A Running Back to Target in Each Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft
Round 10: Jerick McKinnon, Minnesota Vikings
ADP: 157th overall (13.06)
I stretched things a little in an effort to include Jerick McKinnon, but outside of Bilal Powell in the 11th round, there aren't any backs jumping off the screen in Rounds 10 through 12.
Judging by McKinnon's ADP, you can probably wait a round or two before taking him -- possibly grabbing both he and Powell -- but the Vikings' runner could be a league-winning pick this year.
McKinnon is truly a special athlete who has played very well in his limited opportunities.
| Player | Attempts | Rushing NEP/Carry |
|---|---|---|
| Karlos Williams | 93 | 0.27 |
| Spencer Ware | 72 | 0.20 |
| Jerick McKinnon | 52 | 0.17 |
| David Johnson | 125 | 0.15 |
| Jamaal Charles | 71 | 0.10 |
Among backs to see at least 50 carries last year, he ranked third in Rushing NEP per carry and fourth in Rushing Success Rate. Dating back to the past two seasons, among running backs with at least 140 carries, McKinnon slots in fourth in yards per attempt.
Obviously, Adrian Peterson is the issue here. An all-time great, Peterson is keeping McKinnon from seeing the consistent volume needed to be a weekly fantasy starter.
Peterson is our top-ranked back, and he's going to see a boatload of touches this season. With that said, the future Hall of Famer is going into his age-31 campaign, and the Vikings have repeatedly said they want to get McKinnon more snaps.
Without an injury to Peterson, McKinnon is unlikely to be more than an occasional flex option during bye weeks, but if Peterson were to miss time, McKinnon's elite per-play efficiency tells us he could be a monster.
