Top 40 Running Back Rankings & Tiers - 2024 Fantasy Football

Intro [Music] greetings and salutations everyone my name is an kop and welcome to my YouTube channel today I'm going to be talking about my updated top 40 running back rankings for the 2024 fantasy football season now just over a week ago I put out a top 36 running back rankings video but since then with all of the training camp news injuries and of course the preseason games that have already taken place my rankings have changed so I wanted to go ahead and give you guys the most up-to-date rankings for a half PPR scoring format meeting everyone in the middle whether you do play in a standard League or a full PPR league so that if in fact you're drafting this weekend or in the coming days so that you're equipped with the most upto-date ranking so you can make the most informed decisions going into your 2024 Fantasy Football Draft so let's go ahead and let's begin talking about my number one Christian McCaffrey running back Christian mcaffrey in fact the top three The Big Three are still going to be locked within this position therefore I have the locked symbol next to them and going into 2024 it is a no-brainer that we are selecting Christian mcaffrey as the 1.01 coming off of year in 2023 in the 19 healthy games he played regular season and postseason included he was averaging 23.02.18 between now and then so I believe that he is going going to be 100% healthy again in the last two seasons he's played 39 consecutive healthy games I'm expecting Christian mcaffry to be at a full capacity and of course continuous trend of finding a lot of success as our number one overall back now number two is Bree Hall of the New York Jets again Breece Hall still one of these locked players within the big three like we mentioned last time Bree Hall when he was let loose from weeks 5 through 18 of the 2023 fantasy football season he average 20.15 touches per game and 17.3 fantasy points per game throughout those 13 games to finish the season throughout that span of time was the number three overall running back in a half PPR in terms of fantasy points per game scored only behind Kyon Williams and Christian mcaffrey and he was able to accomplish all of that with Aaron roders out and of course a bottom five run blocking offensive line they immediately upgraded that offensive line this off season Aaron Rogers is healthy and when you add Aaron roggers not only are you going to score more points as an offense which is going to lead to more Red Zone opportunities last season not only were the New York Jets last in terms of offensive touchdowns scored and in terms of passing and rushing touchdowns additionally they were 32 in all Red Zone rushing statistics amongst all teams they were last place in terms of attempts and touchdowns in all of those categories so when you have Aaron roders the touchdown numbers are going to continue to increase and of course the receiving game isn't going to disappear for Bree hall because over the course of 2019 to 2022 Aaron Rogers with Aaron Jones as a starting running back Aaron Jones throughout those four seasons was averaging 73 targets 57 receptions 443 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns sounds Bree Hall is in a perfect spot to continue his success now to close out the big three we have bejan Bijan Robinson Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons like we have heard all off season from offensive coordinator Zack Robinson they're going to utilize Bean Robinson as the Christian mcaffrey of their offense now if you look at what Zack Robinson was able to do with the Los Angeles Rams last season and what he probably learned from Sha McVey they utilized Kyon Williams at a very high capacity I mean 20 plus touches per game when healthy is a ridiculous number but bejon Robinson can absolutely handle that volume of overall touches not only that last season when they gave him 15 or more touches within a game he was averaging over 16 fantasy points per game with opportunity will come fantasy success for a top tier running back on top of that when you get the huge Improvement at quarterback going from guys like Mariota Ritter to now Kurt Cousins it just means more touchdowns that are going to be available for these offensive pieces and especially one being bejan Robinson now that we've locked down the big three at the running 2024 Draft Guide & Rankings back position a couple reminders for those of you guys who have not yet already be sure to lock down my 2024 Fantasy Football Draft guide this offseason by checking out Underdog fantasy link down in the description at this current moment in time if you sign up using Code Andrew and make a first time deposit minimum of $10 not only are you going to be able to claim the first time deposit offer but you're going to get my 2024 Fantasy Football Draft guide the rankings with that those rankings are quarterback running back wide receiver kicker tight end defense Flex half PPR full PPR all-encompassing rankings those rankings also updated weekly so regardless of when you're drafting you have an advantage upon on your league mates but the the overall rankings and the emails that I send you guys aren't going to just stop there I'll send you Sunday morning rankings every single week from weeks 1 through 18 so that we can help you capture a 2024 Fantasy Football Championship so be sure to go ahead lock down my 2024 Fantasy Football Draft guy get your hands on it by checking out Underdog fantasy today making that first time deposit for those of you who are wondering if you're eligible be sure to go ahead and check out the map to the right side of the screen and if you've already used my code in the past or made a first- time deposit with somebody else's code in Prior Seasons be sure to go ahead and check out p all that content and more is available there link down in the description thank you very much okay let's get into talking about Jonathan Taylor the beginning of the 8 TI another one of these running backs that again is within a similar position as