Outlook: The oft-forgotten man in the New England stable of running backs, James White led all Patriot ball carriers in targets (72) and receptions (56), while finishing fourth on the team in catches behind Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, and Danny Amendola.

Although the Patriots used a first-round pick on rookie Sony Michel, a talented college RB who can also catch passes, White projects once again to be the third down and pass-catching back for Tom Brady in 2018. White's value is significantly higher in PPR formats compared to standard leagues, as the former Wisconsin Badger has yet to carry the ball more than nine times in an NFL regular season game.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: With the exit of Jonathan Stewart in the off-season, there was a void at the RB position in Carolina, particularly in the early downs and Anderson was quickly added to the roster once he was made available. Anderson has been considered as disappointment to fantasy owners ever since his breakout campaign of 2014, but he's coming off of a 1,000-yard season with a 4.1 yards per carry average.

Anderson appears to be a value at the RB position with his new team. Although he lacks some of the upside, he'd poised to inherit a sizeable portion of Stewart's 200 carries. Stewart finished as the RB33 in standard scoring leagues despite rushing for just 3.4 yards per carry and only handling 15 targets. Anderson is currently being drafted as the RB40, according to Fantasy Football Calculator, and if he can maintain an average near 4 yards per carry, he should be positioned well to outperform his draft position. Anderson should be a target for drafters who start WR heavy in standard scoring leagues.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Seattle shocked many when they made Rashaad Penny the second running back taken off the board in April's NFL Draft, ahead of the likes of Darrius Guice, Sony Michel, Nick Chubb and others. While he didn't grade as highly as those backs on some expert boards, it's worth considering that Seattle made a strong investment in him with a first round pick, which almost certainly guarantees that he'll be given every opportunity to succeed in this offense.

Penny dominated in his senior season at San Diego State as the leading rusher in all of college football, rushing for a whopping 2,248 yards with a 7.8 yards per carry average. He finished his college career averaging 7.5 yards per game, albeit in a weak Mountain West Conference. Penny shows upper-percentile straight line speed and has also shown that he can make an impact catching the ball, although that is something he'll need to improve on to be an elite fantasy back in the NFL.

Seattle's offensive line issues continue to be a major concern. They did finally make a move during the season in 2017 to acquire left tackle Duane Brown, who quickly became their best offensive lineman, but the team really did not address the other positions across the line this offseason. That could be a problem for a player like Penny who, while explosive when given a crease, can struggle when holes don't open up quickly in front of him.

Another area that is a bit of a concern is that Penny does lack experience and technique in pass protection. This can often be a reason why rookie running backs are kept off the field, even when they are producing counting stats when given the ball. This could lead to more of a split backfield than many want to believe.

Still, Penny has first-round draft capital which is often enough to warrant a decent enough workload for him to be a valuable fantasy asset this season, particularly in dynasty formats where a case could easily be made for him to be the No. 2 overall player off the board.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Young backs Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington have both been relatively productive when given opportunities but the new coaching staff in Oakland has no allegiance to them and seemingly didn't believe they were a good enough tandem behind starter Marshawn Lynch. To fill that void, the Raiders opted to bring in another veteran back, Doug Martin, who had spent the previous six seasons in Tampa Bay.

One of the league's least consistent producers, Martin has posted sub-3.0 yards per carry numbers in back-to-back seasons heading into 2018, but also had a monster 2015 where he went off for 1,402 rushing yards at nearly 5.0 yards per carry. There are times when Martin looks like a top-10 back in the league and other times when he looks like he should probably be hanging up the cleats. While he won't likely battle Lynch for starter snaps, Martin does figure to be involved in the offense this season - the question is where and when. Martin does have a 49-catch season on his resume and a does average 8.4 yards per reception over the course of his career, which is a great number for a running back. He's actually been over nine yards per reception in each of his past two seasons, but the sample size is low as he's caught just 23 total passes over that two-year span. Still, the per-touch numbers look good in the passing game and that could allow him to be the primary receiving back on the team as backups Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington have failed to do much in that role and Lynch himself has never been much of a pass catcher.

Martin is a low-cost option that does have upside as a potential bell-cow back if Lynch gets hurt, especially given coach Gruden's adoration for him. However, after a four-game suspension to start the 2017 season due to a PED violation, Martin does bring fantasy owners additional risk of a long suspension if he failed another test, but it seems likely that he was using those PEDs to recover from injury during rather than that he has a serious problem.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Clement made a lasting impression on Eagles fans last season, capping off his rookie campaign with 108 yards and a receiving touchdown in Philly's 41-33 win over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Although the former Wisconsin Badger never received more than 15 total touches in a game in 2017, Clement scored six total touchdowns and averaged 5.7 fantasy points per game in a backfield that split nearly 400 carries between six running backs last year.

