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5 Fantasy Football Running Backs that could potentially break out in 2020. These guys could be sleepers but we are saying they are due for a BIG breakout season in 2020 fantasy. The Counselor lays it out for you. (Audio Transcription)
Welcome to the show, everybody. Joseph Robert, The Fantasy Football Counselor. We’re talking about five running backs that could really have a solid breakout season for 2020 fantasy football. I got an exciting list here to share with you guys because these guys, you get them for pretty decent value and they could have a major breakout season. Now, one of these guys a little higher up on the ADP there, the guy’s a little bit lower, but the potential is there. Now, I’m not telling you these guys are sleepers or these guys are going to have bounce-back years because these guys haven’t really broken out. There’s a ton of guys I think that are going to have a great season that is going to be bounce back players. For example, David Johnson. But this is a list that basically tells you that they’ve kind of been sitting there and they haven’t broken out. I’m going to include a rookie here just for fun that’s set for a breakout type of season. There’s a couple of rookies that could break out this year: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jonathan Taylor, Swift there with the Detroit Lions. But I want to focus on this one particular rookie that could really have a breakout season. I’m not going to go into all of them, which I should probably do a rookie breakout episode anyway. That’s beside the fact.
But we’re just talking here five running backs that could break out for fantasy football 2020. Before we get into that, guys, make sure you guys leave a comment below. I want to get your questions answered, so I’m going to get back to as many questions I can. Leave your fantasy football questions below. I’ll get back to as many as I possibly can. And of course, it’s very important guys, please smash the thumbs up. Takes a second of your time and it means a lot to me. Okay? All right. Also, grab the 16 Rounds Draft Solution. The future is here. Get the 16 Rounds Draft Solution, the first-ever and only video training link below, or thefantasyfootballcounselor.com. Don’t buy encyclopedias. Draft kits are dead. Silly fantasy player draft kits are for kids, right? Anyway guys, let’s move on. Or draft kits are for sheep, I should say. Kids are sometimes smarter than sheep. Anyway, besides the fact. I got two kids. They’re great. Very smart. Sheep, not the smartest. They get led to the slaughterhouse. All right, let’s move on here, okay? Do not be a sheep. That’s the whole point I’m trying to make here. Be a lion and get 16 Rounds. All right, who are my top five? Not really a top-five, but who are five running backs that could break out? All right. Let’s get into this.
1. Miles Sanders
The first guy I’m going to talk about is Miles Sanders. Okay. Miles Sanders had a pretty good year last year, 4.6 yards per carry. Only three touchdowns which means there’s a ceiling there. The time of this recording is the end of May. Things could change. I may change my tune because the Eagles have been entertaining the thought of acquiring another running back. Now, I was concerned it was going to be Carlos Hyde. He went over to the Seahawks which was a big relief for Miles Sanders. Miles Sanders had already come out and said he wants to be the guy, which is good. I like his enthusiasm. Now, last year he played all 16 games, 179 attempts. Not a lot, obviously. 818 yards, 4.6 yards per carry and three touchdowns. Now, what’s really appealing about Miles Sanders obviously is his youth and his upside. CUDDY system, right? Consistency, Upside, Durability, Depth, and Youth, right? It’s something I’ve trademarked and created. It’s a thought process you go into your head before you acquire any player. 5’11”, 211, right In regards to weight and height, that’s not bad. 23 years old going into his second season. Again, let’s take a look at the statistics here. What I like here, at the beginning of the season I’m looking at it, up to in and around week nine he wasn’t getting a lot of attempts. He maxed out with 13 attempts up through and including week nine. Sorry, 13 attempts were his max, okay, up to week nine. But then we started to see a little bit of an incline from week 13 to week 16. He had 17 attempts, 15, 19 and 20. So he was getting a little more volume near the end of the season, and if you look at it, weeks 15 and 16 translated to a lot of fantasy points. Will that continue? He finished strong. This is something I’d take a look at with running backs at the end of the season. If they start finishing strong, it may be a good indicator that they may be thriving the year after. We saw that in the year with David Johnson back in 2015. In his rookie season, he started to thrive. Had that big breakout season in 2016. We saw with Derek Henry in 2018, he turned it up. And then in 2019, he led the league in rushing yards. It is a good trend. Am I excited about him? Am I like over the top, the ceiling is high, this guy is amazing? No. But I think from a statistical standpoint, I think he’s going to be a safe RB2, with some massive upside if they don’t acquire anybody else. Listen, the competition in the depth chart is not much. Sanders is going to be the guy if and only if he’s the guy, but I just don’t believe that the Eagles believe in him.
Again, by the time you’re listening to this, if they acquire somebody else, it’s going to be interesting and I may take them off my breakout list. But I still think he’s going to have a good safe season in the top 20, but probably not the top 10 if somebody’s there and it’s a committee. That’s going to bother me, okay? I hope they believe in him. Boston Scott in the depth chart there is not a threat. I like Miles Sanders. He is primed for a breakout season. Is that going to actually happen? It’s up to the Eagles and hopefully giving him the ball. If they give him the ball, he’s going to run it.
Again, he had a pretty good season considering he didn’t get started until later on, and he only had three touchdowns. The fact that he finished, what, 15th amongst running backs is pretty impressive considering you only have three touchdowns and didn’t get started until later. That’s why I kind of liked the ceiling here if he’s the main guy, okay? A lot of ifs here, but I like him as a fantasy football breakout 2020.