our last ranking but for those of you who need a reminder as to just why Jonathan Taylor is so great last season from weeks 7 through 18 when he had a full reign of this backfield and had very little competition with Zach Moss because of course Zach Moss missed a little bit of time throughout that span of time but really they transition into allowing Jonathan Taylor to take over he was averaging 21 38 touches per game and 16.75 fantasy points per game now again going into 2024 the primary concern that I hear from many of you whether it's via the comment section or the live stream that we did just a couple days ago is Andrew is anthan Richardson really going to impact Jonathan Taylor enough to where he could potentially not be a top five back and I 100% understand the concern and I see it as a Potential Threat as well but you have to understand that going into 20124 with Shane Sten as the primary play caller and the head coach of this team they're going to want to utilize both Taylor and Richardson within the Red Zone if you go back and look at the 2022 Eagles the team that Shane siken was the primary offensive coordinator of in that season in 2022 the Philadelphia Eagles are number one amongst all teams in all Red Zone rushing statistics they haded 119 Red Zone rushing attempts for 29 Red Zone touchdowns again there is a lot of potential for both Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor to both find a boatload of success and the most important thing is that they won't cannibalize each other's fantasy value last season amongst all teams the Colts were number seven in Red Zone rushing attempts again that's a huge stat additionally amongst all teams the Colts were number six in red in terms of running back opportunities being rushing attempts and targets a lot of opportunities going to go in the direction of Jonathan Taylor I'm not too worried about it moving on to number five we have jir Gibbs of course like I mentioned last time jir Gibbs from weeks Jahmyr Gibbs 10 through 21 with David Montgomery in the lineup was still averaging 14.92% points per game once they really got him integrated within this offense and like we mentioned earlier this week in the draft running back video based on offensive lines of course we know that jir Gibbs sits behind the number one ranked offensive line in the National Football League in fact their offensive line has improved this offseason by bringing in Kevin zeitler so not only are they number one in terms of run blocking grades they're coming off a season in 2023 in which they were number four in terms of rushing uh dvoa amongst all teams when we look at Weeks 10 through 21 of last year yes David Montgomery was within the mix getting himself 15 touches per game but Jamir Gibbs throughout that span of time still had more more Red Zone rushing attempts and more Red Zone rushing touchdowns he is going to be the primary number one and we've heard all offseason that they are focusing on establishing him within the receiving game far more last season he only averaged 6.1 yards per reception amongst all running backs with a minimum of 20 receptions last season he ranked 40 within that category just wait until he improves within that overall stat he's going to be far more efficient and far more capable for Fantasy purposes Saquon Barkley our number six to close out the a tier is saquon Barkley very similar to the potential of John Jan Taylor getting his touchdown stolen there is the conversation of which potentially saquon Barkley could get his value stolen but the fact that he is going from one of the worst teams in the National Football League to an offense that is a huge upgrade across the board whether it is via quarterback receiver tight end Etc but the biggest upgrade is offensive line last season when saquon Barkley had at least one yard before contact he was averaging 6.6 yards per attempt again a pretty ridiculous number and going into 2024 with a huge upgrade within the offensive line sitting behind these tanks of the Philadelphia Eagles he's going to get himself a lot of opportunity and it's going to lead to a lot of success over the course of the last two seasons the Philadelphia Eagles have given their starting running backs a lot of opportunity you know my sanders 16.42% 73 touches per game in Sequon Barkley's career over the course of the 2022 and 2023 seasons in games in which he's been given 16 or more touches he's averaging 18.22 fantasy points per game I know that Jaylen Herz and the brotherly shove is an impending potential threat to his upside I don't think it's going to be as vital of a play Within this offense going into 2024 it will allow Squan Barkley to be far more relevant within the Red Zone our number seven is Kiren Williams who again last season amongst all running backs Kyren Williams was number two in fantasy points per game 19.9 to only behind Christian mcaffrey again this they bring in Blake Corman he is going to be the primary threat that is going to potentially limit Kiron Williams overall upside but even with the presence of Blake corm I truly do believe that that's going to only keep Kiron Williams fresh and when you keep him fresh we know that he is a highly efficient running back number six amongst all last season in terms of yards per car average over 5.0 again when you give him opportunities it is going to lead to success and if you have him fresh and healthy over the course of the entire season I don't think that he's going to slow down in comparison to what he was able to accomplish last season now even though Blake corm does impose fear in many of our eyes you have to understand that there isn't a great track record with Shawn McVey and rookie running backs in their overall usage additionally in comparison to running backs Like You Know Travis etn last season and of course Kenneth Walker II third both running backs who had a backup drafted within the 2023 NFL draft shanet and tank bsby they came in and many of us were afraid of the value that was going to be sapped away it wasn't I'm not going to panic we're