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The transition from college football to the NFL is becoming smoother by the year for rookies. In recent memory, Najee Harris, Saquon Barkley, D’Andre Swift, James Robinson, and others have had very successful rookie seasons. All these players were drafted in different spots ranging from the first round to undrafted completely. The reality is, it doesn’t matter where a player is drafted. For fantasy football, if you can secure that breakout rookie, he could be a league winner.Â
So which rookie running back could break out in year one? Here are 4 guys that could be worth securing for your fantasy team:
Breece Hall – Breece Hall was a second-round draft pick to the New York Jets out of Iowa State. Widely regarded as the best running back in this class, Hall scored a touchdown in 23 consecutive games, the most in the school’s history. Similarly, Hall holds the record for most rushing touchdowns scored at Iowa State. Hall has good balance and his shiftiness makes him a difficult player to tackle. The Jets coaching staff is already raving about him in practice, and it’s probable that Hall sees the majority of the workload right away. Michael Carter was productive for the Jets last season, but it’s more likely that Carter is used on occasional passing downs, rather than a split workload between the players. New York also has seen upgrades on their offensive line, which will surely help Hall. The Jets added Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson, while also moving Mekhi Becton to right tackle, which many coaches view as a more natural position for him. Jets’ OC Mike LaFleur’s offense, which is run-heavy, should feature Hall often, and he should be expected to have an impact on the field and in fantasy football.
Kenneth Walker – Walker is another name that coaches are impressed by thus far in training camp. The second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks was originally seen as the second or third-string back on the roster until the sudden retirement of Chris Carson in late July. Now, the Seahawks running back room consists of just Walker and Rashaad Penny. Penny is a name that fans have been hopeful about but hasn’t been able to stay on the field at any point in his career. With either Geno Smith or Drew Lock at QB for Seattle, fans shouldn’t expect to see a dynamic offense. Volume is key in fantasy, and Walker will be targeted on check-downs and screen passes. It might not be pretty, but Walker’s gonna get the ball, most likely often, and he’ll most likely be worth a roster spot in 2022.
James Cook – Just by looking at the Bills’ roster last year, the only glaring weakness on their offense was at running back. Many thought the Bills should have used their first-round pick on a running back. Nevertheless, the Bills ended up drafting James Cook, brother of Dalvin Cook, in the second round out of Georgia. Cook specializes as a receiving back, but I expect him to be the RB1 on this team quickly, if not right away. The Bills haven’t had a standout running back on their team in quite some time, but Cook has all the attributes of a successful back in the NFL. With a player in the backfield that can receive as well as Cook, it gives Josh Allen a check-down option that will make him feel more comfortable. Instead of trying to extend a play that isn’t there, Allen can look to Cook to pick up easy yards and first downs. Cook is a threat in both the rushing and passing game, and he will take over and be the three-down back for Buffalo in year one.
Dameon Pierce – Dameon Pierce is a player that burst onto the scene quickly during training camp. The Texans’ fourth-round selection out of Florida has become a dominant player in practices thus far. Both players and coaches are talking about Pierce’s ability to run over any defender in his way. During the off-season, the Texans signed Marlon Mack to add to their backfield and re-signed Rex Burkhead for another year. Mack hasn’t played a fully healthy season in his whole career and hasn’t had an RB1 workload in over two years, so it’s unreasonable to assume that he’ll be able to jump right back into that role. Burkhead was solid for the Texans when they were depleted of any other running backs, but he isn’t a reliable three-down player. He can get yards when he needs to, but he lacks the ability to have a dynamic role in an offense. Pierce has been the best running back in Texans’ training camp so far, and if what the reports are true, he is going to be the team’s most used running back in 2022.
