Fantasy Football RBs: How to handle Josh Jacobs, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley and other unsigned backs

The running back market has never been worse and now there are a ton of big named running backs who remained unhappy or unsigned. We are going to go over how to approach each one in your fantasy drafts. 

Will Saquon Barkley Sit Out?

The Giants and Barkley were unable to agree on a long-term extension this week and now he will be forced to play on the franchise tag. Reports have already surfaced that the disgruntled back will not report to training camp and is considering holding out into the regular season. This is disconcerting for obvious reasons if you're a fantasy owner. Especially since he's a guy you probably have to spend a top-five pick on or close to it if you want to draft him. However, we don't believe you should worry about the idea of Saquon holding out. He knows the offense and the quarterback, and it's extremely rare that even the most disgruntled player actually sits out the entire season or even a few regular season games. In recent memory, Le'Veon Bell is the most infamous case. After sitting out the entire season the whole situation blew up in his face as he lost a ton of money, didn't get the contract he wanted in free agency, and his career went downhill after joining the woeful New York Jets. 
 

Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

Jacobs, we are a bit more concerned about. Not because we believe that he will sit out into the season, but because the situation is a bit different. He is undoubtedly the top back on his team despite the coach not being known for putting up with disgruntled players. They just don't have another option on the team. However, his massive workload last year combined with him likely heading into the season not in ideal shape and playing with a new quarterback is concerning. In 2022, he handled 340 carries and 53 receptions. The history of running backs coming off that many carries is not in the favor of running backs. We worry about a slow start, high injury risk, or even just a noticeable decline this year. There is a reason why these teams aren't giving running backs the big second contract and this is the reason. 
 

Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

Early in the offseason, Ekeler demanded a trade that didn't end coming to fruition and appears to be all but dead. He expressed his displeasure with his current contract and situation. Nonetheless, it doesn't seem like there is much to make of this situation. All reports seem to indicate that he will be ready to roll this season despite his grievances and you should not worry about this issue when drafting him. 

Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

Pollard is another franchise-tagged back who didn't get the extension he was hoping for. However, his situation is more similar to Ekelers than Barkley's or Jacobs's. Pollard will be taking on the RB1 job in Dallas this season and has relatively fresh legs after playing second fiddle or splitting time with Ezekiel Elliott up to this point in his career. This situation doesn't sound nearly as contentious as the situations in New York or Vegas so there doesn't seem to be much for fantasy owners to worry about. Draft him as if he's the Cowboys' clear-cut RB1. 
 

Dalvin Cook, FA

We get a new Cook rumor seemingly every day, yet camp is opened and he's still without a team. The New England Patriots are currently the betting favorites to land Cook, but so was DeAndre Hopkins and we expect the same results. Miami has an offer on the table as do the Vikings. We believe he will ultimately end up with the Dolphins which is the ideal landing spot for fantasy. It's still tough to confidently draft him because that is just an educated guess. This becomes a matter of risk vs reward. You can draft Cook hoping he lands in a great situation and get a legitimate RB1 at a discounted price. On the other hand, if things don't go as you hope you may end up relying on an unreliable back to help you win fantasy games. Currently being drafted as the RB22 based on ADP we don't hate reaching a bit and grabbing him as the RB18 or even a tiny bit higher.   

Ezekiel Elliott, FA

Things have been quiet on the Zeke front. The latest rumors have circled around the Pats, but that seems to be the case with every offensive player. While he is no longer the feature back he once was, he still has the ability to excel in short-yardage and goal-line situations. We also know he can serve as a solid pass-catcher if needed. In the end, we expect him to hurt another back's fantasy value more than land somewhere and become a fantasy asset. It's not impossible, however, right now we are just hoping he doesn't land somewhere and torpedo one of our top running backs' value.    

Leonard Fournette, FA

Lenny feels like a slower version of Zeke at this point. That doesn't mean he can't find himself a nice role somewhere this season. His ceiling is about 40 receptions and six TDs, but he could end up serving as a poor man's version of Elliott this season. Again though, we are just hoping he doesn't hurt another back's value. 

Kareem Hunt, FA

We have heard very little about a potential Hunt signing this offseason. There has been some buzz that he could sign with, that's right you guessed it, the Patriots. We don't take any of those rumors seriously at this point though. He is the most intriguing of the free-agent backs because he has the largest range of outcomes. It's been years since we've seen him get a true opportunity because he's been stuck behind Nick Chubb in Cleveland. He's had impressive flashes while in Cleveland but is coming off the worst year of his career. It will be interesting to see where he lands and how he plays, nonetheless, he is a complete dice roll at this point. His landing spot and potential role is a question mark and if you're drafting him you'll have to just trust your gut, grab him late, and hope for the best.