FantasyPros Staff | Tue, Apr 30th 2024, 3:54am EDT

2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings: Running Backs (Fantasy Football)

We’ll have you covered as you prepare for your dynasty rookie drafts. In order to dominate your dynasty rookie draft, check out our expert consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings. And sync your league to practice with fast and free dynasty rookie mock drafts. Below, we dive into dynasty rookie rankings from some of our fantasy football expert community.

Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Rankings

RK	PLAYER NAME	TEAM	BEST	WORST	AVG.	STD.DEV
1	Jonathon Brooks	CAR	1	2	1.2	0.4
2	Trey Benson	ARI	1	3	1.9	0.5
3	Blake Corum	LAR	3	5	3.8	0.8
4	MarShawn Lloyd	GB	3	7	4.4	1.1
5	Jaylen Wright	MIA	3	6	4.4	1
6	Ray Davis	BUF	4	12	7.5	2.1
7	Bucky Irving	TB	6	12	8.2	1.7
8	Braelon Allen	NYJ	6	14	9.7	2.4
9	Will Shipley	PHI	9	12	9.9	0.9
10	Audric Estime	DEN	7	13	10	2.2
11	Kimani Vidal	LAC	5	14	10.3	3
12	Isaac Guerendo	SF	8	16	11.2	2.4
13	Tyrone Tracy Jr.	NYG	8	19	11.8	3.3
14	Dylan Laube	LV	8	15	12.8	2.1
15	Isaiah Davis	NYJ	13	17	15.3	1
16	Rasheen Ali	BAL	11	18	15.4	1.8
17	Jase McClellan	ATL	16	23	18.8	2
18	Jawhar Jordan	HOU	17	26	21.1	2.9
19	Frank Gore Jr.	FA	17	29	20.6	3.5
20	Cody Schrader	SF	16	23	19.6	2.5

Jonathon Brooks

The Carolina Panthers have injected a dose of talent into their backfield, selecting University of Texas RB Jonathon Brooks with the 46th overall pick of the draft.

Perhaps the biggest drawback with Brooks is that he’s coming off a major knee injury. He tore his right ACL against TCU On Nov. 11. Early reports indicate that Brooks will be ready for training camp, though it’s unclear if Brooks will be able to participate in contact drills.

Even if Jonathon Brooks is deemed to be fully healthy, it’s possible the Panthers will exercise an abundance of caution with their new RB in his rookie year, limiting his workload. It’s also possible Brooks won’t be at the height of his powers less than a year removed from knee surgery — which wouldn’t be the first time a running back was at less than 100% immediately upon returning from a torn ACL.

Were it not for the knee injury, Brooks may have been the near-unanimous RB1 in this rookie class. He served a two-year apprenticeship behind star Texas RB Bijan Robinson and primary backup Roschon Johnson, but when Brooks got his chance to start in 2023, he was ready.

Brooks ran for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games for the Longhorns, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He added 25 receptions for 286 yards and one touchdown.

The 6-0, 216 pound Brooks is quick-footed and slippery, and his jump cuts can leave defenders grasping at air. Although he may not having blazing straight-line speed, Brooks has impressive acceleration and can dart around like a water bug. Jonathon Brooks demonstrated proficiency as a pass catcher in his 11 games as a starter at Texas, and he has room for growth in that area.

There are few, if any, glaring weaknesses in Brooks’ game. He doesn’t run with a great deal of power, and it’s possible he’ll start the season closer to his college playing weight of 207 pounds rather than his combine weight of 216. With only one year as a college starter, Brooks can’t match the experience of some of the other running backs in the class.

Jonathon Brooks could quickly ascend a Panthers RB depth chart that currently has Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders at the top. He’s a better prospect than either Hubbard or Sanders was, and Sanders was considered a major disappointment last season. Carolina is a good landing spot in terms of opportunity, but it’s not the healthiest offensive ecosystem. The Panthers ranked dead last in offensive yardage last season and tied the Patriots for last in points scored.

Before the draft, Brooks had a FantasyPros Expert Consensus Ranking of RB51 in half-point PPR redraft leagues, and he had an Underdog best-ball ADP of RB33. I tentatively have him ranked RB38 for redraft.

If Brooks gets a clean bill of health before your fantasy draft, he’s worth something close to his Underdog ADP, which would put him in midrange RB3 territory. Obviously, potential investors will have to carefully monitor his health status in late July and August.

For dynasty, I have Brooks ranked RB23 overall and RB1 in the rookie class. In 1QB rookie drafts, Brooks is likely to go somewhere from the middle of the first round to the early part of the second round. In superflex rookie drafts, it’s possible Brooks will sneak into the back end of the first round, but he’s more likely to go in the early to middle part of the second round.

Check out our fantasy football outlook for other Day 2 running backs drafted