continuing to keep Ken Williams as our number seven our number eight is Josh Jacobs who of course is changing jerseys but like I Josh Jacobs mentioned in the past and I've mentioned this over the last couple Seasons he has always been an rb1 when healthy doesn't matter whether it was was 2019 all the way up till last season even though last season was highly inefficient in terms of his overall yards per attempt and of course yards per reception he's always been an rb1 when healthy and he goes to a team that has supported an rb1 from 2019 to 2020 with Aaron Jones finishing as the number two 5 12 and nine overall running back throughout that span of time so you're joining an offense that is already established running game of course Matt llor knows how to utilize their running backs there's a reason why they went out into free agency and paid Josh Jacobs all this money making him the fifth or sixth highest paid running back on a per season average additionally for those of you who are worried about the you know other running backs within this overall backfield that could end up making an impact on Josh Jacobs you know three- down ability understand that in 2021 and 2022 both those Seasons Josh Jacobs was able to accumulate 64 targets and 53 receptions he is a three- down back and that'll continue with the Green Bay Packers in 2024 on number nine I went ahead and I put a little crown emoji next to you Derrick Henry know King Derrick Henry because again he is King Henry in the last five consecutive Seasons when he has been healthy he has been a top eight running back in every single season and this is probably going to be the sixth consecutive season in which he's able to accomplish that when you look at the Baltimore Ravens running back rushing statistics last season and additionally the total fantasy points that Ravens running backs accumulated in 2023 they were fifth amongst all teams in the National Football League within that category additionally Gus Edwards last season had the second most Red Zone rushing attempt inside the 5y yard line which led to Gus Edwards scoring 12 rushing touchdowns just imagine derck Henry with those overall opportunities within an elevated offense that is run first has a mobile quarterback and on top of it has the best strength of schedule going into the 2024 season to close out the b tier our number 10 Devon De'Von Achane hen and I went ahead and I put a little trophy next to him because truly up until now this is the the first shift within our kind of rankings in comparison to last week Devon aan jumping ahead of Travis etn primarily because again he has the ability to win you your 2024 fantasy football league if you were willing to take the chance on him but is it much of a chance last season he was averaging 7.77 yards per carry and 5.07 yards after contact per attempt number one in both those categories I went ahead and did some digging in terms of his yard per carry average last season it was number two all time in NFL history the running back that has the overall record is Bey feathers from 1934 again Devon h is doing things that are you know breaking records last season any game in which he had 11 or more touches was averaging 21.4 fantasy points per game in a half PPR scoring from that and I understand the Raheem moster fear is warranted and I have Raheem moster ranked higher than I did last time but going forward Devon hen again has the ability to be a top five back at the end of the season if all the dominoes fall in the right direction he stays 100% healthy and this Miami Dolphins offense continues to Surge like they have the last two seasons Travis Etienne to begin the c-tier we have Travis eten that yes just moved down one spot but in comparison to the rest of the c-tier running backs quite frankly they are all similar in terms of their potential upside their Fantasy Point per game averages and the fact that they are all going to receive unimpeded volume of opportunity going into 2024 again last season Travis etn dominated 75% of the running back attempts and 80% of the running back targets within this offense we have heard a lot of Buzz this offseason in regards to Travis etn developing as a receiving back and them even lining them up out wide we know that of course Trevor Lawrence Travis etn they have the Synergy already built from their days at Clemson that is only going to continue going into 2024 last season again he was averaging 14.91% Alvin Kamara my number 12 going into 2024 is because I wholeheartedly believe in him based on what we witnessed last season from weeks 4 through 16 averaging 15.8 fantasy points per game and was the number two overall running back throughout that span of time additionally on top of that you get a new offensive coordinator who was just with the San Francisco 49ers and is going to utilize Alvin Kamar in a Christian mcaffrey role and I understand the overall risks of his age and his injury history are there but currently based on his ADP and where he is being drafted there's a reason why I put that you know know The Hourglass there you don't have to draft him as the 12th running back off the board but take him at his current ADP because it is an absolute steal in 20124 I mean last season on a 17 game Pace he was on Pace to go ahead and accumulate 119 targets 103 receptions 655 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown Derek Carr from 2018 to 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders targeted his running backs a boatload 114 times per season it increased in terms of a per game average with Alvin Kamar considering how capable he is in the receiving game but nonetheless I'm expecting him to be a fantastic play for the entirety of the 2024 season draft him at his current ADP but understand that I highly value him going into the season number 13 is Isaiah Peko who's Isiah Pacheco moved up a little bit in comparison to last time again when we're talking about unrepeated volume of opportunity he is going to have that he was able to accumulate 81% of the rushing attempts within this