Fantasy Football: Three Running Backs Who Can Outperform Their ADP

So your first round draft pick was Adrian Peterson...or Chris Johnson...or Maurice Jones-Drew.  Congratulations.  I give you a golf clap, and that is pretty much it.  Why?  Anybody can buy a magazine, or go off some generic cheat sheet online and make those picks.  It's the picks later on in the draft that give you the depth to win it all.  In part two of my undervauled players, I am going to give you some later round running back values that have the potential to

(ADP, or average draft position, is the average draft rankings of six well-known fantasy football websites.  GB YPA, or good blocking yards per attempt, is the average amount of yards a player gains per rushing attempt when he gets good blocking on a play...in other words, when all of the O-Line's blocks are successful)

Jamaal Charles - ADP 28 (14th RB Taken)

One number for you, 8.5.  That's the GB YPA of Jamaal Charles, which was the third best in the league.  Think about that.  Every time he received good blocking, he almost got a first down all by himself.  That, my friends, is production.  Now, there are those that are worried that Thomas Jones is going to steal a lot of carries from him.  I say that a RB that had a 3.7 yards per carry average during the second half of the year is not going to replace a home-run threat that Jamaal is.  And this isn't even taking to account his very favorable schedule this year.  There are only a couple of players that have the chance to be this year's Chris Johnson, and I think Jamaal is that guy.

Clinton Portis - ADP 81 (32nd RB Taken)

What a difference a year makes.  In 2008, Clinton Portis had almost 1500 yards rushing, with nine rushing touchdowns, and was rated as a top 15 RB before the 2009 season.  So what happened?  Well an inconsistent passing game, a below-average offensive line, and a concussion that knocked him out in week 9 caused him to have his worst year of his career.  However, this year things are looking up.  Mike Shanahan, his old coach in Denver, has now taken the reins in Washington, and he fits perfects in the head coach's scheme.  The offensive line, while not superb, has improved greatly with the addition of OT Jammal Brown via trade, and OT Trent Williams via the draft.  And although he's been in the league for eight years, he is still only 29.  Larry Johnson might steal a few carries, but if Portis gets the majority of them, he is definitely value at his current draft position. 

Donald Brown - ADP 109 (42nd RB Taken)

So when did Joseph Addai remind everyone of Edgerrin James?  Because this is the area that Dominic Rhodes used to be drafted as a handcuff to the Edge man.  Yet Addai has been in the league four years now, and other than his rookie season, his YPC is 3.85.  Not exactly Edge in his prime, huh?  Donald Brown had a respectable GB YPA of 7.5, while Addai's was two full yards lower.  He also will be healthy this year, as he missed five games with a knee injury, and training camp stories say his pass blocking has improved greatly.  As long as Addai keeps dancing around in the backfield instead of hitting the hole, Brown could easily become the #1 guy in Indy.  Being able to have a productive flex player that you could draft in the 10th or 11th round is an excellent luxury.

Everyone knows that running back is the premium position in fantasy football, and the waiver wire is usually very barren for mid-season pickups.  The more quality running backs that you select on draft day, the better off you will be.  These three players will help that become reality.

Next article: Three Wide Receivers Who Can Outperform Their ADP

Find me on Facebook @Damon Moffa, or on Twitter @TheMof