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Fantasy football: 5 running backs you need to avoid in 2019

By Aaron Tan

SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 15: Rashaad Penny #20 of the Seattle Seahawks runs the ball passed Blake Martinez #50 of the Green Bay Packers in the first half at CenturyLink Field on November 15, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - NOVEMBER 15: Rashaad Penny #20 of the Seattle Seahawks runs the ball passed Blake Martinez #50 of the Green Bay Packers in the first half at CenturyLink Field on November 15, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 17: Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball in the first half of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 17, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 17: Jerick McKinnon #21 of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball in the first half of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 17, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

Running backs are the backbone of every fantasy football team. Niner Noise looks at five of them that fantasy football owners should avoid in 2019.

Yes, it’s only early June. But it is never too early to start researching for the next fantasy football season, especially when the free agency and NFL Draft periods have already passed by.

The first thing fantasy football players should be researching is running backs, as they make up the core of every fantasy football team. Running back is the single most important position in fantasy football, which is why every fantasy player should prioritize having good talent and depth at running back (like the San Francisco 49ers have right now).

However, this does not mean that you should just draft a running back with the highest ADP (average draft position) available in a round where you feel like drafting a running back. Every year there are running backs who do not live up to their ADP and bust.

Here are my predictions on which those ones will be.

No. 5: Jerick McKinnon (ADP: 82)

It hurts placing a 49ers player on this list, especially with a relatively low ADP. But the value one will be getting with the Niners’ Jerick McKinnon will not be much.

In the multiple 49ers training camp practices I attended last year, when McKinnon was fully healthy and poised to be the full-time starter, other running back Matt Breida was clearly the one making all the plays instead of McKinnon, who did not look bad by any means, but rather pedestrian compared to Breida. As training camp progressed, the amount of McKinnon’s snaps started dwindling down. I suggested the duo was to form a committee in 2018. But unfortunately, McKinnon tore his ACL right before the season, which gave Breida the opportunity to show off his talent, which he more than did.

The 49ers seemed desperate about adding a running back this offseason, going hard after Le’Veon Bell and, after failing to get him, immediately signing Tevin Coleman. Even though the Coleman signing was a no-brainer, at just $5 million a year for such a talented player, this is a huge red flag for the team’s thoughts on McKinnon, whether it be talent, scheme fit or the most likely culprit, health.

McKinnon wasn’t able to suit up for OTAs, and the question still remains if the running back whose game revolves around quick cutting on the field and agility will be the same after tearing an ACL.

The competition McKinnon faces for snaps is the most concerning. I firmly believe Coleman will be the biggest fantasy contributor out of this running back group, as he is the biggest one to receive goal-line carries. Plus, from his 2016 campaign with the Atlanta Falcons, he has proven he can run very well in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s zone scheme. On the other hand, Breida has earned the full respect of his coaches and teammates by playing brilliantly through countless injuries last season.

Between Coleman, Breida and McKinnon, there are just too many mouths to feed in this group. If he makes a full recovery, McKinnon will undoubtedly have his moments this year, but there are just too many risks involved with this player.