Week 8 has begun, but check out the freshman running back changes from Week 7!
The work has shown that Year 1 is huge for NFL odds, with those in the top tier over eight times more likely to get drafted than those who beat one or none. As the season hits the final few weeks of the regular season, dreams are on the line for teams going for the playoffs or bowl games, and the young backs with snaps involved can show their true colors. The following categories are the minimum thresholds that separate NFL hopes drastically:
20 rushes
100 rush yards
5 catches
30 receiving yards
2 TDs
5/5 Tier
The top tier added Cardae Mack and Amari Latimer last week, expanding our list to eight names that clear all parts of the metric. These backs have solid paths to relevance down the road and are great to see on C2C rosters. Wiggins, for example, had another great game and continues to make a case for more work.
4/5 Tier
Brandon White is the new name to join the 4/5 club and now falls in line with the rest of the group, needing receptions to finish clearing the receiving categories, or a TD for White and Ene.
3/5 Tier
The top row of Crowell, Edwards, and Bonner carried hype during the supplemental draft season and just need some receiving work to climb into the top two tiers. Hatton Jr. has been a surprise riser after the slow start. The rest have either calmed down or been limited to runner roles.
2/5 Tier
Brandon Smith and Shahn Alston have gotten some touches in very important games recently for their teams, so I am curious to monitor their situations and where their roles go from here; both could see shakeups in their backfields. MJ Dowdy has already added some receiving work to his graphic in Week 8, so he is a new name to monitor.
1/5 Tier
This tier, for the most part, is the same old names that haven’t gotten much additional attention. Bey and Cooper continue to worry owners, as they don’t get much attention even in advantageous situations, like Texas not having Smothers’ last game. Rhodes for SMU and Hurt for Louisiana Tech shot up quickly, so they could be ones to watch.
0/5 Tier
I am very nervous about this whole tier. Amari Thomas is the only one who I see a realistic option to garner more work since he is now in a very thin backfield for Florida State.
