The running backs you select to strengthen your daily fantasy football lineups can be studs or duds and with the majority of running backs in the league being dual-threat options (run or pass), they are typically big point earners!
Our best Running Back Sleeper choices for the 2021 NFL season
We’ve got the best running backs like Saquan, the McCaffrey, and the Cook but which RB sleepers might you be missing to help you capitalize on some serious prize money?
Antonio Gibson – Washington Football Team
Gibson is one of the most versatile backs in the league. In college football, he registered 44 catches and only 33 rushes as a running back, however last season with the Washington Football Team his numbers became regulated. Gibson put up an impressive 795 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season.
Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner knows how valuable a dual-threat running back is and because of that, we’re expecting an increase in his passing role within the Washington Football Team offense. If all goes as planned, Gibson may very well finish above his current predictions.
AJ Dillon – Green Bay Packers
Dillon provided little to no value to the Packers in his rookie season. Largely overshadowed by Jamal Williams and Aaron Jones, Dillon had little to offer. 2021 is the year of Dillon, here’s why.
Aaron Jones signed a lucrative extension with the Packers this off-season while Williams has joined the Detroit Lions. In the Packers’ current offensive format, it’s been a two-back split, and Dillon is poised to slide right in and garner the reps previously belonging to Williams.
AJ is a large and athletic back and you can expect to see him generating solid sleeper fantasy numbers weekly. You should absolutely consider him in your daily fantasy football lineups.
Michael Carter – New York Jets
Carter is projected to have a large role in the Jets backfield going into week one which is surprising that he’s still on our sleeper charts. To elaborate, in the last 10 years the Jets have gone 70-106 with their best season coming in 2015 where they went 10 and 6.
That 2015 season coincidentally was the last time they had above a .500 season and in 2020 they produced a measly 2-14 record with only 16 touchdowns total. We aren’t expecting huge numbers out of the Jets this year, however, we are expecting improvement. Insert Michael Carter. He averaged 8 yards per carry and ran for 10+ yards on 23% of his rushing attempts in 2020. The North Carolina prospect also racked up 1,245 yards in his final collegiate season in a strong ACC conference.
We can expect his sheer talent to make up for some, not all, of the deficiencies in the Jets offense. He should be expected to have a large role and for that reason is worth rostering in your dfs lineups.
Darrell Henderson – Los Angeles Rams
Henderson is the #1 option rb for the Rams, whose head coach Sean McVay is not known for splitting reps. McVay relies heavily on individual backs and rotates as needed due to injuries. Because of that, Henderson is guaranteed touches at the very least.
Because they have options all across the field, defenses will have a hard time isolating a single threat making the Rams a very dangerous offensive team. Last year Henderson in 15 games total (11 started) tallied 5 touchdowns and 624 yards. You can expect a solid bump in these numbers as the number 1 option this year. We are projecting weekly performances out of this solid back.
Mike Davis – Atlanta Falcons
Now with his 5th team in 4 seasons, Davis is bringing years of experience with him to the Atlanta Falcons. In 2020, he enjoyed his best season to date with the Carolina Panthers. Due to an injury-riddled McCaffrey, Davis had 12 starts, 6 touchdowns, and 642 yards.
He’s proven himself to have the ability to be a workhorse running back and that is a mentality he will need in Atlanta. Projected to be the top options, the Falcons will have a run game centered around him.
Conclusion
Not all sleeper running backs are second options, see Gibson. The greats of today have to be replaced at some point. Injuries occur, father time taps the stars of today. Look at some of these value running backs to provide huge stats. They can help you to win all of your favorite daily fantasy football competitions on SuperDraft.
