As we approach the 2020 NFL season, the team here at YardsPer Fantasy sat down and created a list of 2020 fantasy football running backs you must draft. This is the second installment of a four-part series where we compile analysts Zareh Kantzabedian, Alex Johnson, Jake Brouillette, Andrew Zamzow, Scott Leathley, and Big Cat’s favorite players. Let’s look at the team’s favorite RBs.
ZAREH KANTZABEDIAN: JAMES CONNER, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Don’t act like you don’t think Conner cannot finish inside the top-10 RBs this year. The man is 25 years old and coming off a season where he was one of the few bright spots on a team fighting to stay alive in their division.
Last year, defenses keyed in on Conner as the Steelers quarterback play was a complete joke. Even before he was injured in Week 9, Conner was still catching at least four passes a game. Now, the Steelers are returning with everyone back to full health and Vegas has the Steelers win total at 9.5 games. This conjures the notion that should expect a lot of beneficial game scripts for Conner.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is infamous for being one of the few coaches in the league that still believes in the idea of a featured back. What is also being overlooked is the addition of full back Derek Watt to help open some holes for Conner.
Conner is a safe bet to top 250 carries and 60 receptions if he plays a full year. Conner was on pace to finish with over 1000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards before going down in Week 13 in 2018.
If I’m at the turn of my draft and looking at that fourth tier of running backs, I’m taking him over Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon, and New York Jets running back LeVeon Bell.
At that point, he is odds on favorite to catch the most passes of all those backs and he is on one of the better teams in the league.
Go all in, draft Conner and enjoy a massive return in value.
ANDREW ZAMZOW: TARIK COHEN, CHICAGO BEARS
In 2019, Cohen was hoping to put together his second straight top-12 finish at the running back position in PPR formats. Cohen managed to increase his targets in the passing game but regressed in every other major category. Unfortunately, his efficiency was very poor, accruing a dismal 4.7 yards per touch. To put that into perspective, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey managed 5.9 YPT. To be fair, the Bears offense as a whole took a massive step back and struggled mightily.
Related | Why Tarik Cohen Is A Fantastic Value In 2020 Fantasy Football Drafts
So why is Cohen a guy you have to draft?
Everyone in the fantasy community loves the phrase “positive regression” and I’m one of them. Cohen is due for some much needed positive regression. His yards per carry in 2019 was a full yard below his career average and his yards per route was a measly 4.7, good for 33rd at the running back position. Nick Foles is the new man in town at the quarterback position, whether he’s starting or not, Cohen is a mainstay in the Bears offense and will get his opportunities. Fellow running back David Montgomery has the early-down work, but Cohen is a superior option in the passing game and will get plenty of targets. Honestly, Cohen should compete with third-year wide receiver Anthony Miller for targets behind the team’s top wide receiver Allen Robinson.
In 2020, look for Cohen to again command a decent target share—around 100—and re-emerge into the RB2 conversation. He is being drafted as the RB33, according to FantasyPros, and shouldn’t have any problem catapulting past that position.
BIG CAT: JOE MIXON, CINCINNATI BENGALS
Explosive quarterback? Check.
Improved offensive line? Check.
Better offensive weapons? Check.
The bell cow? Check.
Mixon has been an up and down roller coaster player for owners the last couple of years, seeing Mixon finish as the RB13, RB10, and RB30 from 2017-2019, respectively. Entering a contract year, Mixon should be motivated to produce, and now has a supporting cast that can help him do so.
The Bengals selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and will be getting 2019 first-round pick and offensive tackle Jonah Williams back from injury on the offensive line. Star wide receiver A.J. Green coupled with fellow wide receiver Tyler Boyd will provide enough of a threat with Burrow to prevent defenses from zeroing in on Mixon in the run game. As a receiver, Mixon saw 45 targets in 2019. I’m confident in projecting Mixon close to 80 targets for 2020, seeing a 13-percent share of Burrow’s attempts. Currently sitting with an ADP of 11 or RB9, owners at the backend of the first round should be salivating over the chance to select Mixon as one of their 2020 fantasy football running backs.
SCOTT LEATHLEY: DAVID MONTGOMERY, CHICAGO BEARS
Is there a safer running back for touches around this area of the draft? No way.
The Bears offseason told us that they feel confident in giving Montgomery the full workhorse role in this offense. Yes, Montgomery had the full workhorse role last year and stunk with it. He was incredibly inefficient with the 242 rushes he got last year. In fact, the only running back in the top-20 with similar rush attempts that was less efficient was Le’Veon Bell. If Montgomery’s efficiency positively regresses closer to the mean, he is gonna receive enough volume to return good value as the RB28 coming off the board. How do I know he will receive the volume? Well, just look at the other running backs on the Bears roster. Tarik Cohen is a gadget player that has his own role in the offense and the only other options are Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce.
Have you ever heard of them?
Yeah, me neither.
Last year probably left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy players and that’s understandable. Montgomery is currently coming off the board as an RB3.
In a season that brings many question marks, it’s important to have safe bets on your team like Montgomery. If one of my starting running backs gets placed on the COVID-19 list and misses a game or two, I want to be able to place someone in my starting lineup that I know won’t lose me a week due to lack of use in the offense. Montgomery may not win you every week, but he won’t lose you one either. He’s one of the safer 2020 fantasy football running backs.
JAKE BROUILLETTE: CAM AKERS, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Akers will step right into the lead role after the departure of fellow running back Todd Gurley. Gurley totaled over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns on wobbly knees.
What? Are you scared of the Rams other running back Darrell Henderson?
Related | Cam Akers: 2020 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Listen, a team doesn’t waste a top-50 pick on a committee RB. His RB30 consensus ranking is way too low.
Alex Johnson: Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals
We had an opportunity to see Chase Edmonds in a lead role for one week in 2019 due to a David Johnson injury and he did not disappoint. Edmonds ran wild in the Week 7 start, garnering a 96.6-percent Snap Share and finishing as the overall RB1 with 35 fantasy points. Edmonds had been trending up, earning a larger role and ranking as the RB15 in each of the previous two weeks. Unfortunately, a hamstring strain the following week derailed his season and led to the acquisition of Kenyan Drake. Edmonds barely saw the field the rest of the way.
For More Analysis From Alex, Check Out The Feed Me Fantasy Podcast!
While the sample was small, Edmonds flashed elite-level efficiency. He was eighth among all running backs with 2.0 Yards Created per touch and sixth in True Yards Per Carry (4.8). It’s easy to see why he is so good at dodging defenders when looking at his PlayerProfiler.com player page and see the 97th-percentile Agility Score. Edmonds was also top-10 with a +25.9 Production Premium.
With Johnson out of the picture, Edmonds will play a larger role in Arizona’s backfield with just Kenyan Drake ahead of him. Drake has also been efficient in his time in the league but he has never received more than 220 touches in a season so the opportunity is there for Edmonds to carve out a weekly role. He’s just one Drake injury away from a significant Opportunity Share in one of the league’s most fantasy-friendly offenses.
Every Arizona lead running back put up significant fantasy performances as they combined for nine top-12 weeks between Johnson (five), Drake (three), and Edmonds (one). Fantasy drafters are selecting Edmonds at his floor with an ADP outside the top-50 RBs. His ceiling is not being factored into his price, making him a fantastic target in the double-digit rounds. Edmonds is a league-winner if anything happens to Drake. That upside is hard to find that late in a draft.
