The NFL season starts on Thursday and while fantasy football leagues can draft for weeks after the season begins, true players are getting in some final drafts and some sleepers heading into Week 1 of the season include names like Giovani Bernard, Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Ivory and Montee Ball at running back.
Top players like Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Marshawn Lynch and Trent Richardson will be off the board quick, but running back is looking like a deep position this year in fantasy and someone like Giovani Bernard on the Bengals could end up being one of the best late round options in the league after being drafted out of North Carolina. One thing that makes Bernard valuable in fantasy is his speed and explosiveness, as the Bengals will be looking to exploit that and he could get starter-like touches.
Bernard should factor into the passing game out of the backfield, making him even more valuable in PPR leagues and since he is such a different style of runner than BenJarvus Green-Ellis, the Bengals should utilize him plenty. Bernard has been compared to CJ Spiller and he could put up some very good numbers with Andy Dalton and AJ Green in the offense. Another name that could have a big season is Packers rookie Eddie Lacy, since the team ditched Alex Green and lost DuJuan Harris and Green Bay wants to emphasize the run and he could overtake James Starks as the starter.
Daryl Richardson on the Rams is another sleeper option after Steven Jackson left to sign with the Falcons and he has the starting job over Isaiah Pead and showed some nice production at the end of 2012. Even though the Jets are expected to be terrible, Chris Ivory could be a very solid second option in deeper leagues since he is the starter and the team will try to pound the rock and with Bilal Powell behind him there isn't much depth. The team just signed Alex Green after he was released by the Packers and he could take away some carries from Ivory, but Rex Ryan has said that he plans on using Ivory as the starter.
Ivory had 217 yards last season and two touchdowns, while Green was one of the leading rushers with the Packers with 464 yards. Bernard is still the best sleeper of the group since he likely could end up the number one running back on the Bengals by the end of the season and if it is for a PPR league, his value is even higher. Bernard showed a nose for the end zone during the preseason and if he outplays Green-Ellis, he could end up leading rookies in scoring. Broncos rookie Montee Ball is a very solid option late in drafts, as he could end up getting an even amount of carries with Ronnie Hillman over Knowshon Moreno. Ball was very productive in college and even though the team added Wes Welker to the offense, he could be the big producer out of the backfield.
Rashard Mendenhall is a solid sleeper option with the Arizona Cardinals after the Steelers cut him loose, but only if he can stay healthy and on the field. Due to his size he could score plenty of touchdowns in goal line situations and for a time he was a very productive back, averaging over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns from 2008 to 2011 and fantasy owners are hoping for something close to that production again and with new head coach Bruce Arians coming in, that could happen.