5 running back busts who will underperform in 2022

A breakout player can give your roster a boost, and sleeper prospects off the waiver wire can save your fantasy football season, but drafting a bust can sink your season before it even begins.

Here’s a look at five bust candidates at running back this year that fantasy managers should consider avoiding at their current average draft positions.

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5
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

(Samantha Madar/PackersNews, USA TODAY Network)

Jones is going 22nd overall in fantasy drafts this offseason despite having a near-even split with AJ Dillon in Green Bay last year. The Packers, like most NFL teams, use a backfield rotation and Jones (223) barely out-touched Dillon (221) last season. Granted, Jones was sidelined for two games in 2021, but that’s also part of the problem. Jones played a full 16-game in 2019, but he’s missed at least two games in four of his five years in the NFL. If you’re going RB early, Jones shouldn’t be a top target.

4
Breece Hall, New York Jets

(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Hall is going off the board at 38 overall, which is a bit pricey for a rookie joining a crowded backfield. Hall might end up leading the RB rotation, but the Jets also like Michael Carter, and Tevin Coleman tallied 84 carries last season. Time will tell how New York’s final 53-man roster shakes out, but Ty Johnson and La’Mical Perine are also part of the mix, at least for now. Even if only Carter ends up being Hall’s main competition for touches, the rookie’s ADP is too high for a rotational RB in a bad offense.

3
Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Mitchell’s ADP (50th overall) would be a steal if he was the workhorse in San Francisco’s RB-friendly offense, but Kyle Shanahan’s backfields are always hard to predict. Mitchell himself surprised last year when he emerged as the team’s primary running back, and any of the team’s RBs could get hot and lead the team in 2022. Jeff Wilson Jr. has shown good flashes when healthy, and San Francisco just used a third-round pick on Tyrion Davis-Price in April. Even if Trey Sermon is on the bubble, the 49ers have plenty of options at…