Top 40 Running Back Rankings - Week 1 Fantasy Football

Introduction [Music] greetings and salutations everyone my name is ang kof and welcome to my YouTube channel today I'm going to be talking about my top 40 running back rankings for week one of the 2024 fantasy football season now over the course of today's episode I'm going to be talking about each individual player by sharing with you guys my thought process and opinions while also presenting statistics that I've gathered that justify the reasons as to why we are starting these players in week 1 yes Week 1 is just a couple days away the kickoff of the 2024 NFL season begins on Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens and we're all excited but I want to go ahead and give you guys as much information as possible so that you can make the correct decisions in week one to start off the season on the right foot so as we progress throughout today's video a reminder if you guys are looking for my thoughts on a specific running back there are time stamps down in the description while you're down there of course be sure to subscribe we're making daily fantasy football content for the entirety of the season with a singular goal of trying to help you capture a 2024 Fantasy Football Championship now while you're in the description for those of you guys who want my all-inclusive rankings for the remainder 2024 Draft Guide & Rankings of the Season every single Sunday morning be sure to check out Underdog fantasy at this current moment in time if you sign up using Code Andrew and make a first time deposit minimum of $10 not only will you be able to claim the first- time deposit offer not only will you get my 2024 Fantasy Football Draft guide in rankings for those of you who haven't drafted already but you'll get rankings every single Sunday morning for the remainder of the Season all positions including Flex half PPR and full PPR take advantage of the opportunity based on your current location you can determine your eligibility if you are not 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conversation in the last 16 regular season games that Christian mcaffry has played 14 of them have consisted of him playing 60% of the snaps or more the only two games in which he wasn't able to do that last season was week 17 8 minutes left in the third quarter he stopped playing because of course they were up so many points and there was a game against Cleveland last season which he got injured and left the game but in those 14 games he scored 20 total touchdowns and in 12 of those 14 games over a 100 total yards accumulated so 86% of the games that he played at you know a pretty much starter rate he was able to get himself over 100 yards and a touchdown this upcoming weekend VI Underdog fantasy they do have a potential play of an anytime Christian mcaffry touchdown I would take advantage of that if I was you but of course we know Christian mcaffry is automatic start averaging over 20 plus fantasy points per game just got to hope he's healthy for week one number two we have Breece Hall Bree hall there's no better way to test the New York Jets new offensive line than taking on the San Francisco 49ers really you bring in four new starters for this offensive line and they're immediately going to be tested with one of the best defenses in the National Football League and one of the best run stopping defenses even though Bree Hall was able to you know average himself over 21 touches per game and over 18 and a half fantasy points per game from weeks 5 through 18 of last season the final 13 games of the year he did find majority of his success within the receiving game and once he takes on a very difficult run stopping match up the 49ers allowed the second fewest fantasy points in terms of rushing statistics isolated two opposing running backs last season but luckily for Bree Hall the receiving upside is always going to be implicated within his weekly production especially considering last season he was averaging 6.92 targets per game 5.83 receptions per game over the course of the last 13 games of the Season he's pretty much game script proofed and luckily Aaron Rogers loves to Target his Running Backs from 2019 to 20122 he was targeting his running backs 6.74 times per game over the course of those four seasons the expectation of course is immediate success for Bree Hall in week one number three we have bejan Robinson Bijan Robinson like we have heard all offseason the new offens of coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons Zack Robinson wants to utilize bejon Robinson as the Christian mcaffrey of this offense if in fact he is going to do so I mean again we should find immediate success at a high level last season in games in which bejan Robinson was given 19 or more touches per game averaging 177.23 half PPR fantasy points per game Zack Robinson was a member of the of course Los Angeles Rams coaching staff last season they took on the Pittsburgh Steelers which of course is their week one matchup for Atlanta this week in that game in which the Rams took on the Steelers of course Shawn McVey called a lot of running plays specifically darl Henderson and Royce Freeman were able to collect 30 rushing attempts for 127 yards one rushing touchdown a reception for five receiving yards as well for 19.7 fantasy points if in fact Zack Robinson's going to take a couple of the you know overall schemes that they utilize against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year with the Rams and utilize it within this upcoming week's game we should see a lot of opportunities for bejan Robinson in week one the number four to close out the S Jonathan Taylor year is Jonathan Taylor Jonathan Taylor is playing the Houston Texans in week one the fact of the matter is the last game of the 2023 season he took on the Houston Texans in that game 30 rushing attempts for 188 rushing yards one rushing touchdown