NFL Daily Fantasy Football 2015: DFS Sleeper RBs to Target Early This Season – Bleacher Report Fantasy football is so close that you can feel it. More specifically, the time to set your lineup for the DraftKings $10 million Millionaire Maker is, well, already here. If you head over to the site, you can set your lineup, which means we need to get to work. The action starts with those sleepers at running back. If you can’t fill your daily fantasy football lineup in with a few sleepers, then there’s almost no chance you’ll be able to afford any of those high-dollar studs. While many players can grab your eye early in the season as “sleepers,” remember that things can change on a weekly basis in DFS. These prices for Week 1 sleeper RBs may change after just one game, but let’s make the most of their values in the meantime. Before we get into anything, the cost of a sleeper running back must be below $5,500 on DraftKings to qualify for this list. The reason for this is simply due to the fact that if you don’t find a running back below this price, it won’t truly help out the rest of your lineup. Alfred Morris is essentially the definition of a player who flies under the radar in fantasy football. While Morris costs only $5,500 to start the 2015 season, he has never failed to top 1,074 yards and seven scores in a season. While he topped 100 yards only one time in 2014, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reported that the Redskins expect to run “a lot” more in 2015. Washington is also a team with multiple players and coaches who have jobs on the line this season. It’s safe to say that the best bet for the Redskins to be successful in 2015 is going to be utilizing Morris in whatever way possible. Putting the statistics aside, the loss of Roy Helu could really open things up for Morris. Behind him on the depth chart you’ll find rookie Matt Jones and second-year back Silas Redd. This season should be Morris’ to dominate, especially if the Redskins want to have any shot at potentially making the playoffs. Early games against the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams and New York Giants aren’t amazing matchups on paper, but at a cost of $5,500, Morris is worth a shot. Melvin Gordon is one of the more interesting “sleepers” heading into the 2015 season. The rookie for the San Diego Chargers has massive upside, but will it show right out of the gate? Many fantasy players believe it’s safer to wait on the rookie running backs, but Gordon is in a very good situation. Last season, the Chargers spread 358 rushes among six different running backs. To put it simply, the Chargers are badly looking for someone to take over this backfield. The good news for Chargers fans? Gordon looks like he could very well be the man for the job. According to Eric D. Williams of ESPN, Gordon has already become a fan favorite early in training camp. While Gordon’s gaudy 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns during his senior season at Wisconsin are eye-popping, can he keep it going at the next level? Gordon has a great shot, as the first four games come against the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. While the Lions were the best in the NFL in terms of rushing yards per game allowed, the other three teams all fall in the bottom half of the league. Best of all, the Browns were the worst in the NFL according to NFL.com, allowing 141.6 yards on the ground per game. Taking a shot on Gordon and his $5,500 price tag may seem risky since he’s a rookie, but rest easy, as he could wind up as a huge steal. Yes, the Miami Dolphins drafted Jay Ajayi from the Boise State Broncos in the 2015 NFL draft. No, I’m not concerned in the slightest about Lamar Miller‘s workload heading into the upcoming season. After taking a step forward in 2013, Miller finally broke through in 2014 for the Dolphins. Not only did Miller finish the year with 1,099 yards, a 5.1-yard-per-carry average and eight scores, but he played in all 16 games. Miller’s ability to stay healthy isn’t the most important thing for daily fantasy players, but it’s still something worth noting. Miller truly did a little of everything last season for the Dolphins, including catching 38 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins start off 2015 against the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets. While a few of these teams have solid run defenses, Miller had success against each last season. The former Miami Hurricane went for 78 yards against the Jags and 86 yards against the Bills, for starters. Most impressive, though, were his 19 carries, 178 yards and one touchdown in Week 17 against the Jets. At $5,500, you’re getting a steal with Miller, especially if he’s able to just continue what he started last season. Miller is still getting slept on for some reason, but you have the chance to nab him before his price increases. T.J. Yeldon worked his way up draft boards in 2015, and the Jacksonville Jaguars chose to grab him early in Round 2. Since that point, Yeldon has been impressing the Jags on a consistent basis. While he’s a great runner, Yahoo Sports’ Eric Adelson explained that he’s been impressing with more than just his running abilities. Yeldon has an uphill climb to win the starting job in Jacksonville, but if he does, he’ll really have earned it. Both Toby Gerhart and Denard Robinson are expected to be ahead of him on the depth chart to start the preseason, but there’s time to turn the tide. Robinson averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season with four touchdowns, so many believe he’ll be the favorite to win the job. Purely as a runner, though, the edge should go to Yeldon. The former Crimson Tide running back scored 37 touchdowns over three years, showing that he simply has a knack for getting in the end zone. The Jags haven’t had a running back top eight rushing touchdowns since Maurice Jones-Drew did it in 2011. Yeldon may be the man to go even beyond eight scores in 2015 if given the