The first rack of preseason games is in the books, and lots of nobodies are bubbling to the surface to state their claim to roster spots. Most notably, George Atkinson III rips off a couple of long touchdowns at Arizona. Terrance West scores a pair of touchdowns in Baltimore. And Mike Davis was tearing it up pretty good for the 49ers. Mike Gillislee looked pretty good for Buffalo. But what are the chances of these guys actually having any fantasy value?
The odds are stacked against running backs who weren’t even drafted (like Atkinson). But some of these players do wind up being relevant players.
I have gotten out the numbers from recent years. In this century (the 2000-2015 seasons) 61 times a running back who wasn’t even drafted ended up being a top-30 fantasy back in a season. That’s using the scoring system of 6 points for touchdowns and 1 for every 10 yards.
Priest Holmes and Arian Foster are the poster children of this group. Each were top-5 backs multiple times.
UNDRAFTED RUNNING BACKS WITH TOP-30 SEASONS (2000-2015) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Run | Rec | Total | TD | Points | Rk |
2003 | Priest Holmes, K.C. | 1,420 | 690 | 2,110 | 27 | 373.0 | 1 |
2002 | Priest Holmes, K.C. | 1,615 | 672 | 2,287 | 24 | 372.7 | 1 |
2010 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 1,616 | 604 | 2,220 | 18 | 330.0 | 1 |
2001 | Priest Holmes, K.C. | 1,555 | 614 | 2,169 | 10 | 276.9 | 2 |
2006 | Willie Parker, Pitt. | 1,494 | 222 | 1,716 | 16 | 267.6 | 5 |
2012 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 1,424 | 217 | 1,641 | 17 | 266.1 | 2 |
2000 | Mike Anderson, Den. | 1,500 | 169 | 1,669 | 15 | 258.9 | 4 |
2011 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 1,224 | 617 | 1,841 | 12 | 256.1 | 4 |
2014 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 1,246 | 327 | 1,573 | 13 | 239.3 | 5 |
2009 | Ryan Grant, G.B. | 1,253 | 197 | 1,450 | 11 | 211.0 | 8 |
2005 | Mike Anderson, Den. | 1,014 | 212 | 1,226 | 13 | 200.6 | 10 |
2004 | Priest Holmes, K.C. | 892 | 187 | 1,079 | 15 | 197.9 | 12 |
2001 | Dominic Rhodes, Ind. | 1,104 | 224 | 1,328 | 10 | 192.8 | 11 |
2013 | Fred Jackson, Buff. | 890 | 387 | 1,277 | 10 | 187.7 | 11 |
2010 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis, N.E. | 1,008 | 85 | 1,093 | 13 | 187.3 | 15 |
2007 | Earnest Graham, T.B. | 898 | 324 | 1,222 | 10 | 182.2 | 11 |
2002 | Marcel Shipp, Ariz. | 834 | 413 | 1,247 | 9 | 178.7 | 21 |
2014 | C.J. Anderson, Den. | 849 | 324 | 1,173 | 10 | 177.3 | 12 |
2015 | Chris Ivory, NYJ | 1,070 | 217 | 1,287 | 8 | 176.7 | 8 |
2011 | Fred Jackson, Buff. | 934 | 442 | 1,376 | 6 | 173.6 | 14 |
2005 | Willie Parker, Pitt. | 1,202 | 218 | 1,420 | 5 | 172.0 | 15 |
2009 | Fred Jackson, Buff. | 1,062 | 371 | 1,433 | 4 | 171.3 | 16 |
