Regardless of which running back draft strategy you go with, running backs are essential to any competitive fantasy football lineup. Fantasy analysts praise value as the key but give me fantasy production despite where the running back is selected all day.
There are always certain players you target. Whether it is a player you like to watch or he won a fantasy title one season.
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4 Must-Have Running Backs (2023 Fantasy Football)
Check out which four running backs I must have to win in 2023.
James Conner (RB – ARI)
Who just won their playoff matchup on this James Conner TD? ?
(via @AZCardinals) pic.twitter.com/oe9x4Za06o
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) December 26, 2022
As the Arizona Cardinals wait for Kyler Murray to return, running back James Conner will be the focal piece of the Cardinals’ offense. It is hard to envision a scenario where the Cardinals manage to win more than five games this season, and even that’s probably generous. Murray says he wants to play Week 1 from his recovery from his surgery of an ACL tear, but there is no reason for the Cardinals to rush Murray back on the field. Their roster is void of talent. Plus, the Cardinals will likely own two top-five picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team is not going anywhere this season.
It would be best if you felt for new head coach Jonathan Gannon who inherits a roster mess. One player he can count on is Conner, who produced 1,082 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns last season. Conner carried the offense last season and will have a heavier workload this season. The offense will struggle without Murray for an undetermined amount of games. The Cardinals released star wideout, DeAndre Hopkins. They will be forced to start journeyman Colt McCoy this season with a defense that will produce plenty of negative game scripts. Translation = the Cardinals will run the ball a ton in 2023!
The Cardinals can’t blame Kliff Kingsbury for the offensive issues and firing him last season. Gannon hired former Browns’ quarterback coach Drew Petzing as the new offensive coordinator. Petzing will be a first-time offensive coordinator from the Kevin Stefanski tree, emphasizing running the ball. Conner should get plenty of touches, including being a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield. Conner added 46 receptions on 58 targets last season. Look for that number to get a boost with plenty of dump-offs.
Conner is not the most efficient running back. He will be the lead back in Arizona on an offense that will struggle to move the ball. Conner will be fantasy relevant and an excellent RB2 for your fantasy rosters due to his volume. If Conner can remain healthy, he will provide incredibly sneaky value as the RB26 coming off the draft board.
Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
Nick Chubb has been a top-10 RB in fantasy points/game for 4-straight seasons
In 2022:
✅No.3 in rush yards
✅No.1 in evaded tackles
✅No.1 in runs of 15+ yards(per PlayerProfiler)
Now Kareem Hunt is ❌
Nick Chubb will he the RB___ in 2023 – Fill in the blank#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/6o6hKzOoZU
— Yards Per Fantasy (@YardsPer) July 17, 2023
This might be a prominent selection and homer pick, but I want to come away with Nick Chubb in every one of my drafts. Chubb is a prototype running back and annually produced RB1 numbers despite splitting the backfield with Kareem Hunt for the last three seasons and the dreadful Cleveland Browns offenses. Chubb is coming off a career season when he produced a career-high in rushing yards (1,525) and tied his career-high with 12 rushing touchdowns.
Chubb is at the peak of his career. Take a look at these impressive stats. The former Bulldog topped the league with 133 evaded tackles and 23 breakaway runs. His explosiveness and agility are displayed on each play, allowing Chubb to average over five yards per carry across all his five NFL seasons.
Entering this season, the Browns will have the unproven Jerome Ford to work with Chubb in the Browns backfield. Hunt has been released, so we should see an impressive boost with Kevin Stefanski leaning on Chubb a ton this season.
Chubb finished as RB5 last season, and this season looks even more promising for Chubb and the entire Browns offense. With Deshaun Watson shaking the rust off last season, Watson and the offense should look more efficient and, dare to say, explosive this season. Look for Chubb to challenge for the top fantasy back this season.
Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
7 days until training camp. Here are all 7 of Aaron Jones' touchdowns in 2022. pic.twitter.com/fyojxuaOcX
— Pack Daddy | Packernet Podcast (@Pack_Daddy) July 19, 2023
The changing of the guard behind center finally happened in Green Bay. Rodgers is now a New York Jet, and Jordan Love takes over as quarterback for the Packers. The Packers will have a new offensive approach in 2023. Rodgers loved to pass the ball and take control of the offense, especially in the red zone. However, now we will see the type of offense Mike LaFluer preached he wanted-focusing on running plays and controlling the clock. Force defenses to stack the box for the dominant running back tandem Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon so that Love can throw deep to Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
The Packers will want to take the heat off of the unproven Love. The best way to do that is to have a dominant rushing offense with this dynamic duo. Aaron Jones is the lightning to the thunder of AJ Dillon. Jones rushed for 1,121 yards last season, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark in three of the previous four seasons. Jones has produced 50+ receptions in consecutive seasons and over 40 in four straight seasons. Jones only produced seven total touchdowns last season, but he is invaluable to the Packers’ offense. He is a playmaker who produced 3.28 yards per touch, finishing 10th among all running backs.
Although he shares carries with Dillon, Jones is currently being drafted as the RB17, selling Jones short. Last season, Jones finished as the RB9, primarily due to his pass-catching ability. There are concerns that Love will dump the ball off to his backs as often as Rodgers did, but LaFluer is taking the ball out of the hands of Jones. In addition, the Packers will emphasize the run this season. In 2022, the Packers produced a 44.7/55.3 run/pass ratio. Look for those numbers to switch and for Jones to remain an RB1 for fantasy football managers.
Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC)
Who is ready for year 2 of Isiah Pacheco? pic.twitter.com/oWzeBxXKUH
— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) June 27, 2023
Many league winners took the chance on the Kansas City Chiefs’ seventh-round running back, Isiah Pacheco. The rookie broke out, leading the Chiefe with 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He also produced 262 scrimmage yards and one score in the Chiefs’ three postseason wins. If those stats were not impressive enough, Pacheco delivered those stats with a torn labrum and a broken hand he played through most of last season. He is still recovering from the surgeries, but Pacheco worked out with the quarterbacks and the rookies this week and said recently that he would be ready for the season opener.
Pacheco enters this season atop the Chiefs’ running back depth chart and gearing up to build upon his RB17 finish from Week 10 until the end of the season. The former Scarlet Knight will still be partnered with Jerrick McKinnon in the Chiefs backfield. McKinnon fits in ideally with the Chiefs passing offense and is highly effective as a receiver out of the backfield. However, Pacheco is their primary back on rushing plays and will continue to provide the fire that the offense sometimes needs to ignite.
Pacheco is an ideal RB2, regardless of your running back strategy or roster build. He proved to be a weapon in the red zone and had short yardage, and with an increase in touches in those play scripts, we could easily see Pacheco threaten RB1 territory.
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Dennis Sosic is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Dennis, check out his archive and follow him @CALL_ME_SOS.