offense last season 53% of the overall running back targets with Jerick McKinnon gone hopefully that number increases he averaged nearly 14 fantasy points per game last season when you include the overall regular season and the playoffs his contributions throughout the entire year even though they are limited because this team does not like to run the ball as much as they should you know the fact of the matter is he's still getting enough touches to be a potential Workhorse back in 2024 the biggest difference going into 2024 in comparison to last year is that this offense should be elevated in comparison last year this Chief's offense only scored 37 total offensive touchdowns in comparison to the year prior which was 59 if you go ahead and just have a little bit of an uptick in terms of bringing in wide receiver help that is going to help Patrick Mahomes succeed it should lead to more touchdowns for Isaiah Pacho to maybe get into that top 12 running back conversation Rashad white is our number 14 who dropped a little bit I think that Rashad white and Rachaad White Alvin Kamar are identical in terms of potential value the only worry concern that I have is the loss of offensive coordinator Dave Canales for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers if his absence in the offensive champ change is going to potentially impact Baker Mayfield negatively it could impact Rashad White's bottom line in terms of overall fantasy production even though he is going to get all of the unimpeded volume of opportunity last season 75% of the running back attempts and 74% of the running back targets within the organization he had himself 336 total touches even though the touches are going to be there maybe it's not going to be as much overall potential for touchdowns because the offense isn't as high leveled as it was last season I mean we did see Rashad white last season averaging 15.9 fantasy points per game between weeks 7 through 18 so we know he is highly capable of finding success in fantasy but the offensive coordinator Changs mes me a little bit weary of his overall potential number 15 we have James Cook one of the final Workhorse backs that you can draft within your James Cook upcoming 20124 Fantasy Football Draft once you see James Cook as the best available back understand that he is the final of the workhorses that are automatic going into this season because from weeks 11 through 20 Joe Brady as the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills elevated James Cook to average 13.96% score more touchdowns this year than he did in 2023 the final of our C Kenneth Walker III tier is Kenneth Walker thei third Kenneth Walker again when he was healthy last season was a clear three- down back with in this offense 77% of the running back rushing attempts 52% of the targets and yes Zack shanet is a capable you know third down back and could certainly get himself within the mix of two-minute drills or pass blocking situations but what we have heard this off season from new offensive coordinator Ryan grub is that he believes that Kenneth Walker is the three down of this team and is going to utilize him as a Workhorse I mean even last season from weeks 1 through 10 prior to Kenneth Walker's injury 14.11 fantasy points per game was the number 10 overall running back throughout that span of time in terms of fantasy points per game on average in my opinion this is a running back that is being undervalued to an extent and has the capabilities of you know being a top 12 running back it's just a matter of what are we going to see from the Seattle seaw offense in 2024 in comparison to what we've witnessed with Shane Waldren as the offensive coordinator most recently ly from 2021 to 2023 to begin our D tier we have Joe Joe Mixon Mixon who again our number 17 is still going to be an extremely valuable running back and over the course of the last three seasons Joe Mixon has proved that he can be an rb1 within the Cincinnati Bengals offense even though their offensive line has not been great in a lot of those scenarios now obviously touchdowns and an accumulation of a lot of receptions has certainly led him to being in rb1 in each of those last three seasons last season specifically averaging 14.18 fantasy points per game in the 17 games that he played but now he joins a new offense that has a lot of receiving weapons perhaps there's too many mouths of feed with tank Dell Stefon digs Niko Collins doton Schultz Noah Brown Etc but going into this season I do believe that Bobby slowick the offensive coordinator wants to utilize him as a Workhorse back in of sorts I mean last season from weeks 10 through 18 Devin single ter was averaging 19 touches per game and 133 fantasy points per game so why not give Joe Mixon a bulk majority of those overall touches which could lead to a lot of success their offensive line not the greatest in terms of rum blocking efficiency but still the opportunity is going to be there for Joe Mixon to be a valuable fantasy back in 2024 number 18 David momery who I went ahead and put a David Montgomery green arrow next to him because of the volume of ranks that he jumped in comparison to our last rankings video at the running back position I wanted to go ahead and just designate just to give you an understanding that there is variable change overall even though there could be some change in terms of one player like moving one or two spots this is one of those players that I feel a little bit more bullish on going forward David Montgomery like I mentioned with jier Gibs behind the number one rated offensive line of the National Football League and it's not even close within that category additionally last season from weeks 10 through 21 even though they were utilizing far more jir Gibbs in fact enough jir Gibbs where he was playing 54% of the offensive snaps while of course David mcgomery was only playing 44% of the offensive snaps David Montgomery still averaging 15 touches per game and 12.91 fantasy points per game throughout that span of time splitting overall Red Zone opportunities