This week’s sleeper fantasy football running backs takes advantage of the fact that at this point. people quitting on their fantasy teams, allowing you to snatch up players whose situation has recently changed. To be honest, at this point, only half the teams are making waiver wire additions in a lot of leagues, meaning that players who would be 65%+ owned sit below the 50% threshold. This week there are three players whose situation has changed recently. Slow-moving owners may want to see something before snatching these guys up in next week’s waiver additions, but if you grab them now, you can get them for free. To make this list, these guys must be owned in fewer than 50% of Yahoo! fantasy football leagues, with one player available in over 90% of leagues for you deep divers.
Danny Woodhead at Green Bay (40% owned)
Danny Woodhead was all set to be the big sneaky PPR play in the Baltimore backfield when he went and did what most 32-year-old running backs do: he got hurt. He’s likely to catch 5-6 passes a game and is a must-add in PPR leagues, if he isn’t already added. If he gets back against the Packers this weekend, he takes on a team that’s allowed double-digit fantasy points to running backs eight times in nine games and is #10 on the season in average fantasy points allowed to the position.
Austin Ekeler versus Buffalo (34% owned)
Going after Ekeler after last week’s outburst normally would seem like points chasing, and it might just be that. However, the Bills are in one of the worst possible stretches ever, allowing 492 rushing yards in the last two games, including 100 each to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara last week. This week Ekeler and Melvin Gordon will get plenty of opportunities to feast against the Bills squad that almost literally can’t stop running backs. He’s also the backup to a player who is yet to play sixteen games in his young career, so he’s also a good upside stash candidate if/when Melvin Gordon goes down.
J.D. McKissic versus Atlanta (6% owned)
McKissic is the only healthy air back left in Seattle now that they’ve tossed C.J. Prosise onto IR. He’s also the only effective running back in Seattle, considering the others are Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy. McKissic is going to be exceptionally useful in PPR, considering he lines up as a wide receiver more often than an RB usually does. These types of backs have given Atlanta fits this year, with Tarik Cohen, Christian McCaffrey and James White all notching double-digit fantasy days against them.
BONUS (Added November 18): Rod Smith versus Philadelphia (20% owned)
I finally was able to look at the Dallas game last week and Smith was in when they started getting their face smashed in by the Falcons. They’re going to get their faces smashed in again, so look for lots of Dak Dumpoffs to Rod Smith with an Eagles defensive lineman in his face. He’s perfect for PPR or 0.5 PPR leagues this week.
