Week 1 is in the books, meaning we have real games to (over)react to from around the NFL! Let’s identify which running back sleepers you should be streaming and rostering heading into Week 2!
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J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers
One of the biggest questions marks this off-season was what the Chargers running back room would shake out to be. Would it be Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, or even a committee of all three. All were being drafted coming into Week 1, but it appears to be Dobbins who has the upper hand after his strong performance on Sunday against the Raiders.
J.K. Dobbins ran for 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries, while also adding three catches for just four yards. That being said, Gus Edwards did technically out-carry Dobbins, but his 26 rushing yards on 11 carries is an awful stat line for the Gus Bus truthers.
We knew one of these RBs was going to be fantasy relevant given the connection to Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh. We just didn’t know which one, until now. J.K. Dobbins should be one of your top waiver wire priorities if he’s somehow still available. He’s owned in about 77% of ESPN leagues. Dobbins is one of the best running back sleepers to add.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The fourth-round rookie RB Bucky Irving had a sneaky good first showing in the NFL. He finished the day with nine carries and two catches for 76 total yards. This isn’t the most inspiring stat line. However, when you take into account that Rachaad White had just 31 yards on 15 carries, it feels very plausible that we could see this backfield become a lot more 50/50.
You may be thinking that nine carries in a game the Bucs were leading isn’t that impactful. However, there was only ONE occurrence in 2023 where a Bucs RB not named Rachaad White had nine plus carries. Irving just did it in Week 1. I don’t think that is a coincidence.
Bucky Irving is owned in just 20-percent of ESPN leagues. Considering not a single other RB had a carry for the Bucs in Week 1, it feels like Irving not only has flex appeal in deeper leagues going forward, but the contingent upside he has if anything ever happens to Rachaad White is very attractive. Irving is one of the best running back sleepers to add.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
I wanted to talk about Zach Charbonnet as being a potential “streamer” going forward in this Seattle offense. There was talk early in the off-season that Charbonnet could have a much bigger role this season given the coaching change. This made him an intriguing upside pick. With that being said, it was very apparent in Week 1 Kenneth Walker is their lead back. He totaled 20 carries for 103 rushing yards. Charbonnet finished with just 12 yards on eight carries.
Yes, Charbonnet did have a receiving touchdown later in the game. His inefficiency and lack of opportunity should be what speak volumes about this backfield split and not his final fantasy stat line. Charbonnet is rostered in about 60-percent of ESPN leagues. While he does hold some handcuff upside, it feels like that may be his only claim to roster-ability. There’s virtually zero chance he ever takes over this backfield from Kenneth Walker.
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
I don’t think Tank Bigsby out gaining Travis Etienne in total yards on less touches was on anyone’s BINGO card for Week 1! Both got 12 carries. But Bigsby had 73 yards as opposed to Etienne’s 44 yards. Etienne did have a rushing touchdown. However, he also fumbled away another walk-in touchdown later in the game.
I’m not saying Bigbsy is going to take the RB1 role away from Etienne. However, I do think the Jags want to try and limit Etienne’s workload. Honestly, that really shouldn’t come as a shock as Doug Pederson spent all off-season spewing the gospel of Tank Bigsby. Pederson preached that Bigsby made huge strides from last year to this year. Why that went under the radar was probably because Bigsby was just so bad last year no one wanted to believe it!
Bigsby feels like he is definitely here to stay and is rostered in just 4-percent of ESPN leagues. You should be able to steal him from the waivers. In my opinion should be rostered in all formats as of right now.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
There was definitely some hype on Jaleel McLaughlin during the off-season, but the fact that he was out-carried and out-touched by Javonte Williams in Week 1 was definitely a bit surprising. With that being said, McLaughlin, nor any Denver running back had any semblance of a good performance. In fact, McLaughlin actually led all Denver RBs in .5 PPR scoring with just 3.30 points!
This is not exactly a reason to be rushing to go pick Mclaughlin, especially when you consider the fact Bo Nix and the Broncos offense looked like a bottom-three unit in the league. However, McLaughlin appears to be the No. 1 pass catching back on a team that should be down in a lot of games and will be passing a lot. He’s a fine option if you are lacking RB depth (rostered in 44-percent of ESPN leagues), but it feels like there isn’t that league winning upside with McLaughlin that I think the other RBs on this list currently have.
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