he only had one less Red Zone Rush attempt than jir Gibbs and only had two less Red Zone rushing touchdowns jir Gibs had 10 and David Montgomery had eight throughout that span of time weeks 10 through 21 of last year again with last touches should keep him healthy be you know an extremely Elite offensive line in the way that he played last season with career highs in terms of yard per car average I'm expecting a lot of success for David Montgomery who again is within that range of probably you know averaging somewhere between 11 and half to 13 fantasy points this upcoming season number 19 we have Rand ston again Rand Dre Stevenson with the Rhamondre Stevenson new offensive coordinator should be in a far better position to succeed with a new quarterback with a new system overall I understand that this offense as a whole when you compare it to the rest of the league it doesn't look great with jacobe Brett or Drake May their offensive line over the course of the last couple Seasons hasn't been great but going into this upcoming season you know in terms of run blocking grades in terms of dvoa efficiency from last year could end up surprising many if this offense takes some steps forward and is far better from what they looked last season which honestly it's not going to take much that was the worst New England Patriots offense that we have seen since the year 2000 therefore I'm expecting R Andre Stevenson on a run first team who is capable of succeeding within the receiving game top five in all running back receiving categories back in 2022 in which he finished as an rb1 That season when we look at rre Stevenson from the last two seasons in games in which he has been given 13 or more touches he's averaging 14.4 fantasy points points per game again the number 19 spot for running back that is balanced is going to get himself a lot of work on the ground through the air and be efficient in doing so number 20 James Conner is James Connor the whole conversation about James Connor is always is he going to stay healthy that's just always the conversation and he's never played a full healthy season but once he is on the field and healthy he is an Unstoppable Force within this Arizona Cardinals offense in fact over the course of the last three seasons he has always finished as a top 20 running back overall and even though he missed four games last season finishes rb8 because he was averaging 19 touches per game and 15.280 per game in a half PPR scoring format I know that Trey Benson is always going to be Lo looming as a threat but when you look at Underdog adps of Trey Benson in comparison to ESPN nfl.com Yahoo fantasy adps Trey Benson is far more affordable therefore you should be able to grab James Connor and additionally Trey Benson so that you are getting the full workload you know and fantasy upside of this backfield regardless of who becomes the rb1 based on injury Ines you know so on and so forth moving to the etier another one of Raheem Mostert these running backs that I've moved up a pretty good amount because I'm more bullish on them it is Raheem moer who is behind a great offensive line and of course was the number two overall running back last season having scored 20 plus touchdowns having been extremely efficient with 4.8 yards per carry 3.4 yards after contact per attempt ranking top 10 in both of those overall statistics and going into this upcoming season in which of course we're anticipating the Miami dolphins that continue to use their running backs at a premium rahee M should continue to be the number one running back until of course Devon hen takes that from him but Raheem moer is not just going to relinquish it freely he's a guy that even though he is older in age has played 31 of the last four you know 34 games within this offense and as long as this offense continues to give their running backs top five opportunity that's a combination of rushing attempts and targets they could very easily sustain two top 24 running backs within the 2024 season that's what I'm anticipating number 2 two we have Naji Najee Harris Harris Naji Harris again he has always been a top 20 back throughout his three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers additionally has never missed a game due to injury and even though he is highly volatile in his overall performances from week seven through 18 of last year once they went ahead and changed our offensive coordinator in found success he was averaging 12 and a half fantasy points per game throughout that span of time the number eight overall back and number 18 in terms of fantasy points per game on average he is still extremely capable now that you bring in you know quarterback upgrade regardless of whether that's Justin field or Russell Wilson and a new offensive coordinator in AR Smith Arthur Smith formerly of the Atlanta Falcons who led the Atlanta Falcons to being number one amongst all teams in running back rushing attempts last season it's only going to continue to lead to Nai Harris getting himself over 250 total touches this year even with splitting touches and snaps with Jaylen waren number 23 is zamir white I Zamir White moved up zir white just a couple overall ranks mainly because I feel more confident in terms of drafting and because there isn't really much running back competition on roster it is zamir white and then it's Alexander Madison as the number two and we know that Alexander Madison isn't great so when we take into account zamir white last season weeks 15 through 18 without Josh Jacobs in the lineup was averaging 23.25 touches per game and 14.05 fantasy points per game additionally 4.73 yards per carry and 3.43 yards after contact per attempt top eight in both categories and we know that Antonio pierce the head coach of this team wants to give his rb1 the ball 20 plus times per game and he has said that aloud on multiple occasions zamir white is the lone back and maybe he's not going to get himself all of the receiving opportunity but I'm more than happy to invest in a running back that has the ability to get themselves 