2021 deep fantasy football sleepers at running back

When it comes to playing fantasy football, one of the keys to winning is finding deep sleepers to win your league. There is no more important position than running back to find these players.

On average, the running back position accounts for 50% of the picks being made in the first four rounds of best ball drafts right now — 24 of the first 48 picks per current ADP are ball-carriers. Popular rookie runners like Trey Sermon and Michael Carter have seen their ADPs strapped to a rocket lately. In other words, the search for running back sleepers in fantasy football needs to go deeper than ever, so today, we’re going to discuss players being drafted outside the top 10 rounds. We scour the deepest recesses for running backs that can carve a path early on and if unfortunate injury or underperformance strikes can take over the backfield.

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2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers – RB

A look at some sleepers for 2021 in fantasy football (ADP as of early summer, 2021).

Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

(ADP: RB51, 124.4 overall)

Rashaad Penny‘s 2020 season can be swept under the rug. With Penny’s Week 14, 2019, ACL and meniscus injuries, his workload in 2020 was always a murky wait-and-see. This season, he should reprise a role similar to what we saw in 2019 out the gate. In that season, Penny averaged eight touches per game, which might not sound like a grand amount, but for running backs this late, we would like to see them have a role immediately with the ceiling for more.

In Seattle, the role could expand with a team that showed us late last year it wants to get back to pounding the rock. In 2017-2019, the Seahawks were the fourth-most run-heavy offense in neutral gamescripts (44%). After starting 2020 allowing Russell Wilson to pass to his heart’s content (68% pass, 38% run), they reverted to their old ways down the stretch. In Weeks 14-18, the Seahawks increased their neutral-script rushing rate to 44% (14th). Penny could see 10-12 touches weekly with the ability to take over if Chris Carson misses any time. Penny’s competition in the backfield is Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas, Alex Collins and a host of other UDFA bodies.

For updated ADPs, check out our ADP tool, here.

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

(RB62, 158.0 overall)

Rhamondre Stevenson is a 230-pound battering ram who now gets to run behind the second-best offensive line in football per our own Brett Whitefield. The numbers support this ranking thoroughly. Last season, the Patriots ranked third in adjusted line yards and fourth in second-level yards, per Football Outsiders. This offseason, New England didn’t stand pat either, bringing Trenton Brown back to Foxboro.

The backfield looks crowded around Stevenson, with Damien Harris, James White and Sony Michel vying for time. During his 10-game stretch last year, Harris was productive as the early-down hammer for Bill Belichick, but he saw only seven targets during that stretch. Stevenson’s rushing and pass-game abilities allow New England to mask their play calls better than Harris or White can. It’s not difficult to envision that Belichick saw a mix of LeGarrette Blount and Rex Burkhead’s skillsets when he selected Stevenson in the fourth round. He can steal work from other backs on this depth chart both on the ground and in the air with the ability to take over the majority of the work down the stretch.

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Darrynton Evans, Tennessee Titans

(RB66, 168.6 overall)

The running back depth chart behind stiff-arm goliath Derrick Henry is still shallow in Tennessee. After a lost rookie campaign, Darrynton Evans has an opportunity to stake a claim in this backfield. Last year’s hamstring issues cost him 10 games in the regular season. He can overcome a running back room of Jeremy McNichols, Khari Blasingame, Brain Hill and Mekhi Sargent to establish weekly work behind Henry. Over the last two seasons, Tennessee has ranked 27th (15.8%) and 32nd (12.4%) in target share to the running back position. The last time we saw Todd Downing direct an NFL offense, his runners saw a 20.3% target share. Henry and his 1.5 targets per game over the last two seasons aren’t likely to assume the role of pass-catching back in this offense. With the lack of receiving options on the Titans depth chart Evans can siphon off 8-10 touches per week with league-winning upside if Henry were to get dinged up. Be sure to monitor Evans’ knee injury though, as the season approaches.

Qadree Ollison, Atlanta Falcons

(RB80, 215.7 overall)

Everyone is wise to Mike Davis as his ADP is creeping up. Javian Hawkins has also been tossed about as a possible late-round pick, but expecting a 183-pound undrafted back to assume an every down workload is asking a lot. Caleb Huntley’s name has also surfaced as a deep league player to monitor. Huntley has the requisite size (5-foot-10, 210 pounds), but he lacks any shred of athleticism to offer consideration, with his 4.82 adjusted pro day 40 time and 32nd percentile burst score.

The name that has eluded running back diamond miners has been Qadree Ollison’s. Ollison is the perfect last pick of the draft in best-ball or deep redraft formats. He stands at 6-1 and 228 pounds with a 76th percentile speed score. Unlike Hawkins and Huntley — who totaled 21 and 19 total collegiate receptions, respectively — he flashed some pass-game skills in college. Ollison racked up 50 total receptions at Pittsburgh and 23 grabs in 2017 alone. Ollison isn’t a sexy name, and he would require Davis to miss time to garner a role. Considering his profile and the other running backs on the depth chart, he could assume the unquestioned three-down role if Davis goes out.