Winning your startup draft goes deeper than simply drafting good players. One of the biggest keys is drafting good players with a realistic chance to outperform their current draft cost, giving you a leg up on your league mates by accumulating more players with an actual path to valuable opportunities.

We kicked things off by giving you four value picks at the quarterback position in your startup drafts, and now it’s time to discuss the running back position.

All ADP referenced is provided courtesy of DLF.

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5 Dynasty Draft Value Targets: Running Back

Here are some dynasty values to target.

Chase Brown (CIN) – ADP 152.50 – RB45

Joe Mixon remains atop the Bengals’ depth chart at the running back position, and Chase Brown is the most notable option behind them that’s a realistic contender for touches. Samaje Perine had just under 100 rushing attempts for the Bengals in 2022, and Brown is the most logical candidate to fill that role behind Mixon in 2023.

There were rumors earlier this offseason that the team could look to move on from Mixon as early as this season. While that hasn’t been the case, Mixon’s contract has a team option for 2024, when the team could move on even easier.

If the team opts to move on from Mixon and allocate some of those funds towards a new deal for Tee Higgins or in an extension for Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase, Brown could find himself suiting up as the RB1 for one of the most explosive offenses in football in 2024.

Jerome Ford (CLE) – ADP 173.83 (RB54)

The Browns’ backfield shares some similarities with The Bengals running back group. Like Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb is firmly entrenched as the starter for the Cleveland Browns offense, and the team made no notable additions at the position this offseason.

Enter last year’s fifth-round draft pick, Jerome Ford. Before being selected by the Browns, Ford was coming off a 1,300-yard season at Cincinnati, where he tallied 19 rushing touchdowns. He’s an explosive complement to Chubb and will likely see at least 100 attempts in 2023. We saw Kareem Hunt receive 123 attempts in 2022, and D’Ernest Johnson received 100 in 2021.

As was always the case with Hunt, Ford could ascend from a complementary option to a player with top-12 upside if Chubb misses any time.

Jerick McKinnon (KC) – ADP 165.00 (RB51)

Suppose you’re navigating your startup draft with eyes on contending for a championship in year one. In that case, Jerick McKinnon is an excellent target for fantasy managers who opt to stockpile wide receivers in the earlier rounds while waiting on running backs.

Starting McKinnon in your fantasy lineup will never be based on him receiving massive volume. Still, he will be the primary pass-catching running back for one of the best offenses in football. He finished as a top-24 option at running back in 2022, with only 72 rushing attempts for 291 yards and a score. His lack of productivity as a true rusher was easily offset by his 512 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

While the touchdown numbers could come down slightly, the Chiefs are running it back with the same backfield as a season ago, and McKinnon figures to see a similar opportunity in 2023. He’s an older player, but in the short term, you can feel confident about using him as an RB3 or flex option in 2023.

Keaontay Ingram (ARI) – ADP 226.17 (RB76)

A deeper cut than the previously mentioned names, Arizona running back Keaontay Ingram is essentially free in drafts and is the backup running back to James Conner, who has dealt with nagging injuries at times in his career.

Ingram might not be the most exciting option, but he did run for just over 900 yards as a senior at the University of Southern California in 2021. He could see most of the backfield work if Conner were to miss any time.

He’s worth a roll of the dice this late in drafts if you have room on your bench and need to swing for some running back luck.

Tank Bigsby (JAC) – ADP 129.00 (RB41)

In a recent article regarding running backs expected to see fewer carries, I mentioned Travis Etienne as a name to keep an eye on. This doesn’t have anything to do with the talent that Etienne is and really relies on how I expect the Jaguars coaching staff to approach the running back position.

Doug Pederson’s track record suggests he wants to deploy more of a committee approach than we saw last year with the Jaguars. Tank Bigsby figures to be the biggest beneficiary in that scenario.

Despite not being appropriately used for most of his college career, Bigsby still racked up 25 rushing touchdowns across three seasons and never ran for less than 834 yards in a season. He has a nose for the endzone and could fight for his share of touches early in his rookie season.

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