It’s crazy to say with the NBA playoffs still going on but the NFL season is right around the corner! With no preseason games and training camp getting less coverage, the NFL season has snuck up on us. With Week 1 coming up, it is time for you to get prepared on who should be making the cut for your lineups. Yesterday, we focused on which Quarterbacks presented the best value in Week 1. Today we will be focusing on which Running Backs present the best value!
Marlon Mack (1.5X)/Jonathan Taylor (1.55X) @ JAX
This pick is more about the Jaguars than anything else. It was only three years ago when the Jaguars had one of the best defenses in the league and were close to advancing to the Super Bowl. Flash forward to 2020 and they are basically the tanking Philadelphia 76ers of the NFL. In 2017, they had six Pro Bowlers on defense: Jalen Ramsey, Yannick Ngakoue, AJ Bouye, Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Telvin Smith. All of those players are gone. Even more concerning is Campbell and Ngakoue were on the team last year when they gave up the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs.
With Jacksonville’s defense depleted this is a perfect game for Marlon Mack or Jonathan Taylor to run wild in. They run behind one of the best offensive lines in the league and with Phillip Rivers not a stranger of making mistakes, you would think running the ball would be the focus of the Colts game plan. In two games last year against Jacksonville, Mack had 29 rushes for 186 yards, with three touchdowns. Taylor, on the other hand, has a ton of promise coming out of Wisconsin. At 1.5X and 1.55X respectively, I would feel comfortable locking whichever guy is the first stringer into my lineup.
Josh Jacobs (1.5X) @ CAR
It is going to take a while to get used to the Raiders being in Las Vegas after being in Oakland for so many years. It will not take a while to get used to the Raiders featuring Josh Jacobs as the main threat of their offense as he was the man for them last year. Jacobs had a terrific rookie season last year compiling 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns on 242 carries. While there most likely will be more passing in Jon Gruden’s offense this season with Henry Ruggs in the fold, Jacobs will for sure be the focal point in Week 1.
Jacobs is facing a Carolina Panthers defense that was ranked dead last in the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. You think that is bad? Consider the fact that happened when the Panthers still had All-Pro Luke Keuchly manning the middle of the defense for them. Now that he is retired, things are looking very grim for the Carolina run defense. Don’t overthink this one and insert Jacobs into your lineup at 1.5X.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
Featured Image Source: Getty Images