With LeGarrette Blount now a member of the Detroit Lions, Clement looks primed to be the second running back and change of pace behind Jay Ajayi. Considering Ajayi's well-documented knee issues and Clement's increased role in the Super Bowl, Clement is an attractive draft and stash value as a late-round pick.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Back to playing in 16 games last season after an injury riddled 2016, Riddick did his thing, catching 53 passes and being the Lions pseudo running game with his short route running. The 53 grabs were a far cry from his last healthy season in 2015 when he caught 80. Entering his 6th season in Detroit, Riddick will be called on far more infrequently as he's been in the past. With the additions of Blount and Johnson, and the current existence of Abdullah, Zenner and Washington, Riddick can settle back into his 3rd down/hurry up role on the offense as a reliable outlet for Stafford. He holds very little value in standard leagues and end of the roster depth in PPR leagues.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Carlos Hyde leaving in free agency would have been a great thing for Matt Breida's prospects as a fantasy contributor this season if the team hadn't immediately then signed Jerick McKinnon, an all-purpose back with explosive measurables. While he will likely still play a role in the 49ers offense, particularly in the running game, the chances of him usurping McKinnon for the lead role in the backfield seem low. Breida was effective when he caught passes as a rookie, but his catch rate was below 60 percent which is quite low, especially when compared to McKinnon's 75 percent rate.

Breida does have great speed and athleticism but at 195 lbs, one of the critiques on him coming out of college was that he lacks the size to be an every down workhorse at the NFL level. Still, 120 touches or so on the season seems reasonable for Breida, with the possibility of getting the biggest chunk of a multi-back committee in the event that McKinnon goes down with an injury. That doesn't leave a lot for fantasy upside, unfortunately, but head coach Kyle Shanahan has mentioned visions of McKinnon and Breida being San Francisco's version of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Breida would almost certainly be the Coleman in this situation, with an even lower workload, but that could still mean some splash plays here and there which could make him an interesting late-round selection in best ball formats.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Foreman had just begun to show flashes before a serious Achilles injury left him sidelined for the remainder of the 2017 season. Foreman averaged more than 4 yards per carry as a rookie and had just scored on a long TD run before coming up lame on the last few steps. Had he not been injured, it appeared likely that he would earn more work.

Foreman's biggest risk is his likelihood to either miss games early in the season or have severely limited usage while he completes his recovery. And while there's reasonable excitement for his potential, his 9th round cost is probably too high. If he's on the PUP list, his ADP will plummet to the late rounds or he'll go undrafted and if he starts on a snap count, he'll be a likely cut candidate in redraft leagues. Pass on him for now, but be prepared to act quickly on a potential waiver claim.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Grant is entering his fourth season in the NFL and only has 68 career carries, but he made an impact with three receptions in the playoffs and some reports from off-season activities indicate that he may see a larger workload in 2018. Jaguars' offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett stated Grant is "a guy we've got to get out there". He posted an impressive 8.3 yards per carry on only 30 attempts and consistently made big plays when given the opportunity. However, it's unlikely that Grant holds much value in 2018, but he's a free agent worth keeping an eye on if Fournette gets injured.

Player Page | Track this player

Outlook: Of all the 1st or 2nd round runners selected in this year's draft, Chubb has the hardest value to determine. An ultra-talented battering ram type runner, Chubb offers great touchdown upside, but his extremely limited passing game chops (13 receptions in his final three years at Georgia) mean he'll need a significant injury to Carlos Hyde to see enough volume to make a real fantasy impact. While Hyde might have the leg up in versatility, Chubb possesses superior power, vision, and speed, and will undoubtedly push Hyde for carries inside the redzone. I do think this coaching regime is very interesting in leaning on the veterans to get this season off to a positive start, so Chubb is best viewed for his late season potential. As we know, players who float under the radar for most of the season before getting a chance to shine can sometimes be league winners, so don't be afraid to take a late round flyer on Chubb and hope he returns value sooner than later. Remember, Carlos Hyde hasn't been the picture of health, and Chubb is an injury away from being a force on this team.

Player Page | Track this player