275 to 300 touches within a given year and again associated with the Raiders Josh Jacobs has been an rb1 when healthy every season of his career within that offense again there's a lot of pieces that are still left there that can help Elevate zamir white number 24 D'Andre Swift we have DeAndre Swift so here's the thing about DeAndre Swift besides the fact that he is behind a great offensive line in terms of run blocking rates and dvoa in terms of consistency and additionally yards before contact per attempt there is a lot of potential for DeAndre Swift to immediately come in and be a top 24 back he is never ranked below the top 24 over the course of the last three seasons and hopefully once again DeAndre Swift should be able to accomplish that last season in games in which he played 50% of the offensive snaps averaged 13.75 fantasy points per game considering there isn't as much mobility within Caleb Williams overall game and isn't going to be carrying the ball you know 150 times like Jaylen Herz did it gives more opportunity for DeAndre Swift to show off his greatest facet which is receiving again he is one of the most dynamic receiving backs in the league and unfortunately we haven't seen that over the course of the full calendar year mainly because he wasn't utilized within that sense for the you know Philadelphia Eagles and despite that still had himself good statistics within the receiving game but that's going to continue to develop this upcoming season with Shane Waldren within the overall conversation using him as a three down back I'm anticipating not very much competition as a deao number one running back there's still a competition between whether Herbert or Roshan Johnson is going to be the rb2 but by far in way DeAndre Swift will be the number one and probably dominating the vast majority of overall touches and opportunities within this backfield our number 25 is Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings obviously Aaron Jones we know his storyi career and success with the Green Bay Packers 2019 to 2022 62 games 15.3 fantasy points per game throughout that span of time and even though his final year with the Green Bay Packers you know was hamstrung for lack of a better term uh the last five games of his season whether it was regular season or you know in the NFL playoffs 22.6 touches per game 18.16% backfield who found a lot of success late last season even in an offense that was predominantly past first in fact they were you know I think they were second or third highest in terms of pass rate amongst all teams in the National Football League I still believe that Tai Chandler is going to impede on the potential upside of Aaron Jones as they want to keep Aaron Jones healthy and not run him into the ground on number 26 to begin the F tier even though it is the Brian Robinson Jr. quote unquote F tier understand that Brian Robinson Jr is one of these running backs that I'm very excited about this upcoming season from weeks 1 through 12 of last season prior to his injury 15.6 touches per game 13.02 fantasy points per game in games in which he was allowed to play 50% of the offensive snaps or more averaging 15.99 fantasy points per game and that was all while the commanders last season were the number one team in total passing attempts so now that you bring in Cliff kingsberry who's going to change this offense who elevated Kenyan Drake to the number 14 overall back in 20120 elevated James Connor to the number five overall back in 2021 the second easiest strength of schedule belongs to Brian Robinson Jr in an offense that very well should give him the vast majority of the overall touches even though the receiving game will go to Austin Eckler I'm anticipating Brian Robinson Jr to still be you know a part of that game get himself a couple receptions and still be of value number 27 is Zach Moss so this Zack Moss is the issue that I have with Zach Moss as the last couple weeks have gone Chase Brown is gaining a lot of momentum in training camp and that is beginning to scare me to an extent to where perhaps we need to you know settle our expectations of The Upside that Zach Moss has even even though he is filling into the shoes of Joe Mixon which is consisted of being the number three 12 and eight overall back over the course of the last three seasons I'm beginning to see shades of my sanders Alexander Madison from 2023 guys that were you know anticipated to be the number one but unfortunately you know whether it was an injury and or potential you know lack of efficiency it led to other running backs taking over which in this case would be Chase Brown so I'm a little bit worried about that even though has proven that he can be a three down back and he was averaging Javonte Williams 16.74% three down back for this offense even though last season there was a lot of uncertainty and a huge backfield rotation a running back by Committee of sorts with you know jilo mlin we also had samaj perine I do believe that was primarily because gavon Williams was coming off of his ACL injury and they needed to limit him and even then they still gave him a bunch of touches that being said I think going into this year we'll see far more efficiency and far more usage of gavon Williams in games last season in which he was given 50% of the offensive snaps or more averaging 13 and a half fantasy points per game this is a top five offensive line in terms of run block efficiency and grades going into 2024 and we know that Javonte Williams has receiving upside he is utilized it in the past and he certainly will be given opportunity considering Joe Lombardi the offensive coordinator and Shawn Payton the head coach and the primary play caller always want to get their running backs a boatload of targets averaging between 130 to 150 per season when they are calling offenses so I'm expecting javante Williams to go ahead and collect a bunch of receptions in 2024 number 29 we have Tony PD another Tony Pollard one of these running backs that jumped into my top 30 the reason why I wanted to go ahead and