Fantasy Football season is nearly upon us, and that means it's time to start thinking about which players to draft in upcoming fantasy drafts. In previous articles, we took a look at some of the more underrated and overrated wide receivers and tight ends. In this article, I'm going to analyze what is possibly the most important position in fantasy football: running back. Below are four of the most overrated fantasy football Running Backs in 2017.
1. Melvin Gordon.
I thought Gordon was overrated last season, and I was proved very wrong as he was a Top fantasy running back all season.
Now I have no doubt that he is extremely overrated. He's one of the top 10 players by ADP on Fantasy Football Calculator, and to me, that's insane. Gordon wasn't even that good last year! He needed more than 20 carries to have quality fantasy output, which only happened because Danny Woodhead was injured. It's unlikely Gordon sustains that type of production this year, as he's heavily reliant on touchdowns to have decent fantasy outings. Instead of Gordon, consider drafting players like Devonta Freeman, Mike Evans, and Jordy Nelson in his place.
2. Marshawn Lynch.
When Lynch was an active running back, he was one of the best fantasy players out there. He scored plenty of touchdowns and was usually the team's back of choice.
In Oakland, Lynch should be the number one back, but there are reasons for concern. First, Lynch is 31 years old, well past the prime age for running backs. Second, the Raiders seem to be allergic to running the ball. Latavius Murray could have been one of the best fantasy running backs last year, but he never received more than 25 carries in any game.
Derek Carr loves to throw and that will limit Lynch's fantasy value. Marshawn is currently being drafted in the second round at about the 17th pick, and there are plenty of alternatives who offer less risk than Lynch at that spot.
3. Leonard Fournette.
In a previous article, I analyzed the upside of a rookie running back like Leonard Fournette.
Unlike Ezekiel Elliot, Fournette doesn't enter the best situation in Jacksonville, where running backs haven't had relevance since Maurice Jones Drew. In addition, because the Jaguars tend to throw the ball far more than they pass, a player like Fournette will have limited value. Fantasy owners are currently drafting Fournette at the tail end of the second round or start of the third round, with about the 20th overall pick. That's a bit too expensive for me, especially when other more established and successful players like Lamar Miller, Dez Bryant, and Amari Cooper will be available at that draft spot.
4. Todd Gurley.
Last season, Gurley was selected in the first few picks of most fantasy football drafts after an extremely impressive rookie year.
In 2016, Todd Gurley was nothing short of awful and hurt fantasy owners who placed their trust in him. He scored just 6 touchdowns and managed to score double digit fantasy totals just five times, awful results for a player who was drafted within the first five picks. A lot of his poor production had to do with the play of rookie quarterback Jared Goff, who played even worse than Gurley all season. As long as defenses can stack the box against Gurley, it's not worth spending a high draft pick on him. Avoid Gurley in the second round of fantasy football drafts.