two receptions on two Targets and he accumulated a total of 26.6 half PPR fantasy points even early last season in the absence of Jonathan Taylor in week two Zach Moss against the Houston Texans as the primary running back of the Indianapolis Colts 18 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown four receptions and 19 receiving yards all for 18.7 fantasy points so we have gone ahead and witnessed that Shane styken the primary play caller and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts knows how to take on a Deo Ryan's runstop defense and he has found success in both of the overall contests within his first year within the matchup and according to Las Vegas going into this upcoming weekend this game is the third highest in terms of potential scoring implicated based on their overall total number there four we're anticipating a potential shootout on our hands as Jonathan Taylor has himself a lot of opportunity to score fantasy points number five to begin the E year we have saquon Barkley again last season he did take on the Green Bay Packers but as a Saquon Barkley member of the New York Giants which is definitely a huge difference especially considering the upgrade that he has now in regards to the teammates that surround him but this week they take on the Green Bay Packers in Brazil which is obviously going to be very weird hopefully there's not going to be a lower scoring game we're hoping for a shootout based on Vegas's overall numbers it is tied for the third Highest Potential total points scored so implication is that there's going to be a lot of scoring within this game and hopefully not so much defense last time saquon Barkley took on the Green Bay Packers last year was with Tommy DeVito as his starting quarterback with the Giants in that game saquan Barkley had 21.6 fantasy points so now that you put him behind an incredible offensive line I mean last season Sequon Barkley was averaging 6.6 yards per attempt when he was given at very least one yard before contact so if in fact we're in a situation in which this Eagles offens line is going to be as dominant as they have continued to be over the course of last five plus Seasons I mean last season amongst all teams had the third highest number in terms of yards before contact per attempt 2.7 yards saquan Barkley should immediately come out of the gates on fire number six we have jir Gibbs now for those of you who are concerned regarding his overall Jahmyr Gibbs hamstring injury he already returned to practice last week so he's going to be at a full capacity begin week one therefore we're anticipating a lot of success for him against this Los Angeles Ram defense on Sunday Night Football a very exciting game now the last time jir Gibbs took on this defense was in the playoffs in that game eight carries for 25 yards and a rushing touchdown four targets four receptions 43 yards and 14.8 half PPR fantasy points while playing 57% of the offensive snaps obviously it wasn't the greatest outing but in terms of fantasy purposes had himself great numbers he was able to find himself a touchdown and that's something that we saw a lot from J jir Gibbs at the back end of the year in fact jir Gibbs in the last 14 games he has played has scored a total of 14 touchdowns so we're anticipating again another great game for him this week he has an improved offensive line and the biggest difference within the matchup in comparison to the playoff game last year is that there's no Aaron Donald so this offensive line should have themselves far more success based on implications via Vegas total points this is supposed to be the highest scoring game of the week and hopefully jir Gibbs finds himself in the Enzo maybe multiple times for our fantasy teams number seven we Derrick Henry have Derrick Henry derck Henry was brought into this organization for one reason alone it is to try to beat the Kansas City Chiefs with Henry because in the NFL playoffs last year in the AFC Championship Game unfortunately the Baltimore Ravens floundered in terms of their running game in that game they had six rushing attempts from their running backs for 23 yards eight targets five receptions 50 receiving yards but only 9.8 fantasy points six rushing attempts from their running backs against the Chiefs so obviously they've gone ahead and decided hey we need to bring in Derrick Henry and we need to run the ball because the more that we run the ball especially against the Chiefs the more time that Patrick Mahomes is going to be on the sideline not impacting the game therefore I'm anticipating a lot of rushing attempts in the direction of Derrick Henry sure the Kansas City Chief's runstop defense has shown to be a very successful one over the course of the last couple years but Derrick Henry is a machine this is a run first attack and the fact of the matter is Derrick Henry only gets better over time as the game progresses as we get closer to the fourth quarter his runs become that much more punishing and of course he continues to impose his will on the defense last season amongst all teams the Baltimore Ravens were number one in terms of Red Zone rushing attempts and number three in terms of total Red Zone rushing attempts inside the 5y line my expectation is one touchdown minimum for Derrick Henry so if in fact Underdog fantasy's got an anytime TouchDown for him that's something that I'm very interested in going into week one number eight we have Devon hen Devon hen with a De'Von Achane healthy Raheem moer last season in games at which they played together hen was averaging 15.2 fantasy points even if I exclude the 49-point game that he produced against the Denver Broncos in those games in which they played together in which they were both healthy hm was averaging 14 opportunities per game which is a total of attempts and targets while mostert was averaging 142 so pretty even numbers across the board the expectation