2024 RB Rankings Analysis & Drafting Tips

by Michael Nazarek/John Holler

Editor's Note: Below you will find a portion of our Fantasy Football Runningback Rankings Analysis  & Drafting Tips for 2024.  If you'd like to read all RB rankings analysis, please click HERE to order our 2024 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

POSITION OVERVIEW - The running back position has always been an anomaly in fantasy football. As the passing game has become far more dominant, the value of elite running backs has continued to rise. If you're going to win a league title, having a bell cow running back is a must. The problem is that too many of the top-end players have significant injury histories, including Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall, Jonathan Taylor, and Saquon Barkley. With young players emerging and climbing the list, this could be one of the most interesting running back draft classes in years, as owners roll this dice on hitting the jackpot.

RB Draft Tips - Found exclusively in the Guide.

THE MASTERMIND'S BEST BET: Found exclusively in the Guide.

The following rankings are based upon PPR (point-per-reception) leagues!

1ST TIER (THE ELITE STUD RB)

 

1) Christian McCaffrey, SF - McCaffrey has been a high fantasy draft pick for the entirety of his career because of his ability to be an elite dual-threat runner and receiver. In his first full season with the 49ers last year, he set career highs for rushing yards (1,459), average yards per carry (5.4) and total touchdowns (21). He is a perfect fit in the 49ers system and, if he stays healthy (which he has since arriving in San Francisco in 2022), McCaffrey will likely be the first overall pick in most fantasy drafts. He turned 28 in June and has shown no signs of slowing down. Every season he has been healthy to play in all games, he has proved to be the most consistent point producer in the NFL and there's no reason to think that's going to change. STAT FACT: In 33 career games with the 49ers (we don't count the game he played three days after being traded), McCaffrey has scored 39 touchdowns (26 rushing, 13 receiving). His hallmark has been his consistency. He has scored at least one touchdown in 27 of those 33 games - rewarding those with him on their roster week after week.

 

2ND TIER (VERY CLOSE TO ELITE STUD RB STATUS)

 

2) Breece Hall, NYJ - As a rookie in 2022, Hall flashed what he was capable of doing before going down to injury after just seven games. In those games, he had 80 carries for 463 yards, caught 19 passes for 218 yards and scored five touchdowns. Last year he played his first full season and the results spiked significantly across the board. He rushed 223 times for 994 yards, caught 76 passes for 591 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He was the centerpiece of an offense that struggled mightily, but with Aaron Rodgers back, if he can stay healthy, Hall could be a three-down back who will do a lot of damage on a weekly basis. STAT FACT: Hall emerged as a receiver in the second half of last season. In his final eight games, he caught 50 passes, including six games with five or more receptions. At that pace, this season with Rodgers, Hall could rush for 1,000 yards, catch 100 passes and score double-digit touchdowns.

 

3) Bijan Robinson, ATL - The Falcons made a significant investment (No. 8 overall in the 2023 draft) in Robinson, but he was forced to share the load in the Falcons run-heavy offense. In 17 games, he had 214 carries for 976 yards, caught 58 passes for 487 yard and scored eight touchdowns - solid baseline numbers to begin with. It's unclear whether the significant upgrade the team made at quarterback - signing Kirk Cousins to a huge deal and drafting Michael Penix with the eighth pick of the draft - will impact the run game, but Robinson's explosiveness will continue to make him a player that will be an every-week starter in fantasy leagues that will have his share of huge weeks and potentially become a three-down back. STAT FACT: Robinson's role as a receiver increased as the season went on. He had three games with 50 or more receiving yards and all of them came in the last five games of the season.

 

3RD TIER (SOLID #1 FANTASY RBs)

 

4) Jonathan Taylor, IND - Taylor has been the tale of two careers in Indy. In his first two seasons (32 games), he was virtually unstoppable, rushing 564 times for 2,970 yards, catching 76 passes for 659 yards and scored 32 touchdowns - entrenching him as the No. 1 pick in just about every fantasy draft in 2022. In two seasons since, injuries and a holdout limited him to 21 games and his numbers have dwarfed - 361 carries for 1,602 yards, 37 receptions for 296 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Colts are an offense in change and Taylor looks to be a big part of it. His current deal assures that he is in Indy the next two years and the only question is will we see the Taylor who dazzled the first two years or struggled the last two. STAT FACT: In a 23-game span that started late in his rookie season and through the 2021 season, Taylor had 70 or more rushing yards 19 times (83 percent). In 21 games over the past two seasons, he has rushed for 70 or more yards 12 times (57 percent).

