Saquon Barkley will have an RB1 grade in fantasy football in 2018, despite playing on a team notoriously bad at utilizing running backs in fantasy football.

So Barkley will be owned in all fantasy football leagues, so this exercise is pointing out who, other than Barkley, could make an impact in fantasy football, now that we know where they landed.

Here’s three rookie running backs who should get a look entering the 2018 fantasy football season.

Tampa Bay should get some attention in Super Bowl odds for 2018. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1IAvBy4/Keith Allison

Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

As noted before, I like Jones.

He doesn’t do a lot in the passing game, but the Buccaneers made Doug Martin a household fantasy football name a few years ago by using his ground and pound technique.

The same can happen with Jones, who is the best pure runner among the rookies drafted in the NFL draft. He averaged more than 6 yards per carry during his career with USC and was utilized heavily in the running attack.

Tampa Bay can use him in a similar fashion, trying to keep the pressure off Jameis Winston in the passing game. At first, expect Jones to share time with Peyton Barber. As the season progresses, I expect Jones to make more of an impact as a fantasy football commodity.

Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins

Based on pure talent, Guice should have been a first-round running back.

Thanks to pre-draft character analysis, though, Guice slid to the Redskins, which will use him on first and second down only.

With Chris Thompson as the third-down running back, there won’t be any room for Guice as a three-down running back. That worries me a bit for his overall production, especially with a Washington team that isn’t known for high-level output out of early down running backs.

However, without Kirk Cousins at the helm, the Redskins may be more inclined to utilize the running game more in the early downs. That could boost Guice’s fantasy output, since he’s a likely candidate to receive the bulk of the carries.

Royce Freeman, Denver Broncos

Sometimes fantasy football output is all about fit. That’s what I like about Freeman.

He’s going to get an opportunity to play right away. Devontae Booker is the lead back currently, but he’s more likely a third-down option, with Freeman being an early down running back.

Denver needs a more stabilizing force in the backfield, and Freeman can be utilized in the running and passing games. He was one of the best in college football at not only breaking tackles, but also as a pass catcher out of the backfield.

Freeman can develop into a three-down running back. That may not be his role in the beginning, but he has the ability to develop into that kind of running back during his first year.

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