is that we probably will see even numbers for both these running backs but the high efficiency of Devon Anan again last season averaging 7.77 yards per carry that high level of efficiency and his home run playmaking ability being able to make a 5 yard run to turn into a 50 yard run for a touchdown is what he is all about additionally based on Vegas's overall total points 492 this is implicated to be the second highest scoring game of the week taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars typically the Miami Dolphins are a really high-scoring team in the month of September so we're expecting a shootout down in Miami in week one number nine speaking of this shootout in Travis Etienne Miami we have Travis etn taking on the Miami Dolphins again typically the Miami Dolphins have found themselves a lot of success over the course of the month of September primarily because of a lot of teams going down to Miami and dealing with the heat but they're playing against another Florida team Travis etn and the Jacksonville Jaguars are certainly used to the weather down in Florida so it's not going to bother them the only thing that worries me going into week one regarding Travis etn is the splits that he demonstrated last season in 2023 in regards to winning efforts versus losing efforts last season in games in which the Jacksonville Jaguars won Travis etm was averaging 19.13 fantasy points per game in games in which they lost 10.15 fantasy points per game they are three and a half Point underdogs against the Miami Dolphins so hopefully this isn't one of those losing effort numbers going into the given week but nonetheless he is starting he is game script proofs primarily because of his receiving upside and hopefully he can himself in the end zone number 10 we Kyren Williams have kyen Williams the only reason KY Williams is down here is because he has one of the most difficult matchups amongst all of the elite running backs going into week one taking on the Detroit Lions is not a joke over the course of the last 31 games the Detroit Lions have allowed over a 100 yards two opposing teams in terms of rushing only three separate times so when we take that into perspective kyri Williams last year averaging 95.3 rushing yards per game incredible numbers but understand that this is a very difficult matchup on hand against the Detroit Lions last season in the NFL playoffs only had seven and a half fantasy points scored so obviously Kye Williams didn't find himself a lot of success within the matchup hopefully going into this week can find himself immediate success hopefully find himself in the end zone based on the implication this should be the highest scoring game of week one with a 51o total it's just going to be a matter of can the Los Angeles Rams run the ball effectively or are they going to have to air it out against the Detroit line secondary which really hasn't played well over the course of the last couple Seasons number 11 we have Kenneth Walker the thumbnail of today's episode I feel really confident Kenneth Walker III about Kenneth Walker that is why I made him the thumbnail primarily because of the match up on hand they take on the Denver Broncos amongst all teams in 20123 the Denver Broncos were top five in terms of running back fantasy points allowed based on rushing statistics isolated allowing 16.08 just off of rushing yards and rushing touchdowns on a per week basis last season so this is an advantageous match up going into the given week last season between weeks 1 through 10 we know that Kenneth Walker was averaging nearly 18 touches per game and 14.1 fantasy points per game and based on Vegas's overall implication they are the second greatest favorites going into the week they have the second biggest spread the Seattle Seahawks are currently minus six favorites so if in fact we're assuming bonick his first rookie game to lead to struggles there should be a lot of the Seattle Seahawks running the clock and utilizing Kenneth Walker in the second half of this game number 12 we have Josh Jacobs to closes the rb1 Josh Jacobs conversation Josh Jacobs again joining the Green Bay Packers they take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil should be a potential shootout again it is the third Highest Potential total so the implication is a lot of scoring within this game last season in 2023 the Green Bay Packers were giving their running backs 21.65 rushing attempts per game and 5.53 targets per game in gamees last season which Josh Jacobs was given 20 or more touches averaging over 15 and a half fantasy points per game and a half PPR we know that Maron lyd was participating in drills on Sunday should be available for this game this upcoming Friday but even with Marshon Lloyd active and potentially getting himself a couple touches the expectation is that Josh Jacob should be handling the vast majority 80 plus percent of the running back Targets in attempts out of this backfield and is's going to be able to produce himself Workhorse level numbers and have himself a fantastic week to begin his Green Bay Packers career number 13 we have Isaiah Pacho so we Isiah Pacheco know that earlier today that there was a little bit of information regarding Clyde Edwards a released he is going to be out for the first four weeks of the season so Maj per is going to have a role within this offense which certainly does hurt Isaiah pachos receiving upside and also the fact that they take on the Bol from Ravens isn't the most exciting matchup even though Isaiah Pacho in the NFL playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens put up 16.2 fantasy points he had 24 rushing attempts for 68 yards that's 2.83 yards per carry was able to get himself a rushing touchdown four receptions 14 receiving yards those are great numbers of opportunity but based on efficiency not there in both the receiving and rushing categories but what we have seen over