It’s hard to imagine too many fantasy owners are strapped for running-back options this early in the season, but if that’s the case, there are quite a few under-the-radar options to help them climb out of that rut.
Fantasy football sleepers: Week 1 running backs
In a deep fantasy league? Have holes at the running back position that need to be filled? Dan Ciarrocchi has you covered with a few under-the-radar options with high upsides this week.
A tackling dummy would have racked-up yards and touchdowns versus the Chicago Bears defense last year, and now that defense has to face one of the most reliable backs in the game. With the shaky E.J. Manuel at the helm and with the Bears weaknesses up front, the Bills should adhere to a ground-heavy game plan that should feature Jackson early and often. If there is a time where this savvy veteran can turn back the clock, Week 1 presents no better opportunity.
Copy and paste the Bears struggles here, but also worth consideration is the Bears offense. It’s electric, and if the Buffalo Bills fall too far behind, Spiller could be a popular checkdown in the passing game. A healthy Spiller has just as good of a chance to break a big play as anyone else in the NFL. He’ll be a coverage nightmare for linebackers if used properly.
It's not as if Gore is an under the radar player, but he doesn't get close to the amount love reserved for other feature backs. Sunday's game versus the Dallas Cowboys has all the makings of a shootout, and it would be great to be first in line to get goal-line work. Enter Gore, who ought to get the bulk of those situations, and will get to do so against a woeful Cowboys defense. It's bad enough that this unit allowed more fantasy points to running backs in 2013 than any other team, but they now have to cope without the likes of Sean Lee and Demarcus Ware. This could get ugly for everyone, or, at least everyone who doesn't have San Francisco 49ers on their fantasy teams.
To those who watched the San Diego Chargers play in 2013, one thing is obvious- that offense can stay on the field as long as it wants. One way the Arizona Cardinals can combat this is with a committed running game. That's easier said than done, especially with Andre Ellington sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks, but they have a tough between-the-tackles runner in Jonathan Dwyer who can pull this off. Since he only went drafted in the deepest of leagues, he became Week 1's most popular waiver claim, and leagues everywhere should see him penned into lineups for good reason. There's flex appeal here, and a lot of that has to do with Dwyer being a bruising back who could do well in goal-line work.
This isn't an indictment on Ryan Mathews, who I think will have a solid week of work. It's that the Cardinals front seven is so woefully depleted that a scat-back like Woodhead could have lots of room to run should the gameplan get him into space. Also worth noting, is that top receiver Keenan Allen will likely be shadowed all night by Patrick Peterson, one of the few corners in the league who is entrusted with the duty of following the No. 1 guy across formations. Allen's able to overcome this, but it should at least give Woodhead some more looks as a check-down option in the passing game. Remember, this is a guy who caught 76 passes in this offense in 2013, so it's not as if he's going to be an afterthought.
