Three backs with RB1 upside in fantasy football

With the NFL preseason winding down, fantasy football drafts are ramping up. Here are three running backs with the upside to be the top overall player at their position this season. 

Bijan Robinson, Falcons (ESPN ADP: 10.5)

Despite his current standing as the No. 3 running back on Atlanta's depth chart, Robinson is a sure-fire first-round pick in redraft formats. The Falcons didn't invest the eighth overall pick on the shortest-lived position in the sport just for Robinson to ride the bench. They're going to capitalize on his dual-threat capability.

After three seasons at Texas, Robinson left Austin sitting fourth in program history in career total touchdowns (41) and eighth in all-purpose yards (4,231). 

As Sports Betting Dime's Nick Holz shared on Sunday, the last four running backs selected in the top 10 of their respective drafts became RB1s as rookies. The most recent example would be Saquon Barkley, Robinson's player comp coming out of Texas, who finished his 2018 rookie year as the RB1 overall thanks to his massive volume.

Atlanta had the most rushing attempts as a team last season (559) and should continue its prolific run-first approach with inexperienced quarterback Desmond Ridder at the helm.

Tony Pollard, Cowboys (ADP: 15.6)

"America's Team" cut ties with longtime running back Ezekiel Elliott this offseason after the former All-Pro's performance declined over the last few seasons. It wasn't such a sure thing that Dallas would give Pollard a significant workload as he recovers from ankle surgery. However, with Elliott and Dalvin Cook recently signing elsewhere, there's no longer the fear of someone cutting into Pollard's expected workload. 

Although he's expected to command a large share of carries, Pollard has proven he can be the dual-threat talent who could win you your PPR league. Per Pro Football Network's Jason Katz, Pollard's 5.9 average yards per touch last season were the fifth most in the NFL. Additionally, Katz noted that Pollard recorded 1.82 yards per route run last season, ranking fourth among running backs. 

Pollard was the RB8 overall last season and now gets to make up for the 231 carries and 12 touchdowns Elliott robbed him of last season. Considering he posted 1,378 all-purpose yards and 12 total touchdowns last season, Pollard's floor is likely a top-five finish at the position. 

Nick Chubb, Browns (ADP: 15.2) 

The four-time Pro Bowler and last season's RB6 overall just keeps finding ways to improve each season. However, Chubb has never been in such a wide-open backfield as he is now, having been stuck in a timeshare with Carlos Hyde and Kareem Hunt to start off his career.

Aside from being the workhorse tailback, this is the best Browns roster in quite some time, which will open the door for Chubb to hit a ceiling we haven't witnessed from him yet. 

If that doesn't sell you on Chubb, it's worth noting that sportsbooks are also buying the hype. According to OddsChecker, Chubb is the favorite to lead the league in rushing (+600) and has the second-shortest odds to score the most rushing touchdowns (+900).

Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler may be fantasy superstars, but it'll be hard for them to replicate their success from last season. 

Chubb is already a proven commodity and he doesn't have the same injury risk as Barkley or Derrick Henry, which is why you shouldn't hesitate to spend a first-round pick on him.