Sunday, December 22, 2024

Fantasy Football

Boom or Bust RBs

I’m doing a series of articles on players with a wide range of possibilities for dynasty. They could be done for fantasy or could be top assets at the position. I’ll be avoiding rookies since they’re easy targets for this type of category. I want to look at players who have at least shown signs of talent on the NFL field. We’ll continue with the running back position. Here are some boom or bust RBs.

De’Von Achane

The small back has been skyrocketing up dynasty rankings and is often viewed at his boom potential. However, there is a very strong possibility that De’Von Achane isn’t dependably startable. With Raheem Mostert still there and the addition of Jaylen Wright, his touches could be too limited to be reliable. He’ll regularly have the potential for big-play touchdowns, which is great for best ball, but those plays aren’t regular. Add in his size and injury concerns, and it’s very possible he takes a huge hit after this season. I don’t think he’ll fully bust, but for someone being valued around the RB7, that price makes him a huge risk.

Kyren Williams and Isiah Pacheco

These two are similar in my eyes. They have both proven they are great for fantasy as the lead-backs of their respective teams. However, they both have very low draft capital. More often than not, running backs with low draft capital rarely maintain their fantasy value for long. Commonly, low-draft capital running backs that produce for fantasy are seen by their teams as productive more because of the offence than because of their talent. For that reason, they can easily be replaced. That being said, there are some exceptions and these two could possibly be such exceptions. However, if they’re not exceptions, it would not be very difficult for another running back to ruin the fantasy values of Kyren and Isiah.

The Cases of Tony Pollard/Austin Ekeler

These are two of the exceptions. Neither were drafted in the first two days, but both have proven their talents and earned good contracts. However, both have come off of down seasons and have joined new teams with decent competition. They could become quickly irrelevant like Miles Sanders or they could prove their worth on their new teams and earn significant touches.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 16: Tony Pollard #20 of the Dallas Cowboys returns a kick against the San Francisco 49ers during the second quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Wrap Up

Hopefully, this gave you some ideas of players you could consider buying or selling depending on your comfort level and how trade partners in your leagues may feel about them.

If you found this article helpful, check out other Belly Up Fantasy Sports articles at Belly Up Fantasy and you can follow me on Twitter/X.