Sean Tucker, Ray Davis, Kimani Vidal, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. have all recently burst into the forefront of fantasy GM's minds as running backs to know. Should they be coveted?
Welcome to Week 7 of the 2024 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- Risers/Fallers, Top 10 Fantasy WRs
- Real or Fool's Gold, RB Edition (see below)
- Potential Record Breakers
- Subscriber Contest October Check-In
Let's roll.
For Real/Fool's Gold: RB Edition
Matt Waldman: Consider these four RBs who've burst onto the fantasy scene.
Which RBs will remain starters in three-RB lineups this year? Which ones are fool's gold?
Sam Wagman: In three-RB lineups, we should see Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Kimani Vidal retain roles, with Tracy having the best chance here. In two weeks without Devin Singletary, Tracy has rushed 35 times for 179 yards while adding 7 catches for 58 yards.
These are very solid numbers for a converted wide receiver who was regarded as a solid dart throw on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, but he wasn't expected to see a meaningful role this season. Singletary hasn't been explosive by any means, so the Giants should keep Tracy in the mix. I think it's a 60-40 split moving forward with Tracy on the low side, potentially getting more work as the season goes along.
I see Vidal as the most likely to gain a recurring role. With his first career touch being a 38-yard receiving touchdown on a wheel route, it's hard to see the Chargers putting the genie back in the bottle, as this reminds me of the way Austin Ekeler broke onto the scene with a touchdown on one of his first career touches as well. However, JK Dobbins has the run game role on lock and it's difficult to see how Vidal would cut into it.
As for Davis and Tucker, it's difficult to see how Davis will see more than a change of pace role if Cook returns soon. He looked great against the Jets, but Cook has looked terrific this season and carries the three-down role as well. In the Bills' run-heavy scheme, Davis may have carved out 5-7 touches per game, but when Cook returns, it's hard to see more.
As for Tucker, he is the RB3 still behind Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. I expect Todd Bowles' comments might not come to fruition as much as people think.
Jason Wood: If, by three-RB lineups, you mean fantasy leagues with two RB slots and a flex, then all four of these players are risky bets. I don't see any of them as locks to finish in the top 30 at their position, and they all need a significant injury to the starters to have consistent weekly fantasy value.
Sean Tucker is getting a lot of attention after a huge Week 6, but there's no question he's still third on the depth chart for a pass-happy team. The game script was unusually favorable for the former Syracuse star, but Bucky Irving is the real story in the Buccaneers' backfield.
Ray Davis will split time with Ty Johnson if James Cook misses more time, and Kimani Vidal needed Gus Edwards to go on IR just to get on the active roster. That said, I do think all three of these guys could become fantasy-relevant if the starters go down.
Tyrone Tracy Jr.. is the one to be excited about. He's a converted wide receiver, and most draft analysts saw him as an ideal third-down, pass-catching complement to a two-down workhorse. Landing with the Giants changed that narrative, but over the last two weeks, we've seen that he's a versatile talent capable of putting up big fantasy numbers, even when the rest of the offense struggles. The Giants won't relegate Devin Singletary to backup status without giving him another shot at the starting job once he returns from injury, but Tracy's talent might be undeniable.
Andy Hicks: Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Ray Davis are my favorites from this group to remain fantasy starters. I prefer Davis to Tracy. James Cook is an exciting option for the Bills, but not suited to 25 touches a game long term.
Davis is. He ran better as the game wore on and just needs experience and room to develop. Tracy is likely to give way to Devin Singletary soon. Or the split will not be beneficial to either. Davis is simply more likely to see more touches.
Kimani Vidal and Sean Tucker are tough calls. Gus Edwards landed on IR. Vidal is just a moment away from starting, with the other injury-prone Charger back in J.K. Dobbins being all that stands between Vidal and fantasy success. Jim Harbaugh loves using his backs--even rookies.
Tucker is in his second year, and the Bucs backfield looked so much better without Rachaad White. Bucky Irving is the better option, but Tucker looked great too. Before this, he had 17 career carries for 30 yards. He is most likely to crawl back into his shell.
Dan Hindery: Tyrone Tracy Jr. should remain a starter moving forward. Longtime Giants beat reporter Art Stapleton recently said: “After watching Tyrone Tracy Jr. the past two weeks, I think you'll see Devin Singletary have the Eric Gray role from last night, maybe with a little bit of a jump in snaps to 70%-30%, rather than 84%-18%, with Tracy continuing as the lead back.”
While a 70-30 split in favor of Tracy may be a bit optimistic, I do expect Tracy to see over half of the Giants' backfield opportunities moving forward. There is not another player on this list who has a realistic chance of leading his backfield this season, barring injury.
Kimani Vidal, Sean Tucker, and Ray Davis are unlikely to be reliable fantasy starters when their backfield mates are healthy. J.K. Dobbins had 27 touches to Vidal's 6 last week.
Tucker has shown enough to force his way into a committee role alongside Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. However, when the backfield was a two-way committee between Irving and White, neither averaged over 10 PPR fantasy points per game. In a three-way committee, none of them can be counted on for your lineup.
Ray Davis is the most intriguing of the group, as there's at least a slim chance he could post flex-worthy numbers behind James Cook—especially if he can secure the goal-line role.
Waldman: All four are for real as far as talents capable of becoming starters or fantasy-relevant committee backs. Who will is a different story.
Vidal is fool's gold right now because Dobbins is an elite runner who is playing great. He's a must-have for GMs with Dobbins, but only as insurance.
Davis is fool's gold right now because, as much as I agree with Andy that Cook would benefit most from a complement who can handle significant volume, I think expecting anything more than 7-9 touches from Davis in the lineup with Cook healthy is unlikely.
As I've been preaching this season, Davis is the reserve runner I want on my fantasy benches. We saw why against the Jets.
Tucker is better than Rachaad White. I also think Tucker is better than Bucky Irving. He's the most complete runner on the roster. He has the best long speed and acceleration to top speed. He's a solid receiver and has the size and power Irving lacks. He's not as flashy as Irving in space, but he's more efficient. Irving has to be this shifty to survive.
The only reason Tucker didn't have better draft capital than either back currently ahead of him on the depth chart is a heart condition diagnosed his senior year. He needed a year to return to form. Tampa Bay paid him more money than any undrafted free agent signed to a team in 2023.
A three-headed committee sounds bad, but I'm willing to risk the idea that this three-headed committee is code for "we're holding a competition to see who works in tandem with Irving because we coaches don't like to take away staring jobs due to injury."
Tracy is for real. I wasn't sure he'd be after watching him at Purdue. I saw his ceiling as a Tevin Coleman-like change of pace, but he has proven a far quicker study as a decision-maker. He presses creases like a veteran, and that's not something he did so well in college as a young player new to the position.
If Andrew Thomas misses the rest of the season, it could hurt the offensive line but I'd still take a shot on Tracy if the opportunity is there.
Thanks for reading, check out the other topics:
- Risers/Fallers, Top 10 Fantasy WRs
- Real or Fool's Gold, RB Edition
- Potential Record Breakers
- Subscriber Contest October Check-In
Good luck!
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