NFL 2018: 5 Running Backs that are being undervalued
The Running Back position is most people's first choice in their fantasy drafts. People want to saddle that workhorse Running Back in the hope that they will carry them to their league titles.
Todd Gurley, David Johnson and Devonta Freeman have all done that for their owners over the past 3 seasons. But it’s not just the elite players that can provide big scores for your team, week in week out. Each year there is a new crop of impressive rookies, as well as players who overachieve considering where they have been drafted.
Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt are great examples of rookies becoming exceptional fantasy assets for their owners. Here I take a look at some of the players that are currently being undervalued in fantasy drafts, according to their Average Draft Position (ADP).
#1 Lamar Miller – Houston Texans
Current ADP = 22nd RB off of the board at 4.09
We all know Lamar Miller isn’t the best pick in fantasy drafts. He’s struggled with consistency the past couple of seasons in Houston and even struggled to hold down the RB1 spot towards the tail end of 2017. But here is why I think he is being undervalued.
Miller’s main competition for the top spot is D’Onta Foreman. Foreman was the unlucky recipient of a torn Achilles during his rookie campaign. Torn Achilles are notoriously hard for Running Backs to come back from. It usually takes them at least 18 months to find that burst and acceleration that they previously had. It’s looking like Foreman may start the season the PUP list, which would leave Alfred Blue as the only other RB of note. Although Blue took some work away from Miller at the end of last season, I can’t see it happening again.
Another reason is the productivity that Miller has whilst playing with Deshaun Watson. Watson looks like he will be good to go for the start of the campaign and that instantly boosts all players around him. With Watson under centre last year, Miller averaged 14.8 points per game.
If you project Miller to have that same average over a 16 game period, he would have finished with 237.7 points, which would have had him ranked as the RB8 on the season. Now it’s unlikely that he will finish as the RB8, so I’m not saying to draft him in the 2nd round, but, he is going a full 2 rounds behind that. Could he be an absolute steal?