Alfred Morris

Rarely used in the early part of last season, Morris was thrust into a larger role for the Cowboys when Ezekiel Elliott was forced to serve his six-game suspension. The veteran put up solid numbers during that stretch, rushing for 419 yards at a clip of 4.2 per carry, but he only got into the end zone once and was forced to split snaps with Rod Smith rather than being entrusted with a full workload. Morris has a lot of tread on his tires and never possessed great speed to begin with, but the 29-year-old can still hit the holes he's given and can be hard to bring down, running with power and purpose. He also offers little as a receiver, although he does handle his blocking assignments when called upon to do so. Dallas elected not to bring him back in 2018, and Morris ultimately landed with the 49ers. With Jerick McKinnon out for the season, Morris is now poised to share the backfield with Matt Breida, with Morris a candidate to see a fair share of early-down work.

Morris earned just 72 offensive touches last season, as rookie Ezekiel Elliott rarely came off the field on early downs. Elliott's six-game suspension to open up the season seemingly opened up an opportunity for Morris, but the door likely shut right before the season when Elliott was granted a temporary restraining order and an injunction. With Elliott allowed to play while his legal case is worked out, Morris finds himself third in the backfield pecking order, also stuck behind Darren McFadden.

Morris' average rush has fallen for three straight years, and he was generally ignored in Washington's passing game. He was thinking about a fresh start when he signed with Dallas in late March, but two months later the Cowboys went all-in on rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. Given the age and mileage on Darren McFadden, we at least have to give Morris a chance of being the primary backup to Elliott when the season starts. And given how McFadden went bonkers out of nowhere last year, perhaps Morris still has some upside if pressed into a prominent role. No one in Dallas hopes it comes to this, but Morris is still just 27. We should also give him high marks for making 64 consecutive starts as a pro, especially rare in today's NFL.

Entering his fourth NFL season, Morris remains an island of stability in the sea of chaos that is the Washington offense. Since being a sixth-round pick in 2012, he's never missed a game or a chance to his lower his pads and grind out another couple yards. While not a burner, Morris has the vision and burst to exploit a hole and make his mark in the red zone, plus his strong pass protection skills have become augmented with improved hands, reducing the need for a third-down back to complement him. While his carries and YPC have trended downward over his career, that's as much a product of inconsistent play from his offensive line and an inability by the Washington offense to remain on the field as it is any decline in Morris' abilities. Washington drafted Matt Jones, a bruising back with more size, in the third round to be his understudy, but while Jones may keep Morris' workload manageable and help wear down opposition defenses faster, the starting job is still firmly in Morris' grasp.

While Morris turned in an impressive 2013, finishing fourth in the NFL in rush yardage, his sophomore campaign fell well short of the 100-yards-per-game benchmark he set for himself as a rookie. Blame for this statistical decline can largely be laid on a reduced carry total – particularly in the red zone – and Robert Griffin III's injury issues. While new coach Jay Gruden seems less inclined than Mike Shanahan to use the read option that's been a major factor in Morris's success, it could be a blessing in disguise for him. While some pundits may be inclined to downgrade Morris on that news, combined with his fullback-like 4.63 40 time, the 5-10, 218-pound bowling ball of a back is a tremendous downhill runner, a guy who can just put his shoulder down and plow for solid yardage on just about every play. That said, Morris is not a truly dynamic back – he doesn't break tackles at a terribly high rate and he's a near-total non-factor in the passing game, having totaled 20 receptions in two seasons. Backup and third-down man Roy Helu was generally more responsible for catching the ball out of the backfield last year, and that projects to continue this season.

A sixth-round pick, Morris proved to be the steal of the 2012 NFL Draft, as he was an ideal fit for Washington's read-option attack. At 5-9, 219, Morris isn't fast, but he provides a powerful downhill style that has just enough wiggle and burst to get him through arm tacklers and into the second and third levels. The threat of Robert Griffin's accurate arm and blazing speed prevented defenses from keying on Morris, opening running lanes and allowing the bullish back to rack up the second-most rushing yards and touchdowns in the league. With 14 games of at least 75 yards on the ground and seven 100-yard outings, he was one of the most consistent fantasy commodities, too. Despite his nose for the end zone (he scored on 41 percent of his carries inside the 10, 2nd ) and impressive durability (he barely sniffed the injury report despite 335 carries), Morris might not be as safe a pick as he appears. The concern for Morris is the health of Griffin, who is attempting to return from a torn ACL by Week 1. If Griffin is unavailable to keep defenses guessing or is not the same rushing threat he was as a rookie, Morris could see running lanes shrink while becoming a greater focus of the opposition. Given his lack of speed, that's a sizable risk considering his likely cost.

Rookie running back drafted in the 6th round. He will compete with Tim Hightower, Roy Helu, and Evan Royster. He is not expected to see much playing time early on and would need several injuries to be relevant.