Iowa running back Tyler Goodson is one of those under-the-radar prospects at least worth evaluating for dynasty fantasy football leagues in 2022. He finished his collegiate career with highs in attempts (256), yards (1,151), and touchdowns (7). How should dynasty fantasy managers view Goodson after he signed with the Green Bay Packers as a UDFA?
Tyler Goodson’s dynasty fantasy profile
Iowa’s Goodson checks in at a solid 5’9″ and 197 pounds. What are the best parts of his game, and what aspects of his profile might he need to overcome to succeed at the NFL level?
Strengths
Goodson’s best attribute is his receiving ability. He posted a 12% college target share and caught 31 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown as a junior in 2021.
We’ve seen plenty of running backs find relevant roles at the NFL level based on their receiving ability alone. Goodson’s pass-catching acumen will make him appealing to NFL teams and enable him to more easily carve out a role.
Goodson managed to produce a 1,100-yard rushing season despite multiple factors working against him. He saw an incredibly high number of eight-man boxes and played for a relatively low-scoring and low-volume Iowa offense.
Goodson has the size and enough talent to be a three-down back at the NFL level. He is certainly not going to have that role as a rookie — at least not on purpose. But if the Packers, or another team for that matter, felt needed to use him in that role, I’m confident he would be just fine.
Weaknesses
Although he could be a three-down back if needed, I don’t see that in the cards for Goodson. He profiles more like J.D. McKissic. Perhaps Theo Riddick is a better comparison, as they are the exact same size. Both McKissic and Riddick have had stretches of fantasy relevance in their careers, but at no point was either knocking on the door of averaging 12+ carries a game.
In my initial report on Goodson, I was worried about how he’d perform in athletic testing. Neither Riddick nor McKissic had strong athletic measurables, but each excelled in one aspect (McKissic had great burst and Riddick had strong agility). Fortunately for Goodson, he exceeded expectations. Goodson ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and has upper percentile burst and elite agility. His athleticism will get him on an NFL roster, which at least gives him a chance at carving out a role.
Goodson would do well to have a career similar to former fourth-rounders Tarik Cohen and Nyheim Hines. Both have had multiple stretches of fantasy relevance and quality on-field performance. Goodson’s likely ceiling is a fantasy RB3.
Goodson’s injury history
Goodson has a clean injury history. He didn’t miss a game in his three seasons at Iowa.
Goodson’s dynasty value with the Packers
Let’s not sugarcoat anything. Goodson is not in a great spot. It’s awesome for him that he latched on with an NFL team, but UDFAs rarely make teams, let alone emerge into viable fantasy assets.
Goodson’s outlook isn’t entirely grim, though. The Packers currently have a dynamic running back duo in AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones. Behind them is 2021 seventh-round pick Kylin Hill and 2020 UDFA Patrick Taylor. Jones is likely gone after the 2022 season, and the Packers have no allegiance to Hill or Taylor. If Goodson can show well at training camp and in the preseason, he could conceivably earn that RB3 role.
This is admittedly a very optimistic outlook on Goodson. Nevertheless, if there ever was going to be a back to break through like this, it would be a fast, athletic guy capable of catching passes that produced at a young age.
Ultimately, Goodson is still fighting an uphill battle to make an NFL roster. But there are at least enough positives on his profile to not completely disregard him. Of course, you are not drafting him in your dynasty rookie draft. But keep his name filed away in the recesses of your brain just in case he emerges into something down the line.