Fantasy Football Do Not Draft List: Running Backs (2023)

The three most powerful words in fantasy football might just be “do not draft.” It’s a flag-planting phrase that indicates that you’re avoiding a given player at all costs, and it’s a bold stance to take.

Now, I understand some drafters don’t subscribe to the “do not draft” mantra, and believe there’s always value to be had at the right price.

No matter what nomenclature you use, we all have players we’re staying away from during our drafts. With that being said, here are the players I won’t be drafting in 2023 at running back.

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2023 Fantasy Football Do Not Draft List: Running Backs

Let’s look at three running backs that should be avoided in your 2023 fantasy football drafts.

Derrick Henry (RB – TEN)

I don’t know how Derrick Henry continues to do it. The bruising back is a fixture on my “do not draft” list, not because I think he’s bad at football. But because every summer, I feel that this season could be the year Henry falls off the cliff that practically every aging running back has.

But then Henry runs for 1,538 yards and scores 13 total touchdowns and makes me look like an imbecile, again. Well, I’m holding strong and putting Henry back on this list. He’s approaching 2,000 career touches and is entering his age 29 season. Eventually the mileage has to catch up, right?

Ultimately, I just can’t get myself to spend what’ll likely be a second-round pick on a player that feels like a ticking time bomb. I’d rather take my chances on someone like Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, or Tony Pollard.

Miles Sanders (RB – CAR)

Running back is a really tough position to label someone as a “do not draft” candidate, as the options get thin awfully quick. But Sanders is my top regression candidate for the 2023 season after posting career numbers a year ago before switching teams in the offseason.

Sanders is a running back who I felt struggled to read the field, which was fine in Philadelphia with the league’s best offensive line and the league’s scariest dual-threat quarterback that everyone had to account for. But now, Sanders arrives on a Panthers roster with an offensive line that is good, but certainly not as good, and a rookie quarterback.

I think the “who else is there?” narrative plays a big role in Sanders being ranked as the RB18. Maybe he lives up to this ranking and his ADP thanks to volume alone. If that’s the case, I’ll tip my cap. But Sanders is someone I never loved from a talent perspective and he changing teams coming off a career year. The regression signals are blaring.

James Conner (RB – ARI)

While I could see Sanders delivering a decent RB2 performance this year, Conner feels destined for disaster as your RB2. Kyler Murray will begin camp on the PUP list, and it’s uncertain when he’ll be ready to return. The Cardinals have a brutal offensive line and a first-year offensive coordinator. And while I don’t treat game script as gospel, the Cardinals seem built for a terrible year and could be trailing a ton in games.

Plus, Conner simply hasn’t been that effective in recent years, failing to eclipse 800 yards in four straight seasons. His 15 touchdowns in 2021 made him a much more viable fantasy play, but touchdowns could be hard to come by for this Arizona offense. Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned that Conner has played 15 games in only one professional season.

Hard pass.