the course of weeks 12- 22 of last season in games in which Isaiah Pacho had no Jerick McKinnon in the lineup again averaging nearly 22 touches per game and over 17 fantasy points per game if Sam perine is going to be the Jerick mckin in this offense it can hurt him we're just going to have to wait and see after week one what the overall contribution of opportunities look like between these two running backs but nonetheless we have seen Isaiah Pacho find success within the matchup before why not once again number 14 we have James Cook in James Cook the final nine games of last season he was averaging 20.1 touches per game and nearly 14 fantasy points per game and a half PPR now he has an opportunity to start the 2024 year taking on the Arizona Cardinals which amongst all teams last season we're giving up a lot of fantasy points to opposing running backs in terms of rushing statistics and receiving statistics across the board we're just getting dominated by opposing Running Backs from weeks 10 through 18 the Arizona Cardinals were allowing 25.6 n fantasy points per game to opposing running backs on a per game average those are ridiculous numbers now the only thing that really does hold back James Cook despite the fact that he has an incredible matchup is the fact that Josh Allen still plays on this team Josh Allen has scored a rushing touchdown in 15 of the last 17 games that he has played in some of those games scoring multiple touchdowns that is always going to be the risk therefore James Cook has to sit in number 14 number 15 we have Joe Mixon Joe Mixon of the Houston Texans this should be an exciting match up like I mentioned earlier with Jonathan Taylor the implication based on Vegas this is tied for the third highest scoring game of the week so there should be a potential shootout on our hands and hopefully Joe Mixon can find himself in the end zone last season as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals he did take on the Indianapolis Colts in that game 21 carries for 79 yards a rushing touchdown three receptions for 46 yards and 20 fantasy points incredible numbers last season in week 18 dein single ter as the starting running back of the Houston Texans took on the Indianapolis Colts in that game 24 carries 63 yards and a touchdown 13 fantasy points so what we know is that of course the Houston Texans want to use their running backs we witnessed that all of last season from weeks 9 through 20 Deon single was averaging 18 plus touches per game so if in fact Joe Mixon is going to join this offense and seamlessly become that Workhorse back getting himself a lot of touches isn't out of the question and of course finding the end zone should hopefully be one of the overall outcomes of this game number 16 we have Rashad Rachaad White white the T Bay Buccaneers are taking on the Washington commanders in week one the commanders last season amongst all teams were giving up a lot of fantasy points per game to opposing running backs over 23 on a per game average now they've gone ahead and brought in a new head coach which is defensive minded new defensive coordinator and a lot of pieces in terms of revamping that defense as a whole but the question is is it enough is it enough to stop someone like Rashad white who found himself so much success last season whether it was on the ground and through the air a player like Rashad white in my mind is very much so matchup proof and honestly game script proof regardless of whether this is a positive game script or a negative game script or whether it is a great run stopping defense or a terrible one he is going to find himself success considering the Tampa Bay buckers have given him so much opportunity last season and going into this year should continue to see a high volume So based on his overall implicated numbers via Underdog fantasy based on his you know pick them slip numbers he is expected to have 83 and a half potential yards total so if in fact we add receptions to that the potential of him finding himself in the end zone the number 16 overall spot a safe one in week one number 17 we have Alvin Kamar Alvin Kamar last year in week 14 took on Alvin Kamara the Carolina Panthers who has a privilege of taking on in week one in that game 12 carries for 56 yards and a rushing touchdown only three receptions not the greatest overall game but 12 fantasy points primarily because he had negative 11 receiving yards yeah not the greatest overall day but going into this week we're anticipating that Alvin kamara's numbers in terms of the receiving game should be a lot greater than they were in that game last time he took on the Carolina Panthers specifically because from weeks 4 through 16 of last year averaging 6.08 receptions per game and 7.0 targets per game now you have Clint kubak the new offensive coordinator going to utilize Alvin Kamar hopefully as the potential chrisan mcaffry of this offense utilize him you know the correct way but as we know Tamm Hill is always going to be the primary threat for Alvin kamaro's overall upside considering he he will always have himself opportunities down in the red zone we're going to have to wait and see how those Red Zone opportunities break off who's going to you know gather the vast majority of them but regarding that subject time will tell the only other thing I wanted to mention regarding the matchup is that Clint kubak the new offensive coordinator of the Saints is very familiar with the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers Edo evero he was a former defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos in 2022 when Clint kubak was the offensive coordinator of the Broncos that year Clint kubak may have a couple tricks up his sleeve based on his familiarity with the defensive coordinator of the Carolina of panthers on number 18 we have James Connor to begin the D tier James Connor is a great James Conner running back and the way