Once the bedrock of all fantasy football teams, the running back position has undergone quite an evolution. That evolution exists not only on the real-life gridiron, where NFL teams are deploying time-share committees more than ever before but also on fantasy football rosters. With so few bell-cow running backs, the high-end fantasy options are pushed to the first round while any back with questions gets shoved into the running back dead zone.
Most fantasy rosters in 2024 will not be built by going RB-RB-RB in the first three rounds of a draft. Wide receivers and top-end quarterbacks are too valuable in today’s offense to be boxed out of them with a triple-RB start. Knowing this, running backs have become valuable pieces desired throughout the entirety of the draft. Who are the best ones at each level of a standard half-PPR draft?
Below are two early-round, two mid-round and two late-round running backs fantasy players shouldn’t leave drafts without one or two on their roster. At different levels of fantasy football drafts, each running back has the potential to be a league-winner in 2024.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Must-Have Running Backs
Early-Round RB Targets
Kyren Williams (RB – LAR): ADP 16.0 | RB7
Teammates Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams were certified league-winners last year. Both players, barely drafted, if at all, had top-five seasons at their positions, including Williams’ dominant, bell-cow run. Williams was first among running backs in snap share (83.9%), third in rushing yards, fourth in red zone touches, third in touchdowns and second in fantasy points per game. The fact he only had 32 receptions and 207 receiving yards is the only thing that kept Williams from challenging Christian McCaffrey for best in the league.
Kyren Williams had a MONSTER breakout last year:
???? 1,350 total yards
???? 15 total TDCan he run it back this season? pic.twitter.com/k2DUlyOKcD
– NFL on DAZN (@NFLonDAZN) August 12, 2024
The Rams decided to bring in touchdown-master Blake Corum out of Michigan to give Williams some extra breathers. But do we really think Sean McVay is going to take his prized running back and force him into a timeshare where he goes from 84% of snaps to somewhere around 60%? I just don’t see it.
Williams was eighth in evaded tackles and 10th in juke rate last season. He was eighth in true yards per carry and ninth in yards created. At just 23 years old, he’s proven he can handle a workload equal to McCaffrey, Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson. Take the full round discount and ride Williams to another dominant season this year.
Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC): ADP 22.3 | RB10
Even though the Chiefs finished 2023 just 25th in run plays called per game last year, Isiah Pacheco finished the year as a top-14 running back because of his otherworldly efficiency and volume. Despite not playing in three games, Pacheco finished just shy of 1,000 rushing yards and had an under-the-radar 44 receptions and 244 yards through the air. Pacheco also seemed to get stronger as the season went along. He played zero games where he hit 70% of offensive snaps in Weeks 1-11. From Weeks 12-21, he only failed to reach 70% one time in games where he played.
Isiah Pacheco worked on his flexibility, agility and overall “health” plan this off-season.
He’s in for a monster season this year and is moving very well.
pic.twitter.com/VBoIufUYVJ– Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 1, 2024
Even with Patrick Mahomes‘ affinity for getting the ball to Travis Kelce in the red zone, Pacheco ended up being heavily involved in that area. His 50 red-zone touches ranked seventh at the position, which allowed him to reach nine touchdowns in 2023. In 2024, his workload appears to be even more secure. Jerick McKinnon is gone. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is still around, but he was often playing on fewer than 20% of the snaps when Pacheco was healthy.
If you end up with the second or third pick in your draft, Pacheco is the argument to go with CeeDee Lamb or Tyreek Hill in that spot. One round later, you can turn around and pick a workhorse back on one of the best offenses in the league.
Mid-Round RB Targets
Aaron Jones (RB – MIN): ADP 55.7 | RB18
Here are the common knocks on Aaron Jones:
- He’s injury-prone.
- The Green Bay Packers gave up on him.
- He is too old (he will turn 30 during the season).
- His production has fallen off.
