With the season just around the corner, everyone is busy planning for their fantasy draft. Leagues are won by stealing value in the later rounds and there is no position more valuable in fantasy football than running back. Here are some of my favourite sleeper options for the 2020 season.
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
Akers will need to make the most of a lacklustre offensive line with the Rams, but that is precisely what he did throughout his college career with Florida State. He is excellent at maximising yardage – in 2019 he ranked 7th in forced missed tackles and 12th in yards after contact and this should translate well to the NFL. Volume is key in fantasy and things look good for Akers on that front. Sean McVay didn’t seem to be convinced by Darrell Henderson last year and there is every chance that Akers can become their RB1 early in the season. Given his ADP of 7.03 this could be excellent value.
Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears
Cohen is coming off a down year in terms of production, but he has also managed back-to-back seasons with over 70 receptions. He is one of just four running backs to have done this and if he has some more stable quarterback play from Nick Foles his numbers should improve in 2020. Cohen won’t be getting many reps as a runner on first and second downs, but for a player with an ADP of 12.08 he represents tremendous value. He is just one year removed from finishing as RB11 and whilst he won’t necessarily be your RB1 in 2020, his versatility in the passing game makes him a strong RB2 option.
Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team
With Derrius Guice off the team, Gibson looks set to be RB2 in Washington going into 2020. Whilst his reps in college were limited, don’t be surprised to see him getting a bunch of carries early on. This will be a case of necessity as they can’t rely solely on a 35 year old Adrian Peterson to deliver the goods. Like Cohen, Gibson brings real value as a receiver, with over 700 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his final year at Memphis. On a Washington team lacking receiving depth you can expect him to get reps at receiver and to feature heavily on third downs in 2020.
Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals
Drake is maybe not a sleeper in the same sense as the others on this list, but in terms of the potential value he offers relative to his draft position he could be great in 2020. After being traded to the Cardinals he put up over 600 yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games and his 1.0 points-per-touch last season was more than Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. Drake has back-to-back seasons with over 50 receptions and with David Johnson gone he should now get the vast majority of goal line reps. All of this projects well for another big season in fantasy terms.