talk about Tony PA at this capacity is because if the Tennessee Titans in 2023 were capable of having the number 12 and the number 36 overall back and you remove Derrick Henry from the entire equation I understand you're switching offensive coordinators but there is going to be enough opportunity within this backfield for both Tony Pard and Tai Spears to both be top 36 running backs and that's what I'm anticipating both of them are currently stated to be you know the starting running back of this team the 1 a 1B of sorts we do believe that Tony Pard is the most talented of the two and when he is given you know not the full reign of opportunity within a Back Field you know similar to the way that he was utilized in 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys where you can give somebody else touches between the tackles and then you can utilize Tony PA within the screen game within the receiving game and in potentially you know third and long situation still give him a halfback draw in which he could take for 20 yards he is far more efficient in those scenarios I think Tony paard as time has gone on and as we kind of get an understanding of the offense should be of more value therefore moves up to 29 number 30 is Jaylen Warren again Jaylen Warren is Jaylen Warren pretty simple you're going to get 10 points per game from him over the course of the Season especially with the offensive coordinator change the efficiency that he has demonstrated the fact that you are improving your quarterback your offensive line and of course he is the primary receiving back of this offense getting himself three plus receptions and 14 of the last 17 games he played in 2023 it's just a matter of you know does he have more upside than 10 points per game no there are going to be some games in which he steals a touchdown there are going to be some games in which he doesn't score a touchdown and it's going to be underwhelming but as a whole he is a safe running back that really you can't miss on by selecting him in 2024 our 31 is Tai J Spears like I Tyjae Spears mentioned earlier with Tony Pard when we have Derrick Henry finishing as the number 12 running back last season for the Titans and Tai spear still finishing as rb35 with 100 rushing attempts and 52 receptions I believe that there are going to be more Touches for him this season perhaps he's not going to be able to accumulate 50 2 receptions I think that number will most likely decrease but I believe in terms of overall rushing attempts that number is going to grow I mean what we saw out of Tai Spears late last season leads me to believe that he is going to be highly utilized within this backfield from weeks 13 through 18 averaging 10.67 fantasy points per game while averaging 12.16 touches per game if you give him touches he's going to find success and that's what we're anticipating number 32 dein single ter Devin single ter has a you know pretty big shoes to fill with Devin Singletary saquon Barkley's absence but he is very familiar with this offense and the Giants offense is going to be in a situation in which really outside of Devon single ter there aren't very many other running backs on roster that they can trust you know every single down so considering his overall rapport with Brian deall considering he was uh the former offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills from 2019 to 2021 throughout those three seasons Deon single ter ranked as the number 31 RB number 34 and the number 20 I think the 32 spot within this overall season is perfectly fine he's going to be given running back opportunity in terms of rushing attempts and targets he could end up being an even better overall player if in fact those touchdowns and those extra variables of receptions continue to rack up at a higher rate than we're anticipating but as of right now 32 as a starting running back uh between an offensive line here that has somewhat improved with runan and alumor being brought in to play guardan offensive tackle it is a little bit of an upgrade but outside of being you know an rb3 that maybe could score you 10 points per week uh it's nothing much than that number 33 we have atin ekler the the only reason I believe Austin ecka has value is because of Cliff Austin Ekeler kingsberry Cliff kingsberry as the head coach and primary play caller of the Arizona Cardinals in 2020 LED Chase Edmonds to being the number 28 back Additionally the next year Chase Edmonds finishes RB 35 so if you can find a Chase edmondes talent and still produce a top 36 season even though Kenyan Drake and James Connor were both able to be top 15 backs within that overall year I believe that Austin Eckler within this offense Will Find value they're going to utilize him as the security blanket of Jaden Daniels in an offense that is most likely going to Target their running backs 100 to 115 times this season based on Cliff kingsberry offensive averages as the head coach and primary play caller of the Cardinals between 2020 in 2022 moving on to our number 34 we have Nick Chubb Nick chub Nick chub again injured as it currently stands is kind of trying in the direction that he may end up missing times or be put on the pup list physically unable to perform because this time last year Javonte Williams was practicing this time last year I think um Bree Hall was taken off of the pup himself on August 15th of 20123 even though Nick chub is showing videos of him squatting 500 lbs he is not practicing with the team yet he is not in pads and that is worrisome we are trending towards him not being ready for week one and if he's going to be put on the pup in miss the first four weeks of the season and then subsequently need to be ramped up from weeks 5 through 8 it does not bode well for his overall fans fantasy value we'll keep it monitored but I think this also continues for Jonathon Brooks Jonathan Brooks when we're talking about injured running backs and the fact that Dave Canalis the head coach of the Carolina Panthers has already come out and said that Jonathan Brooks is not going to