Must-Have Players: James Conner & Nick Chubb (2023 Fantasy Football)

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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Must-Have Running Backs (2023 Fantasy Football)

Check out which 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.