Some of those things are true, but I would argue that, when healthy, Aaron Jones was the best he ever looked last season. Jones was ninth among running backs in total fantasy points in Weeks 15-18 last season. He missed six games and parts of two others with injuries, but that didn’t stop him from averaging 113 rushing yards and 1.5 rushing touchdowns in his two playoff games last year.
In that last game of the playoffs, the Packers played Jones on 81% of the team’s snaps, his second-highest rate of the year. When the games mattered most and the Packers needed their best weapons, Jones’ name was called. Now in Minnesota with their prized rookie quarterback out for the year, I expect the Vikings to heavily lean on Jones on the ground and as a safety valve through the air for Sam Darnold. Ty Chandler is a capable backup waiting in the wings, but Aaron Jones appears to have at least one more strong season in him and we’re only paying round six draft prices to find out.
Zamir White (RB – LV): ADP 67.7 | RB23
When given a full-time role when Josh Jacobs missed four weeks with an injury last season, Zamir White thrived for the Las Vegas Raiders. In Weeks 15-18 (aka the fantasy playoffs), White combined for 85, 145, 106 and 121 yards, and he was the RB8 in half-PPR formats for that span. In those games, White was first in the NFL in rush attempts, third in yards and sixth in yards rushing before contact. The Raiders went 3-1. Antonio Pierce was hired full-time as the head coach and now White looks like a league-winner.
Zamir White takes it in for 6
????: #LVvsMIN on @NFLNetwork
????: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4THceJZQFO– NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024
All the Raiders did in the offseason was sign backup insurance Alexander Mattison and draft pass-catching specialist Dylan Laube. Neither of those will be a serious threat to consume any of the likely 70% rushing share White is going to see this year. Pierce has made it clear he wants to run, run and run some more this year. White is about to find out what life is like as a full-time running back with a heavy workload. And our fantasy teams are going to reap the benefits.
Late-Round RB Targets
Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN): ADP 103.3 | RB35
Tyjae Spears stans had about a day of joy when Derrick Henry was let go from Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, Tony Pollard was signed to the roster and what was thought to be an elite opportunity for Spears turned into a messy timeshare. Both backs are excellent pass-catchers. Both are shifty, outside runners. Neither are pound-the-ball-up-the-middle types. Both have minimal experience with heavy goal-line work.
Some high end cuts from Tyjae Spears! One of the tougher decisions in Fantasy Drafts – Spears or Pollard.. Pollard or Spears.. Both? pic.twitter.com/Exc2Dl4RhE
– RosterWatch (@RosterWatch) August 11, 2024
However, what separates these two from each other are their respective performances last season. With close to a full-time job in Dallas (one of the best offenses in the league), Pollard struggled much of the year. Pollard was 42nd in true yards per carry and 44th in yards per touch. Spears was 26th and sixth in those categories. Pollard’s breakaway run rate (or speed plus elusiveness) was 25th among running backs. Spears was fifth.
Neither one of these backs may get 65% of the timeshare in this offense. But it’s clear at this stage Spears is the back you want, especially when Pollard (RB27, ADP of 80.0) is going so much earlier.
Rico Dowdle (RB – DAL): ADP 148.3 | RB45
Speaking of the Dallas Cowboys, their running back room looks like a bit of a mess now with Pollard gone. The Cowboys re-signed dusty, crusty Ezekiel Elliott on a one-year $1.25 million deal. Beyond that, they kept Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis and brought in the corpse of Royce Freeman.
Looking at this competition, it’s not going to be hard for Rico Dowdle to win a majority of the rushing share. Elliott rushed for just 3.5 yards per carry and 4.1 yards per touch (51st among running backs). Elliott had just 0.70 fantasy points per opportunity last season, which was 49th at the position.
Dowdle, meanwhile, excelled in his small role last year. He had 0.82 fantasy points per opportunity and created 4.8 yards per touch. He is a bit undersized at just 5-foot-11 and 213 pounds, but that’s just about exactly what Pollard’s measurements are, and he thrived in a part-time role with Dallas. In 2024, Dowdle is going to be the version of Pollard they hoped for in 2023.
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