Preseason has come to an end and it’s time to focus on fantasy drafts ahead of the start of the season on September 7. Ahead of the Week 1 action, we’re going over four of our top picks to fade at running back this season.
2023 Fantasy Football: RBs to Fade
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
The hype was real for Etienne’s rookie season last year, and while he showed plenty of talent, he didn’t deliver high fantasy outputs like many were hoping. Etienne finished as the RB23 last season, averaging 12.1 fantasy points per game in PPR scoring. If you’re in standard scoring leagues, he would have only got you 10 points per game, which just isn’t enough for a rookie who was supposed to explode on the scene. He wasn’t great in the passing game last season, meaning he’ll likely lose some of that involvement this season. Rookie Tank Bigsby could steal some of Etienne’s workload down the stretch, helping make Etienne a viable fade candidate right out of the gate.
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Conner doesn’t have a whole ton of upside heading into 2023, especially with the possibility of Kyler Murray missing the majority of the season while he still recovers from his ACL injury. Conner averaged just 11.7 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues last year and missed a handful of games as well with an injury. He totaled just 782 rushing yards and seven touchdowns through 13 games played while adding one more touchdown in the air as he totaled 300 receiving yards. The Cardinals aren’t expected to be a powerhouse by any means in the league this season, leaving Conner as a less-than-ideal candidate to have on your fantasy roster.
Breece Hall, New York Jets
Hall has the talent to be a top running back in the NFL, but an ACL injury ended his rookie season after just seven games. Through those seven games, he ran the ball 80 times for 463 yards and four touchdowns and looked like he could be a top RB right out of the gate. While the Jets are sure to be cautious in bringing him back too quickly from his ACL surgery recovery, they brought in Dalvin Cook to fill in the gaps but it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Cook slot right ahead of Hall on the depth chart. Regardless of the backfield situation in New York, it seems likely that Hall will be slowly integrated back into games this season, making him a risk if you’re looking at drafting him in the first few rounds.
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Kamara’s 2022 was largely forgettable as the 28-year-old turned in a career-low two touchdowns through 15 games played. He only totaled 897 yards from 223 rushing attempts, adding another 490 yards and two scores on the receiving end. On top of his production dissipating, he’ll be sidelined for the first three games of the season with a suspension, and by then newly-signed Jamaal Williams could have easily taken over the role as the go-to guy in the red zone.