Fantasy Football 2016: Sleeper RBs and Rankings

The running back position is arguably the most difficult to draft in fantasy football.

Outside of Adrian Peterson, Todd Gurley and Le'Veon Bell, it’s hard to draft a bell-cow running back who you know will carry the rock at least 20-25 times per game. This concept of a running back by committee is great for the players and fans because it keeps the starting running back healthy.

But for fantasy players? Nothing is worse than having to figure out if you should start the Cincinnati Bengals' Jeremy Hill or Giovani Bernard because you have no idea who will get the bulk of the carries on any given Sunday.

If you don’t have the opportunity to draft a Peterson or Gurley, then look no further. Here, we will go over this season’s sleepers at the running back position. Some of these backs will begin the season as handcuff guys who may ride the bench for the first couple of weeks, but it’s only a matter of time until they find themselves on the field and into your lineup.

First, here’s a look at this season's top 25 fantasy running backs heading into Week 1, according to ESPN:

Rank	Player	Team
1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
2	Todd Gurley	Los Angeles Rams
3	Ezekiel Elliott	Dallas Cowboys
4	David Johnson	Arizona Cardinals
5	Devonta Freeman	Atlanta Falcons
6	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
7	Lamar Miller	Houston Texans
8	Doug Martin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints
10	Eddie Lacy	Green Bay Packers
11	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo Bills
12	Jonathan Stewart	Carolina Panthers
13	Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers
14	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos
15	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
16	Thomas Rawls	Seattle Seahawks
17	Matt Forte	New York Jets
18	Jeremy Hill	Cincinnati Bengals
19	Latavius Murray	Oakland Raiders
20	Ryan Mathews	Philadelphia Eagles
21	DeMarco Murray	Tennessee Titans
22	Jeremy Langford	Chicago Bears
23	Matt Jones	Washington Redskins
24	Melvin Gordon	San Diego Chargers
25	Duke Johnson Jr.	Cleveland Browns

Sleeper No. 1: Ameer Abdullah

The Abdullah hype train was real last season.

All we heard last year during training camp and preseason was how great Abdullah looked. New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles even compared him to NFL legend Barry Sanders, according to Matt Wilhalme of the Los Angeles Times. 

"He's quick as a cat. He's about as quick as Barry Sanders," Bowles said. "I'm not saying he is Barry, but he's a good running back."

It's easy to partially agree with Bowles' assessment. After all, Abdullah was capable of doing this in his debut campaign:

"

The exact moment I knew the @Lions drafted a gem with @Ameerguapo pic.twitter.com/jSEBUX1Uro

— Detroit Moments (@DetroitMoments) August 7, 2016"

But as we all know, Abdullah stumbled out of the gates in 2015, much like the rest of the Detroit Lions offense. He rushed for 597 yards and two touchdowns, but seeing as he won’t be drafted in the first few rounds in anyone’s draft this time around, Abdullah could be a steal in mid-to-late rounds if you’re willing to draft a guy who could be an RB2 each week.

At worst? Abdullah should find a home in the flex, depending on your league’s format.

Sleeper No. 2: Arian Foster

It wasn’t that long ago that Arian Foster was one of the top running backs in the NFL. Unfortunately, injuries derailed what could have been a promising career.

After tearing his Achilles last season with the Houston Texans, the 30-year-old is searching for a career renaissance with the Miami Dolphins. And through the preseason, he has flashed game-changing ability.

It’s too soon to tell whether Foster or Jay Ajayi will be first string on the Dolphins depth chart, but Foster has looked like the more dependable back the last four weeks, as Ajayi has failed to take the reins of the position this offseason.

Foster is ranked 31st in ESPN’s top 100 fantasy running backs, six spots ahead of Ajayi (37th). However, this could develop into a split-carry situation, so it’s important for fantasy owners to draft both Ajayi and Foster if possible.

Sleeper No. 3: Derrick Henry 

Similar to Foster and Ajayi, it would be a good idea to handcuff DeMarco Murray with Derrick Henry. The Tennessee Titans have made it clear that Murray is the lead back heading into the regular season, but it’s impossible to ignore Henry when he steps onto the gridiron.

Henry proved his worth during his time at Alabama en route to winning the Heisman, and he’s beginning to prove himself in the NFL as well. Sure, it’s just preseason, but Henry looks like a man among boys out there, similar to the way he made New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram look earlier this year.  

Henry's production will depend on how patient the Titans are with Murray. He was, to say the least, a disappointment with the Eagles last season after leaving the Cowboys.

Tallying 702 yards and six scores on 193 attempts in 2015, Murray averaged 3.6 yards per carry—a far cry from his 4.7 yards per carry in 2014 when he accumulated 1,845 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns with Dallas.

If you draft Murray in the early middle rounds, make sure to draft Henry as well. He's bound to find the field sooner or later.