that he ended the 2023 season makes me think that he can maybe start at that level considering how much opportunity how much success he was Finding from weeks 13 through 18 of the 20123 Season he was averaging 20.8 attempts 102.8 rushing yards one rushing touchdown per game4 receiving touchdowns per game three targets 2.6 receptions and 26 receiving yards for 22.5 fantasy points per game on average in a half PPR scoring format throughout that span of time was the number two overall running back in total points number one in terms of fantasy points per game on average taking on the Buffalo Bills isn't the easiest overall match up but the fact of the matter is Matt Milano the sole of that defense their primary stud linebacker is still dealing with an injury and if that's going to continue to hold him out it is going to make it that much easier for the Arizona Cardinals to continue to do what they did at the back end of the 2023 year which is run the ball down defense's throats regardless of who they're playing so with that is pretty much what I'm anticipating to see this week from James Conor at a full healthy rate number 19 we have Aaron Jones Aaron Aaron Jones Jones the final five games of his 2023 season of course very similar to James Connor were dominating levels I mean 22.6 touches per game 18.16% of the offensive snaps as a Green Bay Packer now you go to a new offense he's fully healthy and this run game should be utilized heavily especially in week one based on all the injuries to the receiving options of the Minnesota Vikings they're not going to have Jordan Addison potentially and for sure not going to have T.J hackinson so if in fact Aaron Jones is asked to run the ball a lot against the New York Giants don't be surprised especially considering the New York Giants last season amongst all teams gave up the fourth most points to opposing running backs in terms of rushing statistics isolated 16.68% 2022 playoffs in those games the total points scored between these two teams were 51 and 55 this should be a potential shootout on hand if both these defenses are going to fall asleep and Aaron Jones could have himself a lot of opportunity knocking if in fact Aaron Jones is the number two weapon only behind Justin Jefferson number 20 we David Montgomery have David Montgomery David Montgomery has himself an opportunity every single week to score a touchdown and like I mentioned with jir Gibs considering the fact that the Detroit Lions have an upgrade at their offensive line they're taking on an LA Rams that have no Aaron Donald it's should be an easier overall effort now the last time that David Montgomery took on this team in the NFL playoffs 14 carries for 57 yards a rushing touchdown one target one reception 11 receiving yards 13.3 fantasy points and a half PPR on 43% of the offensive snaps in fact he out touched Gibbs in that game 15 to2 so if we're going to continue to see very similar numbers in terms of David Montgomery last season with Gibbs at a full rate from weeks 10 through 22 Montgomery being able to get himself 15 touches per game on average if that's only going to continue the expect ation is that he's always going to have an opportunity for a touchdown but is also very much so dependent that he falls in the end zone for his fantasy value now speaking of fantasy value being Raheem Mostert determined by rushing touchdown upside we have Raheem moer who of course scored 20 plus touchdowns last year who has an opportunity in week one to get himself a bunch of touches like I mentioned earlier with Theon Anan last season in games in which they were both healthy Devon Anan was getting himself 14 opportunities per game and rahee moer was getting himself 14 and a half throughout those games moer was averaging 13.625 points per game that excludes the Denver Broncos game so again a lot of points were excluded but still when we're finding the potential averages you know not the outliers in these overall situation Raheem moer still should be considered a top 24 option going into the given week especially considering this is the second highest uh scoring game implicated based on Vegas's overall spread the expectation based on the total number is that we should have a shootout and what we have heard earlier today from Mike McDaniel in terms of his overall press conference he was asked about the running backs he is very much so on the I'm going to give the running back the ball who has the hottest hand and if Raheem moer finds himself success early in the game which he will considering his efficiency it's going to continue to just lead the more and more touches number 22 we have Jerome Ford like I mentioned all offseason Jerome Ford is going to be a guy that Jerome Ford immediately is going to find success for the first I'd say six weeks of the Season at a full rate and then henceforth after that once we see what the deal with Nick chub is we'll adjust his overall rankings accordingly but going into week one against the Dallas Cowboys we have to remember that Jerome Ford you know got himself a lot of opportunity and he's going to continue to get it regardless of the matchup last season from weeks 1 through 17 was averaging 15.2 touches per game and 12.92% they were averaging 41 passing attempts per game and 23 rushing attempts per game in the five games in which Deshawn Watson played at a full healthy rate only 33 passing attempts per game but 29 rushing attempts per game so drone Ford should have himself a lot of opportunity within this matchup and do not be surprised if Pierre strong the potential Kareem hunt of this offense starting week one is going to be getting himself potentially 10 touches within the given week could be a decent wer wire pickup before week one begins number 23 we have zamir white the last time we took on the Zamir White Los Angeles Chargers was within week 15 of last year in that game 17 carries for 69 yards a rushing