play Within the preseason additionally we're hoping that he'll be ready by week three or four that leads me to believe that again if he's going to be ready by week three they're still not going to utilize him at a full capacity and they may be a four-week stretch in which he needs to kind of build up find his footing find his stride but within this offense both these guys Nick chub and Jonathan Brooks need to be their number ones they want them to be the number one back but both these coaching staffs are going to play it smart they're going to take it slow and of course introduce them once they're ready at a full capacity moving on to our number 36 we have Ezekiel Ezekiel Elliott Elliott Ezekiel Elliott again has proven late last season weeks 13 through 18 with the New England Patriots he could still average 20 touches per game and be efficient 13.32 fantasy points per game now when I say efficient I mean for Fantasy purposes I'm not talking about yard per carry or yard per reception that's irrelevant to me I'm just talking about being able to score fantasy points and throughout his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys he has done that he has scored fantasy points and he has stayed relatively healthy having played 49 of the last 51 games of his career the last time that he was with the Cowboys in 2022 from week six through 17 averaging nearly 15 fantasy points per game and 17 touches per game we're hearing a lot of Rumblings of Rico dat getting more and more touches within this backfield and that's perfectly fine if you invest in Zeke you're hoping for Red Zone touchdowns outside of that his weeks are not going to be the prettiest amongst all these running backs we've already named moving on to Gus Edwards the final tier we've moved down Gus Edwards a bit primarily because even though there is going to be a lot of opportunity within this backfield the most recent depth chart for the Los Angeles Chargers consists of both Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins as co-starters that is very much so worrisome even though JK Dobbins is coming off the Achilles injury I still believe that you know there is enough momentum there for JK Dobbins to be a top 40 back who will you know will talk about him in just a moment but understand this offense is going to run the ball a bunch so I do anticipate Gus Ed was to get himself 250 total touches this season assuming he stays fully healthy and that is why he'll still have somewhat value but again a lot of the overall touches could end up pivoting and going in the direction of JK Dobbins if in fact he takes the starting job based on his overall efforts but before we get into Jerome Ford talking about the potential of someone like JK Dobbins let's talk about Jerome Ford as our number 38 Jerome Ford last season from weeks 3 through eight when Nick chub was out of the lineup he was the number 18 overall back in number 22 in terms of fantasy points per game he was averaging 11 fantasy points per game all while Kareem hunt was active and Kareem Hunter was averaging 10 touches per game throughout that span of time if in fact Nick chub is going to miss the first four weeks of the Season then subsequently be a slow return for the four weeks after that we could end up seeing Jerome Ford continue from what he did last year and be a solid rb2 and perhaps we're undervaluing him and until we get more information on the status of Nick chub I'll continue to have him within this overall range in terms of my ranking but he is a huge investment that could end up paying off in 2024 and so is someone like chuba hubard if in fact Jonathan Brooks isn't ready you got to remember that last season from weeks 6 Chuba Hubbard through 18 chuba hubard was the number 18 overall back and number 24 in terms of fantasy points per game averaging 11.32 throughout that span of time while my sanders who was injured and obviously allowed chba hubard to Wally pip him throughout that you know span of time was averaging seven and a half touches per game that was my sanders chuba hubber has demonstrated he could be a three down back in the absence of Brooks and my sanders so if in fact Brooks is going to miss time chuba hubard could be certainly of value and even better if he doesn't relinquish the starting spot even after Jonathan Brooks is 100% healthy moving on to the final running back I wanted to mention JK dobins who J.K. Dobbins we didn't mention last time but is now in the conversation when we take a look at the Baltimore Ravens offense and specifically their offensive coordinator Greg Roman formerly of the Baltimore Ravens you know of course Greg Roman is very familiar with both these running backs JK Dobbins and Gus Edis he has coached them in the past from 2019 to 2022 the Baltimore Ravens were averaging about 355 running back rushing attempts per season but when we take into account the fact that there was a lot of rushing attempts going to Lamar Jackson if you look at the full scope of what the Baltimore Ravens were doing in terms of rushing attempts per season it actually total 550 so if we're going to get into a situation in which Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins are both going to be responsible for 200 to 220 potential touches this season because they're going to need these running backs to run the ball at this high of a volume even though he is coming off the post ACL post Achilles all of that he is still the co-starter he could be in line for a lot of touches you know 50 to potentially you know 220 which does give him enough value to be in my top 40 all right that's going to cover it thank you everybody for watching I do appreciate it if you guys enjoy content like this be sure to subscribe we're making daily fantasy football content for the entirety of the 2024 season be sure to click the like button down below comment down below if there are any rankings that you would change on your top 40 list thank you everybody for watching and until next time probably tomorrow talking about wide receivers I'll see you guys peace [Music]