS? Simpson 13. Ben Cummins: Robinson was an awesome story in 2020 as he just kept producing while seeing 21.43 opportunities per game (6th most in the league) from Weeks 1-16. The next season he hit bottom with a knee injury that damaged his ACL, MCL, and meniscus. Jeff Haseley: It's easy to succumb to the notion that Saquon Barkley is one of the best running backs in the league. Robinson can be successful this year, but he will need luck and to earn the trust of the new coaching staff. Saquon Barkley, NY Giants | Consensus Rankings RB8 | Consensus Projections RB10. There are some people who will say he was the most overrated running back in history because he was 1-5 in the playoffs, and he never won a Super . Optimizer Quick Start, Percent Rostered His career marks are high because he played long (13 yrs) and was consistent. Overrated David Boston -- WR, 1999-02 Boston was a former first-round pick by the Cardinals who had an epic Pro Bowl /All-Pro season in 2001 when he caught 98 passes for nearly 1,600 yards and. However, James Robinson is a better runner than Etienne at this point. In college, he played wide receiver as much as (if not more than) running back. Adding another trip around the sun and competition from two young, capable running backs is the recipe for the bottom to fall out for Gordon. That role may not disappear completely, but the addition of Gio Bernard is a bad sign for Tampa Bay's intentions with Fournette. Jacobs could easily wind up as a player who does a lot of work between the 20s with no meaningful fantasy production. Montgomery hasn't turned a corner in his career arc. Drafting running backs on the downside of their career, on bad offenses, in a platoon situation, is fraught with peril. Ben Cummins: Im a big fan of Antonio Gibsons talent, but he will have to overcome a lot of hurdles to pay off his current ADP. Taysom Hill had nine carries from inside the opponent's five-yard line to Kamara's 15 in 2021 and won't be removed from the Saints' red-zone plans any time soon. At cost, D'Andre Swift and others are better combinations of floor and ceiling. Barkley could hit on pure talent and above-average recuperative ability, but everything else is going against him to return value on his lofty ADP. Sigmund Bloom: Jacobs' ADP would be justified and reasonable if the Raiders hadn't added Kenyan Drake, but they did. Tevin Coleman is one of those veteran thorns in the sides of young backs to garner touches. Gibson fumbled in the preseason opener, and ball security has been an issue as he coughed up the football four times last year. So as we can see, Bettis had about the 9th best run blocking offensive line in the NFL during his career. But when we look closer, The Bus only averages 1,050 rushing yards per year and 7 touchdowns, far from elite stats. Swift has already broken the injury seal with a groin issue in camp, and Jamaal Williams has already been spoken of highly as a potential 1A to Swift's No. 31 Unsung Running Backs in NFL History By Paul Ladewski on August 3, 2021 Chris O'Meara / AP Photo Before franchise quarterbacks took pro football hostage, there was something known as franchise running backs. Here's our list of the greatest 30 running backs in NFL history. The Ravens have also continued to trust Gus Edwards and have kept the backfield intact as a true timeshare. Avoid. Whenever a new coaching group comes in, especially an inexperienced one, there is always the risk that players with a high fantasy price underachieve. The investment in veteran wideout Sammy Watkins and rookies Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace almost cements Dobbinss capped upside in the passing game. There is also the slight concern that he will need some ramp-up time to fully be healed from his ACL tear from a season ago. James Robinson, Jacksonville | Consensus Rankings RB29 | Consensus Projections RB30. But drafting him as a high-upside No. 1. Phil Alexander: Michael Thomas' ankle injury opens up additional targets for Kamara, who will operate as New Orleans' de facto No. At present, I'm avoiding Gaskin because I do not trust the role, especially ahead of projected starters like Mike Davis and other players with higher upside like Travis Etienne. Now we can extinguish any hopes of Jacobs getting more involved in the passing game. Subscription, Early-March Top 10 Defensive Back IDP Rankings, 5 RBs to Buy In Dynasty Before NFL Free Agency. While the opportunity is undeniable, it's risky betting on Davis as the answer.