RB rankings for your 2024 fantasy football drafts

23/08/2024 14:01

Kate Magdziuk ranks the best running backs for 2024 fantasy football drafts. She looks at the rookies to keep an eye on, and breaks down the RBs she thinks are over- and under-valued.

The 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching, and that means it's time to prepare for your fantasy football drafts! The running back landscape has been an interesting one to navigate over the past several seasons, between the ever-evolving shift in the usage of the position from a traditional bell-cow role to the modern-day committee and a number of significant trades and free agent signings some of the top RBs in fantasy.

At the top of drafts this year continues to be San Francisco 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey, who's finished as a top-two fantasy back in each of the past two seasons. However, even his reliability doesn't feel like a given this year, as he's managed a calf injury through training camp that has drafters anxious.

Then there are RBs Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson, each of whom should get a massive upgrade in terms of their respective offenses this season, with roles in the passing game to boot.

But after them, what comes next? Luckily, we're here to help you navigate and answer some of your most pressing fantasy draft decisions with our 2024 running back rankings.

Running back position preview

Shakeups all over at RB

It was a pretty busy offseason at the running back position with NFL free agency forcing a lot of movement at the position. In case you haven't been following along, here's a list of running backs worth noting (along with their new teams) bound to shake up your fantasy football drafts:

• Derrick Henry — Baltimore Ravens
• Saquon Barkley — Philadelphia Eagles
• Aaron Jones — Minnesota Vikings
• Josh Jacobs — Green Bay Packers
• D'Andre Swift — Chicago Bears
• Tony Pollard — Tennessee Titans
• Devin Singletary — New York Giants
• Joe Mixon — Houston Texans (trade)
• Gus Edwards/J.K. Dobbins — Los Angeles Chargers

If I had to pick any running back who I think has the best chance of leading the league in rushing touchdowns this year, it's Derrick Henry, who gets a big upgrade in terms of offense and is now playing alongside one of the most successful dual-threat quarterbacks in the league, which should keep running lanes wide open. He's being drafted as the RB9 off boards this year, which seems like fair value given the upside. However, that doesn't mean he's the only running back switching teams who could be in for a big season...

1 RB I like more than consensus: Aaron Jones (Minnesota Vikings)

Usually, recency bias and end-of-season success can skew a player's draft cost significantly in the year to follow. That oddly hasn't been the case for Aaron Jones, who finished the year on an absolute heater, posting five consecutive games of 100+ rushing yards to close out 2023. After dealing with injuries through much of the season, Jones returned healthy and from Week 16 on through the playoffs averaged 5.73 yards per carry and 18.16 fantasy points per game. He gets a new opportunity with the Vikings this year playing behind a decent offensive line as a solid safety valve for Sam Darnold... who will probably need as many safety valves as possible in order to tackle this season effectively.

1 RB I like less than consensus: De'Von Achane (Miami Dolphins)

I'm not here to argue that De'Von Achane doesn't have league-winning upside. How could I? As a rookie, Achane led the NFL (min. 50 carries) with a ridiculous 7.7 yards per carry and tied to lead the league with 5.0 yards after contact per attempt. His missed forced tackle rate (27%) also ranked top-five; in short, his efficiency in just about every category was off the charts. He finished the year as the RB4 in fantasy points per game.

In between the week-winning performances, however, were a lot of ups and downs for Achane as a rookie. He mostly played behind veteran Raheem Mostert, who received more volume and had a healthier season than Achane, despite a long history of injuries spanning the entirety of his NFL career. More specifically lopsided was the disbursement of work in situations that can be very fruitful for fantasy — those situations inside the 20-yard line. Mostert more than doubled (47) Achane's red zone carry total (23) on the year and had four times as many carries inside the five (20-to-5), which set him up to score 16 of his 18 rushing touchdowns in the regular season.

Another blow to Achane's value this year is fourth-round rookie Jaylen Wright, who emerged out of Tennessee with an elite combination of side (which Achane lacks) and speed. The team traded a 2025 third-round pick for the rights to select the former Volunteer, who is arguably a perfect scheme fit for one of the league's fastest (literally) offenses. All of these red flags make it difficult to swallow his ADP as the 10th RB off the board in 2024, even despite his upside.

2024 running back rankings

Kate Magdziuk is an editor and contributor for Yahoo Fantasy and co-host of the Locked On Dynasty Football podcast. She is also the managing editor for Behind The Steel Curtain, SB Nation's exclusive Pittsburgh Steelers blog. Her previous bylines include Pro Football Focus, NBC Sports Rotoworld and 4for4 Football, among others.