Fantasy sports have become the mecca of gambling entertainment, and no titan in this field is larger than fantasy football. From office to retirement home, high schools to colleges, fantasy football has permeated the modern entertainment spectrum and is not going away anytime soon.
Competition in this field is like no other, and to win one must employ strategies like drafting quarterbacks late, taking defenses and kickers in two of the last three rounds and most pertinent for our purposes here: streaming running backs. But who are the top groups of backs to stream heading into 2014? I’m here to impart some knowledge.
Oakland Raiders
We begin this study of the running back stream in the bay area, though not with the team you may have surmised. The 2013 Raiders ran the ball 437 times for 2000 yards and 16 touchdowns, ranking them 16th, 12th, and 7th in those categories respectively. More impressive was the team’s yard per carry average which stood at 4.6 per attempt, sixth in the league.
Last year’s starter by default Rashad Jennings steps aside for the tremendous tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and longtime hometown favorite Darren McFadden. While this duo would have been much more impressive three years ago, the talent in this backfield cannot be denied especially with how low these two are being drafted thus far in mocks. If this pairing is not enough to satisfy your fantasy hopes and dreams, fullback Marcel Reece is virtually the only player at that position worth owning in deeper leagues due to his value of catching balls out of the backfield.
San Francisco 49ers
Keeping things geographically reasonable, the San Francisco 49ers have even more talent at running back than their crosstown rivals. The 49ers were third in the league in rush attempts in 2013 with 503, which resulted in 2201 yards and 18 touchdowns, ranking them third and fourth in those categories.
What makes this team even more special is the depth at the running back position. Thirty-one year old Frank Gore will man the helm of this unit once again, but the clock is ticking on this aging rusher. So who to handcuff him with? The versatile Kendall Hunter? Fan-favorite yet undeveloped LaMichael James? The virtually forgotten Marcus Lattimore? Or new second-round pick Carlos Hyde? Chances are all four of these stumblers, fumblers, and rumblers will not be on the team when the first snap of the 2014 season occurs, but the talent here cannot be ignored especially as these backs fall into the later rounds.
Seattle Seahawks
It is hard to find one thing the 49ers NFC West rival Seahawks do worse than their counterparts from the Bay Area. Seattle’s trio of rushers could each shoulder the load on most opposing teams and all have the ability to switch their gear into the famous (or infamous if you’re from New Orleans) “Beast Mode”. Last season Seattle attempted the second-most rushes in football with 509 which resulted in 2188 yards (fourth overall) and 14 scores. Leading this troupe was four-time Pro Bowler Marshawn Lynch who led the team with 1573 yards from scrimmage.
Behind the dread-lock wearing monster in the Seahawks backfield are names that could soon become household. Christine Michael and Robert Turbin are polar opposites in terms of what they bring to the field, but both will see time should Lynch not be able to reach the 301 carry total of 2013. A rush-heavy offense mixed in with tremendous talent has created a cannot-miss opportunity in the later rounds of your draft should Michael or Turbin fall, and both are tremendous handcuffs for Lynch individually.
Detroit Lions
Perhaps the best one-two punch in the game today, Reggie Bush and Joique Bell are the focal point of Detroit’s high-powered offense. Combining for 2,709 yards from scrimmage, this is one pairing you should take a risk on early. The Lions’ thunder and lightning only rushed for 1782 yards in 2013, but turned 445 carries into 15 touchdowns and that is just the rushing side. The real value of this duo is in the receiving game where Bush and Bell combined for 107 receptions, 1053 yards and three scores, averaging over 70 yards per game.
Bell and Bush are seamless complements for each other, where Bush excels catching the ball out of the backfield and on outside runs, Bell hits the holes hard on the line bruising opposing defenders and wearing them down over the course of a game. To make matters worse for opposing coordinators, the two frequently play the same downs creating mismatches across the field. The one negative here is new coach Jim Caldwell, who uses a vertical attack that will benefit Matthew Stafford‘s owners more so than Bell’s or Bush’s. Still, this is one dynamic duo you will not want to miss out on in the right spot in your draft.
