Year One Impact Rookies: Running back

Every NFL season, there are a handful of top-flight rookies who help shape fantasy football seasons. Each draft class offers the promise of league-winning type players. Over the last four years, on average, over three rookies per season have finished inside the top 50 in total fantasy points scored. We’re going to dive into rookies from this class during this series that can offer that type of impact for our fantasy squads. We keep the train rolling along with the running back position.

Check out my rookie impact quarterbacks.

Impact Rookies for Fantasy Football - RB Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers Najee Harris walks out of the draft with a landing spot that will feed him both on the ground and through the air. Pittsburgh ranked 27th in targets (81) to the running back position last season. We can safely say this had more to do with a lack of talented options than overall scheme change. Their running backs garnered a 12.4% target share (32nd) last year after averaging a 23.4% share of the targets over the previous four seasons. The Steelers have displayed over numerous seasons that they desire a primary runner. Any worries about Benny Snell , Anthony McFarland or Kalen Ballage siphoning off work should be dispelled quickly. Harris is primed for a top-15 fantasy running back season.

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars This draft pick was the coffin nail for James Robinson ’s fantasy football stock. The truthers remain livid over Urban Meyer’s selection of Travis Etienne in the first round. Meyer doesn’t care about anyone’s deep-seated dynasty or redraft love for the fantasy UDFA darling of 2020. Meyer puts his stamp on this offense and franchise, and Etienne will be a cornerstone along with Trevor Lawrence . If Robinson retains a tertiary role, there will be plenty of volume to go around this season. During his final four seasons at Ohio State, Meyer averaged 42.7 rushing attempts per game while never ranking lower than 38th (26th, 18th, 30th, 38th) in the country in this category. The pass game role for Etienne is what we covet, though. Lawrence led all collegiate quarterbacks last season in screen yards (686), so expect this to be a staple of the Jacksonville offense this year.

Trey Sermon, San Francisco 49ers As a Trey Sermon believer, this was one of my fever-dream landing spots. Sermon’s abilities in a zone-rushing scheme have been proven at the collegiate level . San Francisco utilized zone concept runs on 64.9% of their run plays last season. Kyle Shanahan has proven repeatedly that if he can feed the running game, he will. In five of his last nine seasons directing an NFL offense, his team has ranked inside the top 12 in rushing attempts and top seven in rushing touchdowns. The offensive line last year ranked tenth in second-level yards, per Football Outsiders. Sermon in the second level routinely is a scary thought for opposing defenses but a mouth-watering proposition for fantasy purposes.

Michael Carter, New York Jets Mike LaFleur is bringing the San Francisco offensive scheme east. Michael Carter should transition seamlessly to this run game. Last year at North Carolina, 56% of Carter’s runs were on zone concept plays. Carter crushed, as a result, ranking ninth in yards after contact per attempt among 150 running backs with 75 or more rushing attempts. A depth chart containing La'Mical Perine , Ty Johnson , Tevin Coleman and Josh Adams should be no worries for Carter. Adding Alijah Vera-Tucker to an offensive line that quietly ranked 17th in adjusted line yards last year is a plus for Carter. Carter’s ADP will creep up the closer we get to the season, but for a good reason. His combination of lateral agility and vision in this running scheme has mountainous upside for fantasy football.

Honorable mention Rhamondre Stevenson , New England Patriots: Stevenson lands in a muddy backfield, but if he were to gain the opportunities to carry the mail, the impact could be substantial. The Patriots were the most red-zone run-heavy team in the NFL (69%) last season. While New England added a bevy of pass-catchers in the offense Bill Belichick has shown us in previous seasons, he’s willing to ride a big body back near the goal line (*whispers* LeGarrette Blount ). Stevenson would have plenty of running room behind an offensive line that ranked third in adjusted line yards last season.

Year One Impact Rookies: Running back

Impact Rookies for Fantasy Football - RB

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

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