touchdown three receptions 16 receiving yards 16.0 fantasy points what we heard just a couple days ago from the head coach of this team Antonio Pierce who has been adamant and has said in the past that he wants to give his primary running back 20 plus touches per game he said regarding zamir white he is bigger stronger and more explosive this season and on the early Downs this year we're going to see a lot of number three and that's what we anticipate to see a lot of number three within the matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers based Bas on Vegas implications the Chargers are only minus three-point favorites so this should be a close game and potentially a lot of rushing attempts for both these teams and finding themselves a lot of success with their primary running back Samir white hopefully will also get himself some receiving upside within the game number Javonte Williams 24 we have javante Williams in 2023 this backfield was a running back by committee with javante Sasha perine and Julio mlin we really didn't know who was going to get the vast majority of touches who was going to get the goal line touches who was going to be the third down back but going into 2024 we have a clearer picture I mean last year this offense was able to give their running backs on a per game average 20.3 five attempts per game and 8.82 targets per game now with the absence of samj perine there are so many opportunities up for graphs for a guy like javante Williams to be able to take advantage of and considering his another year remov from the ACL injury this team should feel far more confident in terms of giving him a higher volume of touches taking on taking on the Seattle Seahawks what we also know within the matchup is of course they are considered to be underdogs by a pretty big big rate if in fact there's going to be a lot of passing within this game Javon Williams should find himself a lot of success within the receiving upside we know that the nickname for bonick coming out of Oregon was bubble screen bow 28% of his overall passes in his final year at Oregon consisted of passes behind the line of scrimmage so if in fact we're going to see a lot of attempts towards the running back position Javonte Williams should be able to succeed in that regard number 25 we have DeAndre Swift with a new offensive coordinator D'Andre Swift in a new team taking on the Tennessee Titans the question is how are the Chicago Bears going to find themselves immediate success come week one and be able to just kind of seamlessly transition Caleb Williams from the college game to the NFL and I think that is going to exist within the running game once you can establish a great running game that Shane Waldren really likes to do and has proven to be able to continue to give his primary rb1 a high volume of touches that rb1 over the course of the last two years being Kenneth Walker considering he has given his primary rb1 in the past a lot of touches the expectation is that DeAndre Swift coming out of the gates should find himself a lot of opportunities on the ground so that it opens up more play action for Caleb Williams it makes his life EAS year the secondary of the Tennessee Titans have been completely revamped and the new defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans is a former DBS coach for the Baltimore Ravens so there is going to be a lot of emphasis in terms of stopping the pass against Caleb Williams and hopefully it'll open up more opportunities to run the ball with a guy like DeAndre Swift getting himself the vast majority of touches out of this backfield and of course hopefully having himself even more upside within the receiving game Rhamondre Stevenson number 26 we have Rand Dre Stevenson speaking of having upside within the receiving game regardless of game script R Andre Stevenson is going to be in this game now going into this week the Patriots are Plus 8 and 1 Half Point favorites the biggest underdogs within the given week so if in fact we're going to see the Cincinnati Bengals come out take a massive lead rre Stevenson should be implicated for a lot of receiving work within the overall second half of this game in order to come back but early on in the game is going to be given opportunities in the rushing game he's going to find himself success and like he was able to do last season from weeks 1 through 12 averaging 16.72% three fantasy points per game we know that Alex Van Pelt taking on the Cincinnati Bengals he is very much so familiar with the matchup primarily because Alex Van Pelt is a former offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns they took on the Cincinnati Bengals twice last year so with the overall familiarity within the matchup should be able to find success within the running game number 27 we have Naji Harris Arthur Smith their current Najee Harris offensive coordinator new offensive coordinator is the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons this is a Revenge game of sorts but the biggest thing that worries me regarding Naji Harris is his overall production in winning e effs versus losing efforts this upcoming week they are underdogs against the Atlanta Falcons so if in fact we are in a situation in which this is going to lead to a losing effort last season Naji Harris in losing efforts only averaging 6.21 fantasy points per game in games that led to winning efforts averaging 13.75 fantasy points per game that is what concerns me this defense has made a lot of you know effort to bring in new Defenders bring in Raheem Morris to be able to bolster this run stopping defense that was already great last season now Harris is going to have his hands full with the overall matchup number 28 we have trba hubard who in my opinion again in the absence of Jonathan Chuba Hubbard Brooks is going to find himself a lot of value now last season in week 14 he took on the New Orleans Saints he has the privilege