New York Jets
This next group is more a look towards the future than back at the past. Rex Ryan’s Jets rushed for the sixth most yards on the fifth most carries in 2013, rushing 421 times for 2158 yards. Adding fuel to this fire is the advent of Chris Johnson who’s blazing speed makes him a home run threat on every down. Though CJ2K has not reached that 2,000 yard plateau in years, pairing him with bruising rusher Chris Ivory is a match made in fantasy football heaven. But do not sleep on Bilal Powell either, as the versatile back saw more snaps and targets on passing downs than Ivory did in 2013.
Buffalo Bills
Staying in the AFC East, last seasons’ runners up in the race for the rushing title will be back at it again in 2014. C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson rushed more times than any tandem in football in 2013 with 546, netting 2307 yards and 15 scores. The Bills’ backs can catch the ball out of the backfield too, as this tandem combined for 661 receiving yards. A good value based on their interchangeability and low average draft positions, Jackson and Spiller deserve spots on your team this year. Mind the awful Bills' theme song in this clip of Spiller's dominant side.
New England Patriots
Three out of four ain’t bad right? At least not when you are talking streaming running backs from the AFC East. The Patriots’ rushers found the end zone more times in 2013 than anyone but the Philadelphia Eagles, finding pay dirt 19 times on the ground to match three scores from Shane Vereen through the air.
Where Vereen can create mis-matches by lining up out wide, Stevan Ridley pounds the ball with excellent quickness despite his status as a one-cut rusher. This duo matriculated 2065 yards on the ground last year in addition to 679 yards through the air. More valuable in PPR formats, Vereen and Ridley are a pairing that provides excellent value in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft. Check out Vereen's versatility below.
Philadelphia Eagles
Last but the opposite of least, last year’s rushing leaders are also viable in terms of the running back stream, especially with the addition of Darren Sproles to the Eagles backfield. LeSean McCoy lead the league in yards from scrimmage last season with 2146, and was just one part of the excellence that makes up Philadelphia’s running back corps.
With the absence of Jason Avant and Desean Jackson, Sproles will be asked to pick up the slack in the passing game especially in the slot. Sproles’ value in PPR formats will be exponentially higher due to his skill set in short-yardage situations. Expect plenty of formations to feature both McCoy and Sproles giving defensive coordinators nightmares, and the Eagles’ tremendous advantages in personnel.
Washington Redskins
Yet another dynamic duo from the NFC East comes from a team a few hours drive South on I-95 from the Nova-Care complex in Philadelphia. Alfred Morris has broken the 1000 yard barrier in both his sophomore and rookie seasons, but will be getting some aid during passing downs this season. A turf-toe injury kept Roy Helu from competing for the starting spot in Washington two years ago, and before he was healthy Morris was off and well… running.
Helu will play a similar role for the Redskins as Sproles will for the Eagles: catching passes out of the backfield and will be the main screen-pass receptacle. Though the run-heavy days of the Shanahan regime are gone in Washington, both Helu and Morris will get their fair share of touches in 2014.
Cincinnati Bengals
While the Law Firm’s tenure is likely a thing of the past in Cincinnati, Giovani Bernard proved in his rookie campaign that he was worth the second round selection the Bengals spent on him in the 2013 draft. Backing up Bernard will be 2014 second rounder and from LSU running back Jeremy Hill. Hill will be the muscle behind Bernard’s hustle and bustle, and if minicamp reports are anything to go by Hill will see plenty of time in the Cincinnati backfield in 2014.
Larger than Bernard and with an impressive resume from the SEC (Hill tallied 2,410 all-purpose yards and no fumbles in two seasons) Hill will likely see the goal line and short yardage carries that were previously Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis’s. Hill and Bernard are one of the best young tandems of rushers in the league, so do not hesitate to grab this duo come draft season.