 

5) Jahmyr Gibbs, DET - The Lions used the 12^th pick of the 2023 draft on Gibbs because they view him as a generational player at a position that doesn't often see players selected in the first round anymore. In 15 games as a rookie, he rushed 182 times for 945 yards, caught 52 passes for 316 yards and scored 11 touchdowns - an outstanding baseline to build off of. While he remains in a timeshare with David Montgomery, his explosiveness is going to eventually be enough for them to trade spots and have Gibbs as the primary back in the offense. STAT FACT: Gibbs saw his role in the offense grow as the season went on. In his first 10 games, he had just five games with 10 or more carries. In his final five games, he had 11 or more carries in each of them and scored five rushing touchdowns - and added rushing TDs in each of his three playoff games.

 

6) Saquon Barkley, PHI - Barkley spent his first six seasons with the Giants, where he posted solid numbers, but didn't have the kind of consistent production that would expected from the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Part of the problem for Barkley has been his health. The only season he played in every game was his rookie season in 2018. But the Giants have been a mess offensively during the entirety of his tenure and he comes to an Eagles team that has been one of the top rushing teams each of the last four seasons. He may lose out on the 1-yard touchdowns that are a hallmark of an elite running back, but he won't be the constant source of a defensive attention that he was in New York, which could put him in line for one of his best seasons to date. STAT FACT: Barkley got his scoring swagger back after a three-year drought. From 2019-21 (28 games), Barkley hit the end zone just 12 times. In the last two seasons (30 games), he has scored 20 touchdowns - 10 in each season.

 

7) Travis Etienne, JAX - Etienne has lived up to his hype in his first two seasons, rushing 487 times for 2,133 yards, catching 93 passes for 792 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns. The Jaguars continue to add offensive talent to the roster, but Etienne is the showcase piece. He hasn't missed a game in his career and has proved to be durable and explosive. He is a rare dual threat that can do a lot of damage as a runner and receiver and, as long as he stays healthy, the sky is the limit for the Jaguars young star. STAT FACT: Etienne slowed somewhat in terms of usage as the season progressed last year. In the first eight games of the seasons, he had 18 or more carries in six times and scored eight touchdowns. In the last nine games, he had 18 or more carries just once and scored just four touchdowns.

 

8) Kyren Williams, LAR - Perhaps the biggest steal of any draft (or quick waiver wire move) was getting Williams on a roster. After a lackluster rookie season (35 carries for 139 yards and nine receptions for 76 yards), he exploded on the scene last year. In 12 games, he rushed 228 times for 1,144 yards, caught 32 passes for 206 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. Had he played a full season, he would have been in MVP consideration. Given how he was used last year, he has as much upside as any running back in any system in the league. STAT FACT: In the last seven games he played last season (which coincided with the fantasy playoffs), Williams rushed 151 times for 989 yards and seven touchdowns, while catching 19 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. Over a full season, those numbers would equate to 367 carries for 2,401 yards and 22 total touchdowns.

 

9) Alvin Kamara, NO - Kamara has slowed with age, but he is still loved and beloved in New Orleans, where he continues to be a multi-use player in both the run and passing game. He has never had a 1,000-yard rushing season, but has averaged 833 yards a season. His fantasy value has been his combination numbers as a runner and receiver. He has averaged 72 receptions a season, including 75 catches last year. When you combine everything Kamara does and the importance he has to the offense, while his numbers don't jump off the page, he does bring versatility to the table and that combination makes him valuable on a weekly basis. STAT FACT: Kamara's big-play ability has dropped significantly over the last three years. After averaging 5.0 yards per rush in his first four seasons, he has averaged just 3.9 yards a carry in the last three. His longest run of a season has dropped sharply over the last four years (49-30-27-17), his rushing yardage has dropped each of the last four seasons (932-898-897-694) and his longest reception last year was 25 yards - also the lowest number of his career.

 

4TH TIER (COULD BE A TOP #9 RB IF RIGHT BREAKS HAPPEN)

.
.

If you'd like to read all RB rankings analysis, please click HERE to order our 2024 Pre-Season Draft Guide.

back to top of page