goal-line work. Best of all? In the first five games of the 2015 season, each opponent the Jags face allowed 100-plus rushing yards per game last season, according to ESPN. Yeldon has a golden opportunity in front of him, with no Seattle Seahawk-type defenses on the schedule early. The San Francisco 49ers may seem like a total mess heading into the 2015 season, but Carlos Hyde has superstar potential. His 333 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 2014 were nice, but it’s going to be his show this season. With Frank Gore now heading up the run game for the Indianapolis Colts, the 49ers brought in Reggie Bush to help ease Hyde’s workload. That’s great and all, but Hyde, who is only 23, will be given all the opportunities in the world to take over in this backfield. Hyde’s Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings at home is probably the most appealing of his first four. With that said, we’ll be able to get a good feel for what Hyde is going to be able to bring to the table after this first game. If Hyde can put up 100-plus yards and a touchdown or two against the Vikings, he’ll head into games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals loaded with confidence. The 49ers need to get Hyde and the run game going early and often this season, so expect the young back to get plenty of touches early on. With a price tag of only $5,300 on DraftKings, he could wind up as a key to your Week 1 success. To be brutally honest, this should be a Tevin Coleman-or-Devonta Freeman situation. It’s going to really come down to who wins the starting running back job for the Atlanta Falcons. I believe Coleman has a great shot at doing that, though, and apparently DraftKings does as well. Between Coleman and Freeman, the rookie from Indiana’s cost is actually $500 more in Week 1. The Falcons drew the Philadelphia Eagles to kick off the season, who were No. 15 against the run in 2014. The Eagles allowed 110.7 rushing yards per game, according to NFL.com. Best of all, we know from his time with the Cleveland Browns that new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan loves to work his running backs. Last season alone, Shanahan helped both Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West top 600 yards each with 12 total touchdowns. The addition of Shanahan to Atlanta is going to be massively beneficial to both Coleman and Freeman in 2015. Whoever wins that starting job could wind up being fantasy gold, so we may not see price tags below $5,000 for these two backs too often beyond Week 1. Coleman’s my bet to win the starting gig in Atlanta. If he does win it, then his cost of $4,800 is one that DFS players should jump all over. To top it off, Vaughn McClure of ESPN reported that Coleman was getting first-team work right out of the gate at training camp. When you haven’t even played a single NFL regular-season game but are already receiving comparisons to Barry Sanders, it’s hard to go unnoticed. As Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News reported, New York Jets coach Todd Bowles heaped massive praise on rookie running back Ameer Abdullah. “He looked like he did in college,” Bowles said. “He’s quick as a cat. He’s about as quick as Barry Sanders. I’m not saying he is Barry, but he’s a good running back.” This comment from Bowles came after Abdullah rumbled for 67 yards on only seven rushes in Detroit’s preseason opener against the Jets. With that said, this “sleeper” may not remain one for very long. With a Week 1 price of $4,000 on DraftKings, Abdullah may become one of the most used players right out of the gate. Abdullah and the Detroit Lions kick 2015 off against the San Diego Chargers, who ranked No. 26 in the NFL in terms of rushing yards allowed per game last season. With the Chargers allowing 124.1 rushing yards per game, according to ESPN, believers in Abdullah are likely to be all over this matchup. So what’s there to worry about? Well, Joique Bell is currently working on returning to action after minor knee and Achilles tendon surgeries in January but will be back sooner than later. Bell is expected to get the nod as the starter to begin the season, but how will the carries be split? This is a question worth monitoring moving forward, but Abdullah has shown massive upside thus far, making his price tag very appealing. When it was announced that Arian Foster would be undergoing groin surgery, according to ESPN, it sent shockwaves through the fantasy football world. How Foster’s missed time would impact Houston’s backfield has been a major talking point. For season-long fantasy leagues, it makes for a tough situation. For daily fantasy football players, though? It automatically makes Alfred Blue one of the hottest sleepers at the running back position throughout the early weeks of the season. If Foster ends up going on the short-term injured reserve, which is expected, he will likely return in Week 10. This means that Blue would be the lead back against the following teams: In terms of rushing yards allowed per game in 2014 from those teams above, the Panthers were the best, ranking No. 17. On top of that, the Chiefs, Dolphins, Jaguars and Titans were all in the bottom nine, allowing at least 121.1 yards per game. Blue started his preseason off with a bang, rushing nine times for 59 yards in Houston’s preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers. The hype train is picking up speed, so hop aboard while you can. To break it down as simply as possible, Blue has the potential to make a massive splash early with Foster out of the lineup. While his DraftKings cost of $3,600 may not last long, it’s more than worth taking advantage of while you can. DraftKings is giving away over $10 million Week 1 of the NFL Season. Use this knowledge to help you win some of that cash. The biggest first-place prize ever at $2 million will be awarded. Play now for FREE at DraftKings.com. Follow Jeff Smith on Twitter.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
