Fantasy Football's Polarizing Players: Joseph Randle

(Editor's note: From now until the start of the season, VICE Sports will look at some of fantasy football's most polarizing players.)

Joseph Randle—an unproven third-year running back with 105 career carries, who only topped five carries in a game twice last season—has climbed the RB ranks by not practicing or playing with the Dallas Cowboys as a result of a minor oblique injury he suffered in August. It's a bit confusing.

Why is the fantasy world aflutter over Randle, to the point where I've seen him go in the third round of mock drafts in recent days? Mostly because of Dallas' offensive line, which was so dominant in helping DeMarco Murray—who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason—win fantasy football's unofficial MVP award in '14. "Whoever runs behind that line," goes the logic, "is destined for stardom."

Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar and even UDFA rookie Gus Johnson have been either injured or ineffective in Randle's absence. So by not plying his wares and potentially revealing his flaws, Randle has apparently enhanced his fantasy outlook.

But that's dangerous! My motto: Draft talent, not roles. In other words, don't be so callow as to believe you can predict the NFL future. Once the season begins, depth charts evolve, injuries arrive and doghouses become occupied.

If you drafted role-over-talent last year, you'd have gone all-in on Bishop Sankey, who appeared to have a clear path to the Tennessee Titans' starting job. Unfortunately, Sankey proved an unwise investment, as he wasn't talented enough to beat out a plainly pathetic Titans depth chart.

So where does that leave us on Joseph Randle? Is he a legitimately talented running back, or is he merely the best of a bad lot in a theoretically favorable role?

I re-watched tape from Randle's games last year, which didn't actually take that long, considering he only had 55 touches. He made some big plays as Murray's understudy, plays where he had lots of room to roam thanks to that great offensive line. Randle's straight-line speed is legit for a 210-pound guy. When he's got room, he can really scoot. There were also a few plays where he took some big hits on the perimeter and showed the strength to stay on his feet and keep going.

Randle's biggest weakness is that he lacks "football sense": Randle doesn't always evade tacklers that he doesn't outrun or who take a good angle on him. Again, we're dealing with a limited sample size, and I do see exceptions to this assessment: Randle converted a couple of short-yardage first downs against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 21 despite the defense selling out and getting to him in the backfield. Add in the fact that this O-line still looks terrific, and added rookie La'Ell Collins for depth, and there's reason to be excited about Randle's upside. If he's a full-time back, he's going to make some big, fantasy-week-winning plays.

But there's also risk. Randle has had some troubling off-the-field behavior. He was arrested for shoplifting last year, and was arrested on a drug charge in February when police responded to a domestic dispute at a hotel in his hometown of Wichita (he was not charged with domestic violence in the February incident). Is Randle emotionally and mentally ready to make the big jump to stardom?

The Cowboys seem to want McFadden, et al, to contribute in some kind of running back by committee, which would hurt Randle's value. And there's a pretty good chance that the Dallas O-line won't repeat the injury-free season they had in '14. I don't feel all this risk is taken into account when I see the unproven Randle going in the third round of 12-team fantasy leagues. People are only seeing potential.

So I'm guessing I won't own Randle in many leagues this year. All it takes is one owner in your league to examine Murray's drool-worthy '14 performance in Big D and take the plunge on Randle early. But despite my skepticism, I'd be blind not to see the upside. Heck, on the Harris Football Podcast, I spent time counting down the 10 players of '15 I think have the widest range of possible outcomes for the upcoming season. And Randle was No. 1 on that list.

Fortune favors the bold in fantasy football. But I'm not sure I'm quite bold enough to draft Joseph Randle at his current cost.

Christopher Harris has a daily podcast called the Harris Football Podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and wherever else you download. You can also find his podcasts, ranks and videos at www.HarrisFootball.com.