A Running Back to Target in Each Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft

Round 5: Ryan Mathews, Philadelphia Eagles

ADP: 56th overall (5.07)

Last season was a disaster for the Eagles, but the play of Ryan Mathews was a bright spot.

Among backs with at least 100 rushing attempts, he ranked 13th in Rushing NEP per carry and 4th in Rushing Success Rate.

Thanks to averaging a robust 5.1 yards per attempt, he finished 33rd in standard scoring leagues despite getting just 107 carries. Karlos Williams and Danny Woodhead were the only backs in front of him to see fewer carries (Charles Sims also had 107 carries and was the RB22).

In line to be Philadelphia’s top dog now that DeMarco Murray is out of town, Mathews' per-play efficiency may take a hit, but the added volume can help his fantasy numbers.

Pass-game wizard Darren Sproles figures to siphon some work and is certainly worth a dice roll at his current 12th-round ADP, but the Eagles' depth chart is thin behind Mathews.

Wendell Smallwood, a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, has generated a fair amount of offseason hype, but not all of it has been positive. Mathews figures to get every chance to be the guy for Philadelphia, and our projections slate him to see 204 carries.

Mathews is our 15th-ranked running back and the 42nd overall player, making him a screaming value at his ADP of RB24.