Prioritize these backup running backs in fantasy drafts!
Yahoo Fantasy's Matt Harmon and Justin Boone identify the top backups to stash in fantasy drafts that could pay dividends if injuries arise. Check out the full conversation on the "Yahoo Fantasy Forecast" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Emmett Johnson on the Chiefs.
I mean, you talk about a guy being behind a, a back who's had some durability concerns, and I feel like people aren't talking about Kenneth Walker previous to last year.
I know.
Last year he got to share that back field, and then he looked great down the stretch.
But in the years prior, he always was dealing with injuries, nagging stuff.
When he was on the field, he was great.
Is he going to be able to step into this workhorse role and survive and keep it going, or will they need to get somebody else involved?
If Walker goes down, like I'm gonna write the waiver wire article this year, Harmon.
I know at some point Emmett Johnson is going to be leading that article.
We're gonna see Kenneth Walker miss a game, and Johnson's gonna be the number one pickup that week.
And we saw a cut down day.
They got rid of Amari Demercado.
I didn't really think Demercado was a, a true threat there.
Yeah.
I thought the rookie was much more exciting.
But Emmett Johnson looked good out there.
Like what we're hearing about him, and I think he's in a, a really valuable spot.
You could say something similar about Kaylon Black for the, the 49ers.
I want the back who is the number two option behind CMC.
We've talked all off-season about CMC.
450 touches when you include the playoffs last year.
His age being 30.
Is he gonna be able to hold up, or will he break down at some point?
I hope it doesn't happen.
I do not wanna see him get hurt.
But I wanna hedge my bet and go out and get the number two back in that Kyle Shanahan offense, and right now it looks like Black is that guy.
Malik Davis kind of surprisingly to some extent ends up as the number two back with the Cowboys, and now this is where Amari Demercado actually lands.
They pick him up on waivers.
So we'll see if Demercado can factor in, but it seems like the coaching staff likes Davis there.
They allowed Jayden Blue and Phil Moffa, these guys that we've talked about over the last year, Harmon.
Will they ever step up to be the number two in Dallas?
The answer was no, and it's gonna be Malik Davis, the veteran there, who has a chance to back up Javonte Williams.
And that also kind of boosts Javonte Williams' fantasy stock as well.
Yeah.
Najee Harris, another guy that I think we could look at and say now he goes from not having a team earlier this summer to being in a position with the Giants where Tyron Tracy Jr. Kind of played his way out of a role in my mind.
He didn't look good at all this summer, and now Najee kind of fits that power running game that they wanna do.
Scatabo's still the starter, but Najee's gonna have a role.
Do I think it's really gonna ever turn into anything meaningful?
Maybe not, but when you're talking about grabbing a, a late round back, and a late round back who's behind a starter that has had some durability concerns of his own in his young career, Najee definitely has some value.
And then if you wanna go like super, super deep, you know I always do this, Seth McGowan on the Colts.
This is a guy that like no one's really talking about.
But if Jonathan- Yeah Taylor were to go down, it looks like he would be the next one to back him up.