of taking them on in week one here in that game put up 10.6 fantasy points with a total of 92 yards that's a total of rushing and receiving So within the overall matchup with Dave Canales now as the primary play caller Dave Canales of course the OC of Tampa Bay last year very familiar with the New Orleans Saints defense very familiar with the overall matchup last season in the two games in which the T Bay Buccaneers took on the New Orleans Saints Dave Canales ran the ball 38 times for 133 rushing yards only a 3.5 yard per carry average but also targeted his running backs 14 times for 13 receptions and 89 receiving yards so the expectation is that of course we should see somewhere between 20 to 25 potential touches in the favor of chuba hubard and my sanders chuba Hub obviously getting himself the vast majority of those and be able to find himself a lot of success in terms of yardage and hopefully he's able to find himself in the end zone but I wouldn't count on it number 29 we have Gus Edwards Gus Edwards takes on the Las Vegas Raiders in a game like I mentioned earlier which is expected to be a closer scoring contest between these two teams considering all the efforts that the Los Angeles Chargers have made in terms of making themselves a clear and Away running team whether it's bringing in offensive lineman you know obviously drafting Joe Al with your first- round pick and being able to bolster this offensive line then also bringing in run blocking tight ends in Hayden Hurst in will dley then bringing in running backs of the caliber of JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards Gus Edwards is the primary number one and when you have Greg Roman as your offensive coordinator a former offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens when Gus Edwards was there under Greg Roman Gus Edis has averaged 5.24 5.35 5.02 and 4.98 yards per carry in the last four seasons he has played under Greg Roman the expectation is a lot of carries efficiency and for Gus Edward's sake hopefully him finding himself in the end zone considering the receiving upside isn't within the conversation number 30 we have Zach moss Zack Moss & Chase Brown and number 31 I want want to also talk about Chase Brown let's talk about both these running backs going into week one primarily because their potential for upside is quite identical to be honest we don't know what the backfield split is going to be going into week one in terms of total touches utilization Etc but we do know that they have quite literally one of the best matchups within the given week taking on the New England Patriots primarily because based on Vegas's overall number they are the biggest favorites going into the given week and if in fact we're going to see a lot of running within the second half of this game Zach moss and Chase Brown should be implicated to get themselves a lot of overall touches now what happened late last season within the Bengals offense in the absence of Joe burrow was a lot of rushing attempts from weeks 13 through 18 23 rushing attempts per game and six targets per game to their respective running backs so that's 29 opportunities per game so if in fact Zach Moss Chase Brown can get themselves 14 to 15 opportunities within the given week taking on the New England Patriots in a game which should be a positive game script running the ball for majority of the second half we should see of course both these running backs find their M themselves immediate success within week one and potentially be flexible options within the week number 32 we have Brian Robinson Jr Brian Robinson Jr. Brian Robinson Jr very much so similar to guys like Gus Edwards or potentially zamir white David Montgomery is that they are heavily reliant on touchdowns because the receiving game isn't going to be as implicated within their overall upside and in you know Brian Robinson Jr's case that's primarily because of Austin Eckler and we should see a lot of Austin Eckler especially if in fact we're going to have a negative gam script on hand hand the only reason I think that there's a possibility in which that takes place is because the Buccaneers over the last couple years have been great in terms of stopping opposing running backs in fact amongst all teams in 2023 they allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs with only five throughout their 17 games now if this is going to happen and Brian Robinson Jr is going to have to be heavily reliant on of course rushing yardage and receiving utilization he may still be in luck primarily because the last time Cliff kingsburry who is the current OC of the Washington commanders took on a Todd BS defense who is currently the you know head coach of the Tamp Bay Buccaneers a defensive mining coach but the last time they took each other on 2022 when Cliff kingsberry was the head coach of the Cardinals week 16 against Tampa Bay his running backs 16 carries for 81 yards in a touchdown eight targets seven receptions 41 receiving yards 21.7 fantasy points there is a possibility that both Brian Robinson Jr and of course Austin Eckler can coexist and find themselves success here it's just a matter of how good is this Washington Commander offense come week one number 33 we have Tony Pard the only issue that I have with Tony Pard is that he has a Tony Pollard Terri terrible matchup it really is going to be difficult amongst all teams in terms of run stopping defense the Chicago Bears were sixth in terms of dvoa last season they were also giving up the third fewest fantasy points per game in terms of rushing statistics two opposing running backs last year the checkdown game is going to be vital for the overall success of Tony Pard luckily from weeks 8 through 15 of last year will Levis was targeting his running backs seven times per game on average when he was a starting quarterback and healthy so that is going to save Tony po he's cleared away the