2. David Montgomery
Next guy here, you guys know I love this guy. The ceiling is there. He finished 24th amongst running backs last year. The guy I’m talking about is David Montgomery. He had 242 attempts, 889 yards, 3.7 yards per carry, and six rushing touchdowns. And that was with Nagy trying to be cute by implementing Tarik Cohen and taking David Montgomery off the field. We know Nagy’s on a short leash. He’s going to be in the hot seat. He’s going to have to perform. They’re going to have to run the ball. They need a winning record and they got to make the playoffs here. Now they’ve gotten Nick Foles there. I think Allen Robinson is going to be integrated a lot more. He’s going to catch more balls this year. I like David Montgomery because hopefully he faces less stacked boxes. But David Montgomery, if he gets the ball more and stays on the field, he’s going to perform a lot more. I told you this before in my other videos, I know a friend who knows Dave Montgomery. He’s a trainer of David Montgomery with his physical health. He’s a therapist with David Montgomery. This guy has been to Dave Montgomery’s house.
David Montgomery is looking a lot better physically than he did last year, working on his top-end speed. He wants to be more explosive and that’s something that he’s knocked off in the offseason. He’s a hard worker. He’s dedicated. He’s phenomenal. And his average draft position is like the fourth to the fifth round, which is absolutely amazing. David Montgomery, primed for a breakout season. He had 242 attempts last year. Now again, I see a higher ceiling this year for attempts for yards per carry for more touchdown, only six touchdowns. That’s going to go up. He’s a workhorse. They didn’t acquire anybody else. David Montgomery, primed for a breakout season.
3. Alexander Mattison
The next guy here is Alexander Mattison. I’m getting this guy after the 10th round. Everyone’s sleeping on him. Everybody thinks Dalvin Cook’s going to finish the season, which is crazy talk because Dalvin Cook absolutely sucks. He has not finished a season in three years. Go take a look at my Dalvin Cook impact video. I can’t trust him. I just can’t trust Dalvin Cook finishing a season. Absolutely horrendous. Alexander Mattison, he was drafted for a reason. That reason is that the Vikings don’t believe in Dalvin Cook and Mattison, also a product of the offense, could perform on the same level or even at a higher level than Dalvin Cook given the opportunity and the volume. The guy is going to be an absolute monster and I like him as a breakout potential on my bench. As soon as Dalvin cook goes down and he will, Mattison is set for a huge breakout season. Mark my words on this, Mattison’s going to eat in 2020. You guys can hold me accountable. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong. But I highly doubt it. Why not keep him as a bench dash as an RB, five or six on your roster? Yes. Add a lot of depth at the running back position. Two more guys here I want to go through, and then the last guy here is kind of a rookie that I’m kind of eyeing. There’s some upside there. Let’s get into them. The next guy here, I may not draft him. He’s not really on my radar, but I like the upside and the ceiling could be there.
4. Ronald Jones
The guy I’m talking about is Ronald Jones. Now, Ronald Jones is primed for a breakout season. I only said one running back. It could be a rookie that I’m talking about for this season, but also want to mention Ke’Shawn Vaughn here with Ronald Jones. One of these guys could break out, understanding guys that James White caught 95 balls, right? I believe he had 95 targets last year from what was it? Yeah, it was 90 … Let me pull it up here. 67 attempts rushing. This is James White guys last year with Brady.
I’m just trying to see what Brady accomplished with his pass-catching running backs. 95 targets, 72 receptions, 645 yards, and five receiving touchdowns. This is James White. I need to make you aware that Ronald Jones could take a step up this season and be a fantasy football breakout given the opportunity and if he gets the volume. Peyton Barber is now gone. He was absolutely one of the worst running backs in fantasy football history, given attempts and volume and did absolutely nothing with them. Ronald Jones could actually get the time to shine. I’m hearing the coaches are liking Ke’, Shawn Vaughn. Either one of these guys, you’ve got to roll the dice, could be a breakout player. I just gave you the stats on James White and what Tom Brady did with him. The upside is there, guys. It’s kind of exciting to see what Ke’Shawn and Ronald Jones could potentially do.
5. Cam Akers
Finally, the fifth one guys, number five, Cam Akers. The reason I like Cam Akers is that he ran behind a terrible O-Line. That’s the thing that I like about him is that if he can do that in Florida State running behind a bad O-Line and still accomplishing 231 attempts for 1,144 yards, five yards per average, five yards per carry, and 14 touchdowns with 30 receptions, 225 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He was a monster in Florida State and Florida State, again, didn’t have the best O-Line. Now going into the Rams territory with Todd Gurley being gone, he could absolutely be the plug and play workhorse running back. I think he’s in a phenomenal position. The problem is McVay has already said that they’re going running back by committee. But again, the way I look at it is he’s going to be my RB4 on my team. I can get him in and around rounds four to five for great value. I’ve already locked in my running backs. If he breaks out, bonus. If he doesn’t, I’m not too upset because I’ve already got my workhorse running backs. That’s why I say use that robust RB strategy. It’s definitely going to be helpful for you guys, okay?
So there you have it guys. I mean, those are your workhorse running backs that could break out. Potential breakout, right? They’re not all workhorse running backs, but guys that could potentially break out for 2020 fantasy football. David Montgomery, Miles Sanders, Alexander Mattison, Ronald Jones, or Ke’Shawn Vaughn. We don’t know. And Cam Akers. You’ve got to look for breakouts guys because that could happen. There is a ton of other rookies that could break out as well. Not going to dive into that too much.
I’m more looking for guys who were kind of playing already and that just didn’t really seize the opportunity completely, would have an opportunity to really shine for 2020 fantasy football. There’s a quick list for you guys. There’s a couple more and that’s why you guys got to subscribe. I’m going to be doing more content. Just kind of teasing you. There are some honorable mentions here I won’t get into like Raheem Mostert could have a good year, guys like that. But I wanted to focus on these five today. Smash the thumbs up, guys. Get 16 Rounds and I will see you in the next video.
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