Outlook: Jonathan Taylor's 2021 season was simply historic as he finished with 1,811 rushing yards for 18 touchdowns and 360 receiving yards for two more scores. His 377.1 fantasy points (PPR) was the most among running backs and the fourth-most across all positions. In just his second season, Taylor was the runner-up for the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.

However, the former second round pick out of Wisconsin only played 11 games in 2022 due to numerous injuries, recording 861 rushing yards for four touchdowns and 143 receiving yards. Taylor's 152.4 fantasy points (PPR) was the 31st among all running backs. His struggles also stemmed from the Colts having two head coaches and a multitude of injuries on both sides of the ball.

The cleanup process began when the Colts hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their head coach this offseason. Former Eagles running back Miles Sanders had the best season of his career in 2022, and earned Pro Bowler honors under Steichen's system. This could mean that the already-proven Taylor may be a large focus point in Steichen's new offense. Given a rookie is likely to be starting at quarterback, the offensive gameplan should be to constantly feed Taylor the ball, giving him the potential to exceed his historic 2021 season and return to No.1 on the fantasy football draft board in 2024.

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Outlook: Last season was supposed to be a mix of Rashaad Penny and Walker, but to the surprise of no one, Penny suffered a season-ending injury after carrying the ball just 57 times. That thrust the then-rookie into the primary role, and he was utilized like a true bell cow with his 228 carries dwarfing those of backups DeeJay Dallas (35) and Travis Homer (19). He got dinged up late, missing Week 14, but he logged 78 rushing attempts over the final three games as he showed his toughness.

One area where Walker failed to impress was as a receiver, catching just 27 passes for the year and managing more than 20 receiving yards in a game only twice. Part of it could be pinned on Seattle's confidence in Homer in pass protection, so with the veteran gone it's possible Walker's involvement in that part of the game plan will increase. Then again, the Seahawks invested a second-round pick on Zach Charbonnet, and unless he breaks down like Penny did, he should have a meaningful role.

After posting 1,215 yards and 9 TDs as a rookie, Walker looks poised for more. While Charbonnet gives the Seahawks a more competent backup, the Michigan State product is the lead back, and his usage should go up merely based on being in that spot from Week 1 on. Walker will also benefit from a lot of light boxes as teams try to check Seattle's passing attack. He's a solid RB2.

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Outlook: After going undrafted last season, Warren joined the Steelers as a free agent and quickly proved he belonged in the NFL despite borderline measurables. Warren ended up playing a bunch of meaningful snaps on a team fighting for a playoff berth, finishing with almost 600 total yards. He provided a surprising little pop to the offense, giving the running game a burst. His 4.9 yards-per-carry average was outstanding considering he was running behind one of the worst run blocking units in the NFL. While he lacks standalone value because of how much the Steelers rely on Harris, he's definitely worth a look as a sneaky handcuff.

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Outlook: White was a popular sleeper in drafts leading up to the start of last season, but he ended up hitting the snooze button throughout his rookie year, posting just 17 carries in 14 games while never even being targeted as a receiver out of the backfield. He logged only 40 snaps, well below veterans Ameer Abdullah (175) and Brandon Bolden (82), but White was a fourth-round pick of the current regime, and if they look to scale back Jacobs' touches, he offers the most potential to do something positive with them. If he can secure the No. 2 job, White could be a late-round handcuff target and perhaps more if Jacobs holds out.

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Outlook: Rachaad White is expected to take a big leap in his second NFL season. The running back played in 16 games last season but only started in eight as he split time with Leonard Fournette, recording 129 carries for 481 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He should be a solid option for PPR leagues as he hauled in 50 receptions (11th-most by running backs) for 290 yards and two touchdowns through the air last season.

With Fournette out of the picture nobody behind him pressing for playing time, White is expected to handle the bulk of the running back load. We should expect an increase in touches from a year ago (179) but Baker Mayfield at the helm throws some cold water on the upside of all the skill position players. Because of this, White is expected to be a top-25 running back and should be taken in rounds 4-5 of fantasy football drafts. At just 24-years-old, he has an excellent shot at being the focal point of the offense but lacks RB1 upside given the mediocre projection of the offense as a whole.

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Outlook: Jamaal Williams made a huge fantasy impact last season with the Detroit Lions, finishing as the RB touchdown king with 17 scores. However, the majority of those touchdowns were from the goal line as Lions' quarterback Jared Goff was the main catalyst when driving down the field.

Williams still ran for the 10th-most yards in the league (1,066), but he finds a new home in New Orleans. He's clearly good enough to be a starter, but that's Kamara's job. Wait a minute... this sounds familiar. When Kamara was a rookie, he split carries with Mark Ingram. Ingram got the handoffs and Kamara hauled in receptions. They both made the Pro Bowl. It's uncertain if the Saints will attempt a similar system, especially since Sean Payton is no longer the coach, but it could be a perfect match.

This scenario is complicated by rookie Kendre Miller who could earn playing time with a solid training camp and be a thorn in the side of both Williams and Kamara. It's highly unlikely for Williams to repeat his monstrous TD season from a year ago, even with a Kamara suspension, and the battle for touches doesn't give bode well for a high-end ranking, making Williams more of an RB 3/4 in fantasy leagues.

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Outlook: Coming off a rookie season in which he gained 1,219 total yards and scored seven times while splitting touches with Melvin Gordon, Williams appeared poised to overtake Gordon as the lead back and ascend to RB2 territory entering 2022. Instead, he averaged 84.3 yards per game through three weeks without a touchdown before suffering a torn ACL in Week 4. In terms of timing, that gives the third-year pro a little less than a year between the injury and the 2023 season opener.

It's hard to gauge how quickly someone will bounce back from an injury of that type, and perhaps more crucially it's nearly impossible to determine when they'll return to form. For example, Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins returned from his own torn ACL in Week 3 last year, lasted four games and then missed two additional months following a clean-up procedure. So, while the team has expressed optimism about Williams' recovery, even going as far as saying he could be ready for camp, that very much belongs under the "believe it when you see it" category.

Considering his solid but not elite production and health concerns, Williams belongs in that midrange or low-end RB3 category with the possibility for more.

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Outlook: As with many of LA's skill players, Williams' season was undermined by injuries. First, he broke his foot during the offseason. Then, he sustained a high-ankle sprain in Week 1 that landed him on IR. He got his first NFL carry on Nov. 13 and saw a combined 44 touches over the final eight weeks, so he enters his sophomore campaign very much an unknown at the NFL level.

He'll face camp challenges from veteran Sony Michel, who led the Rams in rushing in 2021 and was recently re-signed, and sixth-round pick Zach Evans. Whoever emerges from that as the backup would be a watch-list addition or maybe even a late-round stash in deeper leagues given Akers' spotty history and pending free-agent status that could lead to LA entertaining trade offers once again. For now, it appears Williams has an early advantage.

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