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Hero RBs Who Will Carry You to Glory in 2022

By / / 4 minutes of reading
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 03: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter during their game against the Tennessee Titans at Bank of America Stadium on November 03, 2019, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Hero RBs are gifts sent from baby Jesus and can carry teams each week. No serious RB2 is needed with a Hero RB. Who are these Hero RBs?

The Hero RB strategy in fantasy football can be risky, as not drafting the correct running back can make the entire season a failure. When using this strategy, that running back has to be an alpha — someone with volume who can score a guaranteed 20-plus points weekly.

All in all, that manager must be confident that running back can produce as if they were two running backs. VOLUME is king. Here are three running backs that should be used in the Hero RB strategy.

Christian McCaffrey

For starters, the casual hater will say, “McCaffrey has only played ten games in the past two seasons.” Although that is true, a healthy McCaffrey is the second greatest fantasy asset the NFL has ever seen.

Injuries are a part of every sport, especially with the physicality of football. To pass on CMC in the past is why many people can’t progress forward in life. The lesson here is to leave the past in the past and look at the present. As our favorite meerkat and warthog say, “Hakuna Matata.”

As stated by Dwain McFarland, do not draft in fear.

McCaffrey has two of the three highest ppg in fantasy history. In 2020 alone, he scored a total of 90 points. That seems low, but McCaffrey scored all those points in three games. Being the greatest pass-catching RB in the past ten years, CMC is the volume of the Carolina Panthers. A bad week for McCaffrey in PPR leagues is still about 20 points.

McCaffrey is one of only three men to run and receive for over 1,000 yards, and now in 2022, he will finally be at 100% along with the best quarterback he’s had in his career.

Jonathan Taylor

The reigning, defending, undisputed running back king, Jonathan Taylor, came alive after Week 3 in 2021 with a legendary run. With 20 touchdowns, the rushing crown, and many happy fantasy managers, Taylor is set to be the 1.01 in most redraft leagues. Also, there have been upgrades throughout Indianapolis.

To begin with, Carson Wentz is no longer the quarterback. The Colts made the upgrade to former MVP Matt Ryan. Then, the Colts added another big-body receiver, Alec Pierce. A top-five offensive line still resides in Indianapolis too.

That said, Taylor should see the same type of production with an added plus. Furthermore, according to PFF, Matt Ryan had the fourth highest check-down rate, which is a major key for Taylor. Taylor also saw an increase from 36 receptions to 40 receptions.

In Atlanta, Devonta Freeman saw massive targets from Ryan. In his best two-year stretch from the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Freeman saw the second most targets among running backs.

In the 2022 season, Jonathan Taylor should see over 50 receptions with double-digit touchdowns and massive rushing yards. He is a LOCK for being a perfect RB for the Hero RB strategy.

D’Andre Swift

Drafting this man will make you swift through your league, pun intended. D’Andre Swift is my favorite amongst the three running backs in this article. Subsequently, he is the best value among the three as he can be drafted at the back-end of the first or second round.

In 2021, Swift had 62 receptions in just 13 games. On average, he would have reached around 80-plus receptions without injury. Swift is practically a younger Alvin Kamara with the same build and the same production.

Swift finished fifth in yards created and FIRST in yards created per touch. He is a menace with the ball in his hands and has been an RB1 his entire career when healthy. A healthy Swift is THE perfect candidate to try the Hero RB strategy. selecting him at the end of the first or on the turn for the second round means a top-tier WR can be selected with the other pick.

 

Thank you for checking out my Hero RBs article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys’ author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @NBF_Clo and @IDPGuys (we have offense, too), and please check out our website at idpguys.org.

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