Top 5 Players with the Lowest Floor

Players with the lowest floor are players who are expected to be average heading into the season.

1. Cam Akers (Rams)

Cam Akers is a very controversial player due to the fact that he is on one of the best teams in the NFL. However, what is holding him back is the fact that he is on one of the best teams in the NFL, with so many dangerous players around him. Akers gets very few red zone targets, and with Cooper Kupp coming back, he is going to take most of the touches around the goal line. Although he may have had some moments of greatness last season, they mainly occurred when Kupp and Stafford got hurt. Now, with both backs, he is expected to shy away from the spotlight.

      2. Breece Hall (Jets) 

Breece Hall has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the league, but he is on the Jets… With Breece Hall coming off of a torn ACL and the Jets acquiring Dalvin Cook, Breece Hall is going to be competing a lot for touches. Also, with Dalvin Cook being the most expensive signing of any running back during free agency, it is likely that Jets coach Robert Saleh is going to be giving him a lot of targets. 

        3. Rashaad Penny (Eagles)

Although Penny has moved to a better team with the Eagles, he may not be getting many touches because of D’Andre Swift. Since 2020, Penny has finished 133rd, 41st, and 70th in PPR formats. There is no indication that he is going to have a breakout season, especially because Swift is going to be getting most of the targets. 

         4. Najee Harris (Steelers) 

Najee Harris may have had one of the better breakout seasons we have seen a couple of years ago; however, he has slowly dwindled into becoming a middle-of-the-pack running back. Harris also lost over half of his passing catch work last year. Also, with the Steelers giving Jaylen Warren more touches, Harris might lose even more touches. I would be wary about drafting Harris in the earlier rounds, but if he falls in the draft, he might be an okay pickup.

          5. Jonathan Taylor (Colts) 

Since his rookie year in 2020, Taylor has finished 6th, 1st, and 33rd. Last year he averaged 13.31 PPG. Although he was one of the best players in fantasy football two years ago, he has declined exponentially, falling to 33rd among the running backs. With Taylor currently being out due to injury, he is an extremely risky pick who may still have the same ceiling as a couple of years ago; his floor is drastically lower.

 Top 5 Sleepers or Steals 

Players who are sleepers or steals are players that are being overlooked by many fantasy football players and draft analysts. 

1. Alexander Mattison (Vikings)

 Alexander Mattison has always been the RB2 for the Vikings, but now that Dalvin Cook has been released, it is expected that Mattison will take RB1 in stride. He has been criminally underrated by most NFL fans. Even though Mattison has only had 6 career starts, he averaged 79.5 yards per game on 4.1 yards per carry. I expect Mattison to be a game-changer in most leagues, and he is a sure pickup if he falls in the draft. 

       2. Alvin Kamara (Saints) 

Alvin Kamara could be the biggest steal in this draft. Many people forget who he once was and what he was capable of. Although he is suspended for the first 3 games of the season, when he comes back, he is going to be a game-changer for the Saints. Alvin Kamara’s ADP is 61, which is extremely disrespectful to a player of his caliber. Now, Kamara has Derek Carr at quarterback, and Michael Thomas and Chris Olave to help take the pressure off of him. I expect Kamara to have a much higher presence in the backfield. 

        3. Isaiah Pacheco (Chiefs) 

For a running back on the best team in the NFL, Isaiah Pacheco has been really overlooked. His ADP is 73rd, which is very disrespectful to him. Last season from week 10 through week 17, he ranked 6th in total rushing yards. People are overlooking him for a reason that I cannot understand. With this being only his second season in the NFL, he has fantastic potential, and this season he has a very high upside with all of the offensive weapons that are stacked around him on the Chiefs’ roster. 

         4. Jaylen Warren (Steelers) 

Jaylen Warren has been in Najee Harris’ shadow for the majority of his time on the Steelers. But as of late last season, Jaylen Warren has been taking a lot more of Harris’ touches and proved himself very efficient, finishing third in rushing success rate in the 2022 running back class. Don’t be surprised if he takes more of Harris’ touches in the backfield and more of Harris’ receiving targets.

          5. Zach Charbonnet (Seahawks) 

Zach Charbonnet is a rookie coming into a deep Seahawks team. In college, Charbonnet had the highest positive run rate and tied for first in receptions among the running backs in his draft class. Although he is the RB2 for the Seahawks, he is expected to be getting a lot of touches, especially now that Rashaad Penny has gone to the Eagles and Chris Carson has retired. 

 Top 5 Players with the Highest Ceiling 

Players with a high ceiling are players who have the potential to be fantastic.

 1. Bijan Robinson (Falcons) 

Bijan Robinson was the consensus RB1 for his draft class and was selected 8th overall in the draft by the Falcons. In his last year in college, he finished the season with 18 rushing touchdowns and over 1,500 rushing yards. Bijan Robinson is expected to only improve from his college days and is expected to get many touches on the Falcons. With the previous RB1 for the Falcons averaging almost 18 carries and around 100 yards per game, if the Falcons continue to put that workload on their backfield, Robinson is expected to be a league-winning running back.

       2. Josh Jacobs (Raiders) 

Josh Jacobs last season finished as RB2 in the 2022 season and is expected to continue his dominance among the running backs. He finished the season with the most rushing yards last season and led the Raiders with the most touches per game. With almost the same team around him, it is expected that Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels will heavily rely on Jacobs to lead the team to victory.

        3. Nick Chubb (Browns) 

Nick Chubb has put up 5 yards per carry every year he has been in the NFL and is projected to keep that up. With Chubb only getting better as his career progresses, it would be no surprise if he gets over 15 touchdowns and beats his record of 1525 yards in a season. With an upgraded Browns roster, he can be the player to single-handedly put you ahead in your fantasy league. 

       4. Austin Ekeler (Chargers) 

Over the past 2 seasons, Austin Ekeler has scored the most touchdowns, with 18 and 20 touchdowns. Last season, Ekeler also led all running backs in targets. If the Chargers continue to give him this volume, he should keep up his trend of being one of the best running backs in the league.

      5. Tony Pollard (Cowboys)

Now that Ezekiel Elliott has moved to the Patriots, Tony Pollard is the Cowboys Rb1. Tony Pollard has shown great potential in the last few years and from week 7 thru 16 he scored more points than any other running back. But now that he is not sharing touches with Elliot, Tony Pollard should be getting plenty of volume and plenty of yards.