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Best Ball Draft Advice: Running Backs the Experts are Targeting (2022 Fantasy Football)

Best Ball Draft Advice: Running Backs the Experts are Targeting (2022 Fantasy Football)

While the redraft season is still a few months away, you can draft anytime by participating in best ball leagues! We have you covered with our best ball content, rankings, average draft position (ADP), and mock draft simulator.

Let’s take a look at players our experts are targeting based on their ADP.

Best Ball Draft Advice: Players the Experts are Targeting

Cam Akers (RB – LAR)
ECR RB13 | ADP RB17

Cam Akers wasn’t expected to return last year in time for the playoffs, but he pulled it off. He saw snap shares from 39% to as high as 81%. While he racked up volume in the process with 18.7 touches per game, his efficiency numbers were middling at best. His 2.31 yards after contact per attempt was a far cry from the 2.96 he rattled off in his rookie season (per PFF). With a full offseason to hopefully recoup any lost juice and return to his first-year form, Akers has the upside to be a workhorse in one of the best offenses in the NFL.

James Conner (RB – ARI)
ECR RB14 | ADP RB18

James Conner will be the Cardinal’s dependable workhorse again in 2022. In Weeks 9-14, he never played less than 77% of the snaps averaging 21.8 touches and 114.4 total yards per game. He was the RB2 in fantasy behind only Jonathan Taylor in that five-game span. His 18 total touchdowns seem hard to replicate at first glance, but it isn’t. Last season Arizona was eighth in red zone rushing rate. Conner has minimal competition on the depth chart that could take him off the field on passing downs or near paydirt.

Miles Sanders (RB – PHI)
ECR RB25 | ADP RB34

Miles Sanders opened the year playing 60-83% of snaps in the first six games but only averaging 9.5 rushing attempts per game. He did see 3.8 targets per game. He then sustained an ankle injury that landed him on the injured reserve. When he returned from the ankle injury, he was the Eagles’ clear lead back (Weeks 11-15), averaging 16.8 carries per game, although his pass game usage dried up (1.8 targets per game). Despite seeing 23 touches inside the 20, he failed to get into the endzone in 2021. While Sanders will see touchdown regression this season, he will still have to deal with Jalen Hurts near the goal line and the looming specters of Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. He could return RB2 production this season, but there’s the risk with his injury history and how high-value touches could be divided up in 2022.

2022 Consensus Best Ball Rankings

2022 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR (TM) – Expert Consensus Rankings

 

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