Fantasy Football 2022: Four Running Backs Who Could Prove To Be Overvalued

The running back position remains the most important in fantasy football.

With the NFL season set to kick off in just over a month, fantasy football drafts are kicking into high gear. The majority of the time, fantasy owners are looking for the biggest steals in their drafts as the best values prove to go a long way in their respective playoff pursuits.

But just as important is to identify the players who might be overvalued, as those selections could hinder a team just as much.

With that, here are four running backs who could prove to be overvalued:

Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
The Packers will be without Davante Adams this season as the star wideout was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Aaron Rodgers’ most trusted weapon now is Jones, which could benefit his 2022 numbers after last season saw him score his lowest fantasy points per game (15.3) since the 2018 season, per Fantasy Data. A.J. Dillon, however, is another year into his career and could continue to eat away at Jones’ production.

The Packers proved they could utilize both Dillon and Jones in their backfield in 2021, which allows both to have value. But Jones remains overvalued due to his draft position in preseason fantasy rankings. ESPN.com currently ranks him as the 12th best running back in PPR, leaving him as a borderline RB1. With the majority of his work likely coming outside the red zone as Dillon enters around the goal line, Jones shouldn’t be viewed higher than an RB2, despite his play in the past.

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Elliott has the allure a lot of great fantasy running backs do not. That fact alone will cause him to be drafted higher than his actual worth. However, Fantasy owners started to see during the 2021 season how Tony Pollard is a serious option for the Cowboys. And that should remain the case in 2022.

ESPN.com has Elliott ranked 18th among running backs heading into 2022. It’s not a bad spot seeing how he is not worth a first-round pick. His floor is one of the best in fantasy, but his ceiling on a week-to-week basis has to be the lowest among RB2 options.

Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles
When you are not the top running back option on your team, it’s difficult to be worth much more than a bench spot. Sanders has been a headache for fantasy owners since coming into the league despite showing flashes of potential. In the 2021 season, Sanders averaged 9.8 fantasy points per game in PPR leagues. Yet heading into the 2022 season, the Eagles running back is ranked 25th on ESPN, which is borderline RB2 range.

Jalen Hurts has taken away carries from Philadelphia’s running backs, a group led by committee to begin with. Sanders doesn’t feel worth the risk as other players have higher potential.

Damien Harris, New England Patriots
Drafting and trusting the Patriots’ backfield always is a bold decision for fantasy owners. But Harris’ impressive in 2021 when he averaged 14 fantasy points per game might make owners jump. It’s worthy noting, however, how most of that output was rooted in scoring 15 touchdowns on the season. he might be in store for a regression in that area.

And that’s not taking into account all the other mouths the Patriots have to feed at running back. James White will make his return after injuries while Rhamondre Stevenson might get just as many touches as Harris. Ranked 27th by ESPN.com, Harris owners could be in for a letdown if they expect him to have same impact as one season ago.