Williams, Javonte - DAL

Last year, it was tough to watch Javonte Williams. The injuries have seemingly robbed him of his special tackle-breaking sauce. The Broncos kept trotting him out there weekly without a better option to take his place. Williams finished as the RB36 in fantasy points per game. He will be in the conversation, if not the favorite, to be the Cowboys' starting back this season, with only Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue realistically competing with him for the job. I don't know if Williams has the juice anymore to hold off those players, but he will be given the opportunity to do so. Last year, Williams ranked outside the top 34 backs in explosive run rate, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Williams makes the most sense with Zero RB builds this season, as he could buy time for a fantasy star to emerge from your bench to take his place in your starting lineup.

Dillon, A.J. - PHI

The Eagles signed RB AJ Dillon in the off-season.

Dillon will return after sitting out all of last season due to a neck injury. He'll likely fill-in a short-yardage role in the Eagles backfield behind Saquon Barkley. He'll be off the fantasy radar.

Dowdle, Rico - CAR

After his breakout season, sadly, the Cowboys kicked Rico Dowdle to the curb. He signed with the Carolina Panthers and enters the year as the likely handcuff to Chuba Hubbard. Dowdle was awesome last year as the RB24 in fantasy points per game with 274 touches and 1,328 total yards. Dowdle could have had an even better season if Dallas had quit playing around with a rotation and leaned on him as "the guy" all year. In Weeks 9-18, Dowdler averaged 19.9 touches and 95.1 total yards (RB19), and he ranked 16th in explosive run rate and seventh in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). If Hubbard were to miss any time, Dowdle would be a plug-and-play RB2. He's a strong handcuff option this season.

Harris, Najee - LAC

After spending the first years of his career in Pittsburgh, Harris has moved on to LA to play for the Chargers after signing a one-year deal worth up to $9.25 million. Harris rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons with the Steelers, but he is really a volume back known for his toughness and availability, having played all 68 regular-season games in his career. While the durability is a great positive for Harris, he has limitations as a runner and lacks the explosion to generate the upside fantasy owners crave. He will most likely also be dealing with a RBBC situation with rookie Omarion Hampton who is a younger and a potentially more explosive back who will challenge Harris for carries and may even take over the backfield lead. We see Harris as a RB3 or flex option in fantasy.

Gainwell, Kenneth - PIT

The Steelers signed RB Kenneth Gainwell to a one-year contract.

Gainwell spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Eagles. The Steelers backfield currently only consists of him and Jaylen Warren.