I am a fan of selecting backup running backs in the middle and later rounds. Typically you don’t get anything out of these guys in September, but at some point during the season, they show up in the starting lineup, with a good chance of productive numbers.
This should be even more true in 2021, with the league moving to a 17-game schedule. It’s even tough now for a running back to stay healthy for the full season.
Consider the following chart. It shows the 39 running backs last year who had at least one game with 100-plus rushing yards. Seventeen of these running backs were backups at the start of the season.
100-YARD RUSHERS IN 2020 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Player | Tm | No |
2020 | Derrick Henry | TEN | 10 |
2020 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | 8 |
2020 | Nick Chubb | CLE | 6 |
2020 | James Robinson | JAC | 4 |
2020 | Ronald Jones | TB | 4 |
2020 | Damien Harris | NE | 3 |
2020 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | 3 |
2020 | David Montgomery | CHI | 3 |
2020 | Aaron Jones | GB | 3 |
2020 | James Conner | PIT | 3 |
2020 | Jeff Wilson | SF | 2 |
2020 | J.K. Dobbins | BAL | 2 |
2020 | Kenyan Drake | ARI | 2 |
2020 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | 2 |
2020 | Melvin Gordon | DEN | 2 |
2020 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KAN | 2 |
2020 | Josh Jacobs | LV | 2 |
2020 | Miles Sanders | PHI | 2 |
2020 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | 2 |
2020 | Wayne Gallman | NYG | 1 |
2020 | Ty Johnson | NYJ | 1 |
2020 | Benny Snell | PIT | 1 |
2020 | Leonard Fournette | TB | 1 |
2020 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | 1 |
2020 | Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 1 |
2020 | D'Andre Swift | DET | 1 |
2020 | AJ Dillon | GB | 1 |
2020 | Darrell Henderson | LAR | 1 |
2020 | Salvon Ahmed | MIA | 1 |
2020 | Alexander Mattison | MIN | 1 |
2020 | Latavius Murray | NO | 1 |
2020 | Ty Montgomery | NO | 1 |
2020 | Todd Gurley | ATL | 1 |
2020 | Gus Edwards | BAL | 1 |
2020 | Joe Mixon | CIN | 1 |
2020 | David Johnson | HOU | 1 |
2020 | Cam Akers | LAR | 1 |
2020 | Alvin Kamara | NO | 1 |
2020 | Sony Michel | NE | 1 |
Heading into 2021 drafts, I’m looking at guys like Chuba Hubbard, Rashaad Penny, Darrel Williams, AJ Dillon and Darrell Henderson (pictured). Relative to what they’ll cost, I like the potential of them to step in at some point and help your team.
—Ian Allan