number one running back so he's going to get the vast majority of rushing attempts and he certainly has the ability to make a 2- yard run turn into a 20- yard run but this match up against the Chicago Bears it is no joke they really are one of the best run stopping defenses in the league Devin Singletary number 34 we have Deon single ter Deon single like I mentioned earlier with Joe Mixon late last season was getting himself a lot of opportunities as the primary back of the Houston Texans 18.4 touches per game 12.2 fantasy points per game in the final 12 games of the year now in the last two games in which the New York Giants have taken on the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 both in the one in the regular season one in the playoffs the running back opportunities within those games 27 and 18 now those were the Sequon Barkley if in fact we even get close to those numbers and Deon single ter could potentially handle another 18 touches he could very easily outproduce the number 34 spot the only issue is the New York Giants aren't even expected to win this game and they're at home they're one of only two teams going into week one who are home underdogs which again doesn't bode well for their potential this upcoming week especially if in fact this offense cannot move the ball early in the game and they're going to be a negative game script sure Deon single will benefit from the receiving upside but so will Tyrone Tracy and that could impede his overall upside for success but hopefully they're able to find themselves success on the ground and give Devin single ter the proper opportunities he deserves as the primary back of this team number 35 we have Austin Eckler like I mentioned Austin Ekeler earlier we do anticipate to see a potential for a negative game script against the Tamp Bay Buccaneers again they played well last season and should be the better team against the Washington Commanders unless this Commander team has made a huge Improvement this offseason with all the addition they have made we should expect to see a negative game script which of course that leads to a lot of Austin eeka receiving work on top of the fact that the Tamp Bay Buccaneers have allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns amongst all teams to opposing running backs last season it bodess very well for an Austin Eckler type game so with cliff kingsburry and what we know from him and the way that he has utilized his number two RB in the past he's going to get a lot of receiving utilization out of Austin Eckler and potentially a couple rushing attempts here and there number 36 we have Jaylen War again another one of these third down backs that comes in and gets themselves a lot Jaylen Warren of success last season in 14 of the 17 games he played was able to get himself three or more receptions if that's going to continue to be the case on top of that if he's going to be healthy for week one obviously he's still recovering from the hamstring injury the expectation is that he's going to play and if he does it may be at a more limited role in comparison to what it normally is considering they're trying to kind of ease him back from that hamstring and not force a potential re-aggravation for it now number 37 we Tyjae Spears have Tai Spears Tai Spears in a very similar boat as Tony Pard unfortunately primarily because this is a very good run stopping defense sixth best in terms of dvoa and allowed the third fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs based on rushing statistics but in terms of receiving statistics this could be a game in which both Tai Spears and Tony Paul find themselves a lot of success within the receiving game therefore they're both going to be in this number 33 to 37 range because if they're able to get themselves four five receptions for 4050 receiving yards fantastic but the rushing upside is not going to be as implicated therefore their potential for success in terms of getting themselves a rushing touchdown not as likely as we'd like it to be number 38 slash number 39 we have both of the running backs of the Dallas Cowboys very similar to win I Ezekiel Elliott & Rico Dowdle talked about Zach moss and Chase Brown we're not exactly sure how this is going to break down but we do know that they're going to run the ball we've heard a lot of reports as to whether or not Rico D is going to be the number one or if it's going to be Zeke based on his experience with this you know offense the report he is already built with Dak Prescot over the years in his career we're going to have to wait and see but they do take on the Cleveland RS which is a great defense but one that has struggled at times in terms of stopping the run we're going to have to wait and see if this Dallas Cowboys offensive line with the changes they have made this offseason is going to be good enough to move the chains within the running game the final burning back I wanted to mention is Julio mlin like I mentioned earlier the Denver Broncos are Jaleel McLaughlin the second biggest Underdog going into the week against Seattle Seahawks the expectation should be a lot of passing and like I mentioned with javante Williams B Knicks out of college out of Oregon in his final year about what 28% of his passes were behind the line of scrimmage he's known as bubble screen bow the expectation is that there should be a lot of potential dump offs to a guy like Jal mlin all right guys that's going to cover it for my week one running back rankings for the 2024 fantasy football season if you enjoyed today's content subscribe click the like button down below and of course if you want my all-inclusive rankings for the remainder of the Season check out Underdog fantasy or check out the patreon all that information down in the description thank you everybody for watching I'll be back with wide receiver rankings tomorrow and until next time I'll see you guys peace [Music]