Written by Bobby Greco
The year was 2020 and uncertainty covered the land. In a year when quite literally anything can happen and nothing is a given, we will still somehow navigate through this fantasy football season. Now be prepared, because I promise you this season will be like nothing you have ever experienced. Between the COVID pandemic and players opting out of the season, this is truly going to be an unprecedented time. However, it is our American duty to adapt to our new world and keep fantasy football strong! So as I pondered about this season and what changes need to be made, like adding an extra roster spot, or definitely adding some additional IR spots, I came to a profound conclusion… The most important player on your team and the key to a successful season is having a good RB2.
Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn summed up this season perfectly on the premiere of Hard Knocks when he said, “This season will rapidly change every day and you have to be ready to deal with it”. This is going to apply to your fantasy team as well. One minute you’re looking good and your team is healthy, then all of a sudden Thanos snaps his fingers and half your team out for two weeks. What do you do then? Play waiver wire roulette, or did you draft right and have a strong RB2? While you may be thinking, what about the receiver positions and why aren’t they as important? Well if you look at every NFL roster, you will see each team has 2 to 3 viable WR options on the team and that is a very different story when you look at the league's RBs.
After looking at the depth at running back across the league, I came to the conclusion about the RB2 position. Not only do many teams have just 1 viable option at the position, but some teams don’t even have one running back who will be drafted in fantasy this year( Jaguars, Buccaneers, Bears). That is why I think this is so important this season because with everything going on outside of football there is a very good chance that a healthy player ends up missing multiple weeks. So let’s take a look at a few of my favorite options for this position.
1. Austin Ekeler LAC- Last season Ekeler totaled 557 rushing yards and 3TD, which was only 60 yards away from the team leader Melvin Gordon and proved he could be the primary RB when Gordon was holding out. Ekeler also racked up 993 receiving yards with 8TD last season, which was third on the team. Now that Ekeler is the lead runner for the Chargers, expect a big year from him. I would expect him to be a 5th-6th round pick.
2. Josh Jacobs LV- Jacobs not only led his team in rushing yards with 1,150, but he was also the NFL rookie rushing leader too. He added 7TD with those yards. Jacobs wasn’t used much in the pass game and only got 166 receiving yards. Now that he is coming into his second season and should know the offense better, there is a high possibility that he is more involved in the pass game. I see him improving on all his stats this year and think he is a 4th-5th round pick.
3. Kenyon Drake ARZ- This was a really tough call for me, but Drake edges out Devin Singletary and Marlon Mack. Though his stats were lower than both of the other RBs I mentioned, Drake is going to be the feature back for Arizona and should get a lot more opportunities. In his 8 games played with the Cardinals, he had 643 rushing yards and 8TD. Now with the acquisition of Deandre Hopkins, there is going to be a lot more space for Drake to work. Depending on how much a person likes him, I can honestly see him being drafted anywhere between the 3rd-7th rounds.
There are definitely more options here, but it all comes down to personal preference and for me, these are the top 3 players at the RB2 position. Now good luck this fantasy season, I hope your teams bring you the joy and success 2020 will not!