Outlook: Hill's career arc has trended way down since his glorious rookie season. In recent years his utter lack of big play ability and role in the passing game has held the offense back, and combined with the injury to Gio Bernard, led Cincinnati to take the risk of adding Mixon in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft. Ball security and confidence has seemed to sap Hill or his effectiveness, this despite the Bengals sticking with him through thick and thin. And that's the rip. This coaching staff has maintained staunch support for the 4th year back, so he's going to have a role. Let's not forget that Hill has scored 30 touchdowns in his career and has averaged 10-plus fantasy points per game all three seasons. I know he's struggled mightily and Mixon was added to the mix, but Hill is barely being drafted as one of the top-50 running backs currently and I think that's criminally low. I don't see the huge regression in carries that most do, and he'll still be the preferred option at the goal line. His PPR value is dreadful, but in standard leagues I'd be more than happy to add a 24-year old runner that has finished as the RB21, RB14, and RB10, despite "under producing". Cincinnati will stick with Hill until Mixon forces their hand. Watch this backfield closely this preseason. Hill could provide some huge value compared to where you can get him in drafts.

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Outlook: The oft-injured Vereen has been a disappointing, yet consistent member of the Giants since joining the team in 2015. The former Patriot averaged 6.2 fantasy points per game in each of his two years with the G-men, with 2016 being an injury-shortened campaign in which he managed to play in just five games. He is the clear third-down back and passing option for Manning out of the backfield, with a defined role that makes him much more valuable in PPR formats than standard leagues. With no more than four touchdowns in any of his six NFL seasons, including his best year as a pro in 2013, Vereen is a fringe play for PPR owners in deep leagues.

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Outlook: A talented and physical running back that set the NCAA single-season rushing record (427 yards) in 2014, Perine landed in an interesting spot behind Rob Kelley in the Redskins backfield. With a comparison of Michael Turner by some NFL scouts, Perine does not have the shiftiness of a Le'Veon Bell or the burst of a young Adrian Peterson, but he is a powerful runner similar to Kelley that will fit will in Jay Gruden's rushing scheme. He's the favorite to spell Kelley on early downs and has an outside shot to take over the starting role at some point during the season.

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Outlook: Bernard was having trouble holding a ton of value even before going down in Week 10 with a torn ACL. Outside of a huge 9-catch, 100-yard receiving day in Week 2, Bernard wasn't producing his typical numbers in the air, failing to surpass 50 yards or 5 receptions. Seeing as much of his value in standard leagues (and especially PPR leagues) came via the air, this was a letdown for fantasy owners. Cincinnati seems to have never seen Bernard as a lead back, and with the addition of rookie Joe Mixon, this is more evident than ever.

The good news for Bernard is that his recovery from ACL surgery seems to have been flawless, and he's making noise in camp. I don't think the Bengals anticipated having Bernard for meaningful snaps to start the season, but now that they do, this will change the backfield rotation significantly. Look for Jeremy Hill to remain the goal-line back, and for Bernard to be the 3rd down and no-huddle option. At least early on, look for Mixon to be sprinkled in, and Bernard to be good for 8-10 touches a game. I don't know that this changes much as the season goes on, so I have real trouble finding a place for Bernard in standard leagues. It's simply not enough volume for a guy who averages around 4 yards-per-carry for his career. So while the injury risk isn't as big as it once was, the development of Mixon weighs more heavily on Bernard's value. Add Gio as one of the last runners on your roster and hope Mixon gets off to a slow start I guess.

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Outlook: Signed to a big off-season deal to help fill the gaping hole left by the release of Adrian Peterson, Murray was, for about a month, at the top of the Vikings running back depth chart. But after his recovery from ankle surgery went slower than expected, the Vikings couldn't pass up nabbing Dalvin Cook in the 2nd round. Murray quickly went from having a shot at 200 carries to being the goal line back in a flat three-way timeshare.

Murray was money in the redzone last season for the Raiders, scoring a career high 12 touchdowns. The rest of his stats were a supreme disappointment after his strong 2015 season. Despite playing for one of the league's best offensive lines, Murray failed to generate big plays in the run game, topping off at 4.0 yards per carry in both 2015 and 2016. Even before getting hurt early in the year, he was beginning to cede passing down work to a young duo of back-ups. Murray simply didn't give Oakland a consistent big play threat in the run game, and they felt he was a replaceable talent. Minnesota seemed like a great landing spot, but now with the off-season a virtual wash, Murray will be in an uphill battle with Cook and McKinnon to grab the lion's share of touches. Murray might be best suited for work inside the 20s, as he lacks the elusiveness of McKinnon and Cook, and doesn't get many yards after contact. I really do think Cook and Murray are going to cancel each other out if they both remain healthy, and therefore can't see drafting Murray as anything better than an RB4/FLEX.

