Fantasy Backfields to Monitor in Training Camp

By James Collier

The NFL season is within touching distance now as training camps are gradually getting underway. At this time of year it’s important for sharp fantasy players to keep an eye on the steady flow of information from beat reporters across the league but to identify the “camp hype” and speculation from the genuine news. Lets not forget that in 2020 training camp Justin Jefferson was the WR3 on the Vikings depth chart, and in 2021 Ja’Marr Chase had lost the ability to catch the ball. It didn’t take either of them long to prove that was nonsense when the real football started. 

This year there seems to be a few more narratives to keep up with than usual, especially when it comes to running backs. Over the last couple of years we have seen a huge shift in the way the NFL values the position and this has resulted in a few teams and their star players being on somewhat of a collision course in recent weeks. Then we add to the mix that several high profile free agent veterans are waiting in the wings and we have a lot to keep our eyes on.

Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants

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Let’s start with the obvious. Tony Pollard, Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley were franchise tagged by the Cowboys, Raiders and Giants respectively earlier in the offseason but did not agree to long term deals prior to the 17th July deadline. That means that they can only play on one year deals and are likely to hold out for at least some of training camp. 

At this stage there is no reason for us to be concerned from a fantasy perspective but we’ll want to keep our eyes on the situation just in case we see it trending towards a repeat of Le’Veon Bell in 2018 or Melvin Gordon in 2019. Bell sat out the whole season after being franchise tagged by the Steelers and went on to sign a four year, $52.5 million deal with the Jets in 2019, which is what contributed to Gordon sitting out the opening four games of the season with the Chargers in search of a similar deal. 

It seems unlikely but there is at least a small chance that one, or all three, of this year’s franchise tagged running backs look to make a stand in an attempt to shift the way the NFL is valuing the position. And given that all three are probably going off the board within the first two rounds of drafts this season, every bit of news about their intentions will be valuable.

Miami Dolphins

When they had quarterback Tua Tagovailoa healthy in 2022, the Dolphins were one of the best offenses in the league and so it’s hard not to want a piece of it this year. We know who the star pass catchers are but it’s not as clear who to target in the running game. They brought back the backfield that they ended last season with by signing both Jeff Wilson and Raheem Mostert to two year extensions. But they muddied the waters a bit by drafting the slight, yet explosive Devon Achane in the third round of the draft in April, and have also been consistently linked with free agent Dalvin Cook. 

At this point it’s probably not worth investing anything significant in any part of this backfield. But things change quickly in the NFL, especially when it comes to running backs. Wilson played through injury in 2022 and Mostert is now the wrong side of 30 and has missed significant time on multiple occasions in the past. If Achane shows the Dolphins enough in camp and preseason that they decide not to sign a veteran, he could be a candidate for a late season breakout.

Washington Commanders

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Outside of the ownership, the major change in Washington this offseason is the hiring of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator. As well as trying to get the most out of young quarterback Sam Howell, he will also have a decision to make on how to utilise the backfield duo of Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson. 

It is clear to almost every onlooker that Gibson is the more talented back and he has proven his worth for fantasy as well in the past, finishing as the RB12 in 2021 and 13 in 2020. But the coaching staff lost patience with his issues fumbling the ball in key moments, and this time last year they made it clear that third round pick Brian Robinson was going to be involved. Robinson was shot in the leg a month before the season started but made a miraculous recovery and was able to make his debut in Week 5. From that point on he was heavily involved and averaged 17 carries a game in his rookie year. 

Neither back was particularly impressive running the ball, with both averaging under four yards per carry, but Gibson is streets ahead when it comes to pass catching. There is talk every offseason that either the team, or Gibson himself, wants to get the former college wide receiver more involved in the passing game but it never really comes to fruition. What will be interesting to listen out for, is news on whether Bieniemy intends to continue with the committee approach or to feature Gibson who is clearly the more explosive of the two, in an attempt to breathe life into an offense that struggled to put up points in 2022. If he gets the volume he did in 2021 then we could see Gibson pushing to be in the conversation for a top 12 fantasy finish again.

Chicago Bears

Third year back Khalil Herbert has looked great when given the opportunity by the Bears and led all running backs in yards per carry with 5.7 last season. He looked primed to take on the lead role this year with starter David Montgomery departing, until the team added both D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer in free agency and selected Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the draft. 

As a team they averaged 17 rushing yards per game – more than any other in 2022 – largely down to quarterback Justin Fields having over 1,110 yards on his own. But if there was a clear RB1 on this team then there is definitely a route to fantasy relevance as they will surely look to use Fields more sparingly on the ground in an effort to keep him healthy. Unfortunately, at this stage the best bet seems to be that Herbert and Foreman will share the majority of the carries with Homer and Johnson fighting it out for the third down role. If this is the case then it will not be very appealing to fantasy managers who will find it impossible to predict who is going to have the best performance on a weekly basis. 

As training camp progresses and we head into the preseason games, we may get an idea of how the backfield is trending. While Foreman and Homer have both shown they can play a role in the NFL, neither really seem likely to take over the backfield. But if we start to hear that Herbert is going to be more involved as a receiver or if Johnson is going to get more carries than expected, then that could give us a significant indication of who to target in fantasy drafts.

Other situations to monitor:

Seattle Seahawks: It’s difficult to get any sort of viable information out of Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, but it will be interesting to see if we get any signals on how the Seahawks plan to use second round pick Zach Charbonnet and how much he will eat into starter Kenneth Walker’s role. 

New Orleans Saints: Long time starter Alvin Kamara is almost certainly going to miss time through suspension but we don’t know how long it will be or when it will start. Free agent acquisition Jamaal Williams and rookie Kendre Miller will be fighting it out for snaps when Kamara does sit out.  

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings cut their lead back and four time pro bowler Dalvin Cook in June and look to be going ahead with Alexander Mattison as the starter. But there have been rumours of them offering a contract to Cook recently and so it’s hard to rule them out of re-signing him or one of the other available veterans to put Mattison’s role in doubt.

JAMES COLLIER

Lead Fantasy Football Analyst

A Washington fan since the early 2010’s, James had no choice but to turn to fantasy football in search of happiness – and it wasn’t long until it became an obsession. You can follow him on Twitter @jamesc294.

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