Watch out for these 3 sleeper RBs next season

By: Jake Rajala

Some might say dynasty fantasy football season never sleeps. Then there are those who appeal to the notion that “fantasy football season” never sleeps. The 2022 fantasy season should be special, as we will witness a healthy Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey notably. Truth be told, the list of star players that will be returning ought to go on a yellow text far into the galaxy. 

Still, the stargazing and dream draft pick(s) isn’t what fantasy love should be all about. We love the juicy sleepers and players that can shock the FF realm. With that said, let’s take an early look at some 2022 sleepers from the RB position. 

• Michael Carter

The New York Jets fourth-round pick has been one of the lone bright spots on the 4-12 squad. Carter has ousted roughly 73 all-purpose yards per game (missed three), as he’s been reliable in the run and pass game. A healthy Mekhi Becton, more impressive growth in the system, and fewer defenders in the box from at least a modest passing game, should provide wonders for Carter in year two. We shouldn’t expect a year-two jump that we saw out of Jonathan Taylor, but he should at least crack the 1,000-yard club. 

The New York Post nicely depicts how Mike LaFleur raves about his knack to learn quickly and utilize his all-around skill set. If he continues to keep climbing the ladder, he should have a nice floor and thrilling ceiling.

• Mark Ingram 

It’s strange to see Mark Ingram, also known as the Saints hypeman, turn back the clock at age 32. The bowling ball halfback has had 3.8 YPC and 398 all-purpose yards (seven games) in his short Saints tenure thus far. These stats don’t truly reveal how impressive his running has been with NOLA. In comparison, Alvin Kamara has only mustered out 3.6 YPC, which is a full yard worse than his previous YPC of 4.6 YPC. The Saints OL has been beaten up and to be honest, the Saints offense has been absolutely decimated. It’s been reported that the Saints have set an NFL record of 58 different starters this season. Ingram may be a bit of a deep sleeper, but he could surprise A LOT of fantasy fanatics when he’s in sync with a healthy, well-oiled machine in NOLA. The Saints have lost Terron Armstead, Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, Deonte Harris, and the list goes on. Yet, Ingram looks explosive and efficient when he’s not meeting defenders at the line of scrimmage.

• Elijah Mitchell 

This might be a bit of an obvious *sleeper choice. Nonetheless, let’s not forget how absolutely phenomenal Elijah Mitchell is. As a rookie, the former Louisiana RB has notched 878 rushing yards, 4.7 YPC, in 10 games. If his rushing yard tally is averaged out over 17 games, the rook would have picked up 1,492 yards on the ground. That would place him second in the league (1734 is the first/1205 would be the third). Mitchell is flat out a special football player and fully expect him to be a Top 5 RB with ease next season. Fall in love with the news circling around him throughout the offseason.