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Outlook: When the Texans drafted D'Onta Foreman in the third round of the 2017 draft, they had hoped they might have found a solid between the tackles runner ideally suited for HC Bill O'Brien's offense. Foreman's skills could help him earn short yardage duties where he could become a touchdown vulture. Unfortunately, Foreman has failed to impress the coaching staff. Poor conditioning and off the field allegations of drug related matters have not made it easy for the youngster. At this point, he is likely behind Alfred Blue in the pecking order but he could still work his way into the number two spot by the time the season opens. Expect him to be worked into the offense slowly and be the favorite to see carries should Miller miss any time with injury during the year.

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Outlook: Sims has not been able to live up to the promise he flashed at West Virginia. Most of that can be attributed to an assortment of injuries that have derailed two of his three years as a pro. Even when healthy, Sims has not been able to find the end zone and Tampa's decision to draft a similarly talented player, Jeremy McNichols, shouldn't excite fantasy owners. At best, Sims will overcome his health woes and be used in a limited third-down role unless injuries knock out multiple players above him on the depth chart. Both Sims and McNichols have already dealt with injuries this off-season but are on track to battle with Peyton Barber during training camp. Like most rookie running backs that make their living in the passing game, McNichols faces a steep learning curve in pass protection before getting anywhere close to the field on game day. Barber needed multiple situations to break his way before getting onto the field last season and even then he had paltry results. He is best left on the waiver wire-if he even makes the team out of camp.

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Outlook: An undrafted rookie seemingly stuck behind two other young tailbacks on the Oakland roster, few could have predicted that Jalen Richard would provide the pop as he did in 2016. Richard finished the season with a whopping 5.9 yards per carry average - good enough for second in the NFL among running backs - and was also a productive receiver out of the backfield. While he never carried the ball more than 10 times in a single game and only scored three total touchdowns on the season, Richard was able to provide six double-digit PPR days to his fantasy owners. It appeared as if Richard may have a significant role increase in 2017 when Latavius Murray left in the offseason, but the addition of Marshawn Lynch certainly hurts the upside of both Richard and fellow second-year back DeAndre Washington. Richard's role in the offense shouldn't change substantially, however, as Lynch has never been a great pass catcher. Look for Richard to approach 40 catches this season which, combined with a handful of carries each week, should give him some low-end flex appeal in PPR formats, especially in games when the Raiders fall behind on the scoreboard.

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Outlook: Once an elite fantasy player, the wheels seem to have finally come off veteran running back Jamaal Charles. After spending his entire nine-year career in Kansas City, Charles and the Chiefs parted ways this off-season. Injuries led to Charles playing in just eight total games over his past two seasons, but the Broncos seem to believe that there is still some life left in the legs of this once superstar talent. After two knee surgeries,the 30-year-old has a long road back to getting on the field, let alone getting back to fantasy stardom. Not only that, but he's going to have to fight for carries in a crowded Denver backfield. While neither C.J. Anderson nor Devontae Booker looked particularly great in 2016, both players know the Denver offense and they're both back this season. The upside here is tremendous, but drafting Charles is not without some serious bust potential. However, if Anderson and Booker look like they did last season, Charles could get an opportunity to show that he's still the same guy who once won his owners fantasy championships.

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Outlook: While he's been shoehorned into being a "Darren Sproles-like" player comparison by many fantasy analysts due to his ability in the passing game, the truth is that there is much more than meets the stat sheet for this talented young tailback. At 6'1" and 225 lbs, Prosise does not fit the mold of a traditional pass catching specialist at the running back position. Most of those players are undersized and are used sparingly as runners in order to keep them from taking a beating. But in Prosise's case, that's not really a concern. Prosise is built like a feature back who simply also has the skills to take the majority of the backfield work on passing downs.

With that said, there is obviously a reason why the team opted to sign veteran Eddie Lacy and not simply hand over the job to Prosise and Rawls. In Prosise's case, health concerns come into play. A former wide receiver in college, Prosise's body has not held up well to the wear and tear of playing the running back position. He suffered a concussion and a high ankle sprain in his senior year at Notre Dame, then followed it up with hip, hand and shoulder injuries as a rookie. These injuries caused him to much the majority of the season and have to give the coaching staff pause about whether or not he can physically stand up to the beatings that NFL running backs take.

It's certainly possible that Prosise's injury history is just a string of bad luck and all reports out of Seahawks camp seem to be that he is fully healthy and ready to take on a significant role for the team in 2017. Projected to be the team's primary back on passing downs, Prosise's value is obviously boosted significantly in PPR formats as he might only touch the ball a handful of times per game to start the season. There is concern that his PPR value might be inflated as the Seahawks have not proven to be committed to passing the ball to their running backs in the Pete Carroll era. The player who has caught the most passes out of the backfield since Russell WIlson took over at quarterback is Marshawn Lynch and the most he ever caught in a season was 40 passes. Of course, the team hasn't been loaded with many pass catching specialists in the backfield, but the concern is still there.

Rawls and Lacy are expected to battle for the early down work, but if Prosise can remain healthy while showing the flash and excitement that he did at times as a rookie, there's no reason to believe that he can't work his way into some early down work. His ADP makes him a cheap investment for those in PPR formats, but he might just have the highest upside of any player in this Seattle backfield while also providing the highest, most consistent floor due to his work in the passing game.

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