2013 | Joique Bell, Det. | 650 | 547 | 1,197 | 8 | 169.7 | 16 |
2014 | Joique Bell, Det. | 860 | 322 | 1,182 | 8 | 166.2 | 14 |
2001 | Stacey Mack, Jac. | 877 | 165 | 1,042 | 10 | 164.2 | 16 |
2004 | Nick Goings, Car. | 821 | 394 | 1,215 | 7 | 163.5 | 22 |
2015 | Danny Woodhead, S.D. | 336 | 755 | 1,091 | 9 | 163.1 | 12 |
2010 | Mike Tolbert, S.D. | 735 | 216 | 951 | 11 | 163.1 | 19 |
2008 | Pierre Thomas, N.O. | 625 | 284 | 909 | 12 | 162.9 | 21 |
2008 | Ryan Grant, G.B. | 1,203 | 116 | 1,319 | 5 | 161.9 | 22 |
2007 | Willie Parker, Pitt. | 1,316 | 164 | 1,480 | 2 | 160.0 | 16 |
2000 | James Allen, Chi. | 1,120 | 291 | 1,411 | 3 | 159.1 | 24 |
2007 | Ryan Grant, G.B. | 956 | 145 | 1,101 | 8 | 158.1 | 17 |
2009 | Pierre Thomas, N.O. | 793 | 302 | 1,095 | 8 | 157.5 | 20 |
2010 | Fred Jackson, Buff. | 927 | 215 | 1,142 | 7 | 156.2 | 21 |
2012 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cin. | 1,094 | 104 | 1,198 | 6 | 155.8 | 19 |
2007 | Kenny Watson, Cin. | 763 | 374 | 1,137 | 7 | 155.7 | 19 |
2011 | Mike Tolbert, S.D. | 490 | 433 | 923 | 10 | 152.3 | 22 |
2014 | Matt Asiata, Minn. | 570 | 312 | 882 | 10 | 152.2 | 16 |
2013 | Danny Woodhead, N.E. | 429 | 605 | 1,034 | 8 | 151.4 | 19 |
2011 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis, N.E. | 667 | 159 | 826 | 11 | 148.6 | 24 |
2008 | Dominic Rhodes, Ind. | 538 | 302 | 840 | 9 | 140.0 | 26 |
2010 | LeGarrette Blount, T.B. | 1,007 | 14 | 1,021 | 6 | 138.1 | 24 |
2003 | Troy Hambrick, Dall. | 972 | 99 | 1,071 | 5 | 137.1 | 25 |
2014 | Chris Ivory, NYJ | 821 | 123 | 944 | 7 | 136.4 | 19 |
2013 | Pierre Thomas, N.O. | 549 | 513 | 1,062 | 5 | 136.2 | 23 |
2001 | Maurice Smith, Atl. | 760 | 230 | 990 | 6 | 135.0 | 24 |
2011 | Pierre Thomas, N.O. | 562 | 425 | 987 | 6 | 134.7 | 27 |
2006 | Mike Bell, Den. | 677 | 158 | 835 | 8 | 131.5 | 30 |
2010 | Danny Woodhead, N.E. | 547 | 379 | 926 | 6 | 128.6 | 28 |
2013 | LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 772 | 38 | 810 | 7 | 123.0 | 30 |
2011 | LeGarrette Blount, T.B. | 781 | 148 | 929 | 5 | 122.9 | 29 |
2014 | Fred Jackson, Buff. | 525 | 501 | 1,026 | 3 | 122.6 | 23 |
2015 | Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 830 | 76 | 906 | 5 | 120.6 | 26 |
2015 | C.J. Anderson, Den. | 720 | 183 | 903 | 5 | 120.3 | 27 |
2015 | Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 706 | 182 | 888 | 5 | 118.8 | 29 |
2014 | Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 607 | 87 | 694 | 8 | 117.4 | 28 |
2012 | Danny Woodhead, N.E. | 301 | 446 | 747 | 7 | 116.7 | 25 |
2015 | LeGarrette Blount, N.E. | 703 | 43 | 746 | 7 | 116.6 | 30 |
2012 | Joique Bell, Det. | 414 | 485 | 899 | 3 | 107.9 | 29 |
2005 | Samkon Gado, G.B. | 582 | 77 | 659 | 7 | 107.9 | 30 |
—Ian Allan