The second week of the NFL preseason is underway. While most of the league’s starters played sparingly last week, look for them to get more extended snaps as we get closer to the regular season. That also means fantasy owners should be looking closely for potential sleeper candidates, with many leagues beginning their drafts over the next two weeks.
Fantasy football 2017: Running back sleepers to watch in Week 2 of preseason
We look at some potential running back sleepers heading into the second week of preseason.
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
It’s still too early in the preseason to make any serious predictions, but we have a general idea of where most players stand on the depth chart at this point. Before the majority of games kick off over the weekend, let’s examine some sleeper candidates at the running back position worth keeping an eye on.
Eddie Lacy hasn’t exactly been lighting the world on fire and Thomas Rawls is sitting out Friday night’s game with an ankle injury, so look for Carson to get plenty of runs. Carson showed some good power and decisive running ability in the Seahawks’ first preseason game and could potentially make Lacy redundant if he keeps putting on good tape in the preseason.
Hunt didn’t play much in the first preseason game, seeing only two touches. He’s not close to challenging Spencer Ware for the starting job yet. The good news is that the third-round rookie moved ahead of Charcandrick West and is No. 2 on the depth chart, opening up an opportunity for more playing time the rest of the month. He should get plenty of reps against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.
Matt Forte is dealing with a hamstring injury and has been ruled out of the second preseason game. Powell missed time himself with a neck injury, but he’s practicing again and will get a chance to solidify the starting job. Powell had 1,110 total yards on just 189 touches last season and is just about the only Jet worth drafting in standard fantasy leagues. The Jets will probably run the ball as much as they can with their quarterback situation in shambles.
Ty Montgomery is the starter for now, but his job might be more tenuous than it appears at first glance. Normally a team doesn’t draft multiple running backs if it’s satisfied with its backfield, and Green Bay drafted three this year. The most notable is Williams, a fourth-rounder who immediately took the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Williams had 14 yards on four carries in last week’s preseason game and could be in line for more work, especially if Montgomery — a converted wide receiver — can’t hold up as an every-down running back. Williams is a name worth filing away in deeper fantasy leagues.
