Harris: It's Time To Target Your RB2
By Adam Harris--
(CBS) Right now, there are three consistent running backs in the fantasy football world. Can you guess who they are?
1. Adrian Peterson of the Vikings has been on a tear the last three games and kept his momentum going in a tough matchup in Denver on Sunday. He's back.
2. LeVeon Bell has only been back for two weeks, but he has already proved that the time off hasn't affected him one bit. He's a keeper.
3. Jamaal Charles is the best fantasy back in the game right now. In half-PPR formats, he's averaging 20 points per week, and he leaves no doubt that he will continue.
All three of these backs are untradeable assets in all leagues. They're consistent. They're exciting. They're reliable. They're pure RB1s.
The tier really drops after those three. Eddie Lacy is slow and hampered by injury; Jeremy Hill is inconsistent, touchdown-dependent and basically splitting carries; Matt Forte is on a team that doesn't score; Latavius Murray isn't RB1 material yet' Mark Ingram now has a healthy C.J. Spiller to compete with for touches; C.J. Anderson is bad; and Marshawn Lynch is injured.
The day of the pure fantasy RB1 is dwindling. We're used to at least half the fantasy teams owning a legitimate RB1, with some better than others, but this year's certainly shaping up to be the opposite.
So, what does this mean?
Well, it means that the teams with one of the big three have an advantage over most other teams. If you aren't one of the lucky three owners, you must counter this and acquire as many running backs as possible.
Go take a chance and trade for a Ronnie Hillman (as I suggested last week). Go make an offer for Spiller or a Gio Bernard. Stack your bench with running backs, and watch as two turn out to be above average RB2s. Two above-average RB2s might be enough to beat one RB1 and one FLEX attempting to fill a RB2 role.
It's acceptable to trade a receiver as good as A.J. Green for a good RB2 and a halfway decent WR in return. Stack your odds, and then flip the running backs who turn out to float to the top.
This is a year to build as much depth as possible, and when the time is right later in the season, dump your depth to create a roster full of elites.
Follow Adam on Twitter @aharrisSD25 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
