Josh Jacobs Among Five Potential Fantasy Busts at Running Back

Raiders runner could see his numbers fall after a career season.

Bust. It’s the dirtiest four-letter word in fantasy football.

Fantasy managers who drafted players such as Russell Wilson, Jonathan Taylor and Deebo Samuel last season know the term (and its consequences) all too well. Selecting a bust, especially in the earlier rounds of your draft, can be detrimental to your chances of fielding a true fantasy league postseason contender.

To me, the term “bust” includes players who either don’t live up to their draft position or were selected to play prominent roles who fail in the stat sheets. Middle- to late-round picks, unless you select them to be starters (mostly quarterbacks or tight ends), don’t fit the description. After all, late rounders are easily replaced.

• Possible Fantasy Busts: Quarterbacks

With that in mind, here are five backs to beware with your valuable draft capital.

Josh Jacobs, Raiders

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I'm not saying Jacobs is going to be bad this season. What I am saying is that he's guaranteed to see regression coming off a magical 2022 campaign. In fact, I can see his totals dropping in almost every statistical category compared to last year. The third-best back in fantasy last season, I can see Jacobs finishing as more of a high-end RB2 in 2023. Again, not terrible but not what he was a year ago.

Alvin Kamara, Saints

Kamara has seen fantasy stock decline in recent years, as his points per game total has fallen from 25.2 in 2020 down to 14.1 a season ago. That’s due in large part to a decline in his pass-catching chances, not to mention his red-zone looks. Kamara is also suspended for the first three weeks, and the Saints added Jamaal Williams to what will be a certain backfield committee situation this season.

Dalvin Cook, Jets

Cook has long been a fantasy star, but we started to see some cracks in his armor a season ago. His yards-per-carry average dropped, and he had continued nagging injuries and issues with consistency. Now with the Jets, he'll be splitting the workload with Breece Hall in what could be a messing backfield. At this point, Cook will be hard to trust as more than a low flex in the middle rounds of drafts.

Miles Sanders, Panthers

Sanders is coming off one of his best fantasy seasons, ranking 15th in points among running backs. I think that could be his ceiling though, and leaving what was a high-powered Eagles offense for a Panthers team led by a rookie quarterback might not bear the same statistical fruit. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Carolina mixed in Chuba Hubbard, which could hurt Sanders’s touch share.

D'Andre Swift, Eagles

Swift is the most explosive running back in the Eagles rotation, but I'm not sure he'll see enough touches on a weekly basis to be a consistent fantasy starter. The team also added veteran Rashaad Penny, and Kenny Gainwell has a chance to start as the incumbent. The good news is that Swift isn't very expensive in drafts, but I'd still avoid him as more than a potential flex starter in most leagues.