Running Back 3 – Najee Harris & Austin Ekeler – PIT & LAC
A TIE! Yes ties happen in fantasy football, so why not in the top five? The interesting part of this is they are two different running backs (RB) in almost every aspect of the position. Najee Harris is 6′ 1″ 242 pounds, and went to RB powerhouse, Alabama University. Austin Ekeler is 5′ 10″ 200 pounds (with all his pads on maybe…), and went to a university few have heard of, Western Colorado State. One plays for the blue-collar ‘grab your lunch pail and get to work’ mentality of Pittsburgh. The other in THE image of lavish and luxury that is Los Angeles. However, they both have potential to lead the league in scrimmage yards, and are the heartbeat of their offense.
Ekeler finished as RB 2 last year, with 322 points, and has led the NFL in combined touchdowns for back-to-back seasons. Ekeler had an outstanding 107 receptions in 2022 paired with 204 rushing attempts which led to 1,637 scrimmage yards. It is his will to not be denied at the goal line that makes him special. Walter Peyton had a way of jumping over everyone on the field to score several of his 125 touchdowns, but Ekeler does it with pure will and determination. He can run it up A gap or catch it in the flanks and score regardless of the amount of defenders or their names. The top twelve all-time charger has never been elected to an All-Pro or Pro Bowl team, but that could change if his stats are near his career year of 2022. The Chargers have lofty expectations, and Ekeler is a fantasy football favorite. His ADP is at RB 4 and that seems appropriately placed. Grab him early if you want him on your team.
Najee Harris can be grabbed much later, his ADP is currently RB9-12, and 40-50 overall. Harris is experiencing a bit of what Aaron Jones has experienced, media hype about the back up RB. Harris’ ADP has not risen since drafts in the beginning of May, and it seems the fantasy football community has accepted that he is not a top five running back. How silly is this? He is beginning his third year, and played with an injury for a majority of 2022. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a great defense, beefed up their offensive line, and Kenny Pickett shows signs of improvement in training camp. These all benefit N. Harris, and 375+ touches are well within range for him. On a Mike Tomlin team the running back has a central role, and Harris should have an increase across all numbers in 2023. This will put him into a top five type of season, with a RB capable of having great cold weather games during the fantasy football playoffs. Snag him as a solid RB 1 in the fourth round or later!

Linebacker 3 – Nick Bolton KC
Nick Bolton will have a difficult time surpassing his 2022 season. After all, most young football players dream of scoring a touchdown in the Superbowl… most of them play offense though. Bolton joins Nick Collins, and James Harrison in epic defensive Superbowl touchdowns that helped their team win the big game. N. Bolton finished the 2022 season with 180 tackles, 108 of which were solo, 3 passes defended, 2 interceptions, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. He is a tackling machine and if you are in a heavy tackle point format you should grab him one round earlier than you are thinking.
Bolton’s fantasy football marks were just as impressive. Bolton finished as linebacker (LB) 3 and the fourth best IDP. You want someone like that on your team. In 17 games last year he had only one game with single digit points…let that sink in for a moment. Bob Lung’s award winning consistency guide preaches the importance of having consistent scoring players. Nick Bolton is the IDP example of consistency. Although newly acquired teammate D. Tranquill is a force on his own, and caused some to speculate it will hurt Bolton. The cream rises to the top, and Bolton has been floating since midway of his rookie year. Bolton is young, athletic, and knows Defensive Coordinator’s Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Everything is there for Bolton to have another amazing year. Draft him with confidence.

Thank you for reading Mano y Mano. Check in tomorrow for RB & LB #2.
Bet Smart, Be Lucky – Iggy

*Stats come from FantasyPros, Pro Football Reference, Sleeper, Statmuse, and NFL/Next Gen.
*Rankings are based on .5 PPR format and FF7s