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2024 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

The NFL season is almost here, which means it's time to prepare to dominate your fantasy football league with these running back rankings
Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings

The fantasy football season is right around the corner, which means it’s time to look at the running back rankings. More and more teams are embracing the committee approach to backfields, so finding an adequate RB1 is becoming more and more difficult. While a few players stand out among the back, there are some diamonds in the rough if you know where to look.

Note: these fantasy football running back rankings are for redraft formats only. Dynasty rankings will vary.

2024 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings (Redraft)

Tier 1: League-Winning Potential

1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Breece Hall
3. Bijan Robinson

Anyone who doesn’t have Christian McCaffrey atop their fantasy football running back rankings is a troll. The 49ers star running back is the biggest competitive advantage in fantasy and will remain that way as long as he’s on the field.

Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson could be sorted in either order. Hall narrowly gets the nod due to the proven track record and superior quarterback, but Robinson could easily finish the season as the RB2. Both players possess elite talent and have coaches who trust them to be true three-down workhorses. The sky is the limit with these two, and both players could easily carry you to a championship when all is said and done.

Tier 2: Stud RB1

4. Jahmyr Gibbs
5. Derrick Henry
6. Jonathan Taylor
7. Saquon Barkley
8. Travis Etienne
9. Kyren Williams
10. De’Von Achane
11. Alvin Kamara
12. Josh Jacobs

Jahmyr Gibbs looked the part as a rookie, and his role should only increase in his second year playing on one of the best offenses in football. Derrick Henry found a way to produce despite playing behind the worst offensive line in football. Now, he has one of the best and is paired with Lamar Jackson. Who needs to catch passes when he has a legitimate shot at 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns in every single game?

Jonathan Taylor takes a slight stumble in the fantasy football running back rankings due to his situation. While Taylor is remarkably talented, Anthony Richardson will steal too many carries near the goal line and isn’t the type of quarterback to check down to the running back on passing downs. Ditto for Saquon Barkley, as teams have yet to find an answer to the tush push. The Jaguars still believe in Tank Bigsby, which is good news for Etienne since Bigsby is terrible. The former first-round pick will receive another massive workload for at least one more season.

Alvin Kamara isn’t the player he once was, but he remains the only reliable running back in this backfield. Last year’s per-game RB3 deserves a high spot in these running back rankings due to his high target share, as we all know receptions are more valuable than carries. Josh Jacobs was remarkably inefficient last year but a change of scenery should help bring the former first-round pick back to his old form.

Tier 3: High-End RB2

13. Isiah Pacheco
14. Kenneth Walker
15. James Cook
16. James Conner
17. Rachaad White
18. Rhamondre Stevenson
19. Joe Mixon
20. Aaron Jones

The Chiefs don’t run the ball that frequently, and you can’t blame them for that with Patrick Mahomes under center. Isiah Pacheco will see most of the carries, but he lacks the elite talent to make up for his relatively miniscule workload. Rachaad White is below ADP in these fantasy football running back rankings due to the presence of fourth-round rookie Buky Irving. White was one of the least efficient runners in football last year and Irving’s presence will allow him to go back to being a high-volume receiving back.

Joe Mixon is another year older and already started to slow down. Playing in a high-powered offense with no real competition for touches ensures he has a safe floor, but he lacks the ceiling for a higher spot in these fantasy football running back rankings. Aaron Jones has a clear path to a featured role, but Green Bay preferred to pay up for Josh Jacobs instead of keeping him around. Either Brian Gutekunst made a horrific mistake or Jones is at the end of the road.

Tier 4: Just Draft A Receiver

21. D’Andre Swift
22. Tony Pollard
23. Zamir White
24. Nick Chubb
25. Jonathon Brooks
26. Devin Singletary
27. Raheem Mostert
28. Najee Harris
29. Jaylen Warren
30. Jaleel McLaughlin

D’Andre Swift and Tony Pollard both received massive paydays in free agency, but there is a chance that second-year runners Roschon Johnson and Tyjae Spears are the better players. The contracts ensure the veterans will start in Week 1, but don’t be surprised if both are benched midway through the season, Miles Sanders style. Zamir White played well in small doses last year, but anyone who rostered Alexander Mattison knows that small sample results don’t always translate into high-volume production.

Nick Chubb was one of the hardest players to place in the fantasy football running back rankings. The longtime Brown has top-five potential when healthy, but how much trust can you put in a 29-year-old running back coming back from a devastating injury? Jonathon Brooks will be great one day and has late-season potential, but drafting him means using up a bench spot for at least the first half of the season.

Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren will split work on a Pittsburgh offense that won’t be great but should be better than last year. Jaleel McLaughlin outplayed Javonte Williams last year, and all reports indicate that the undrafted free agent is still the best running back in Denver, which justifies a mention in these fantasy football rankings.

Tier 5: They Play Running Back, I Suppose

31. Zack Moss
32. Austin Ekeler
33. Tyjae Spears
34. Roschon Johnson
35. Gus Edwards
36. Ezekiel Elliott

Zack Moss had half a season of great play while filling in for the injured Jonathan Taylor. Unfortunately, he also had three years of journeyman-level production before that. Only time will tell which version shows up in Cincinnati, but his spot in the fantasy football running back rankings assumes that the larger sample is the accurate one. Austin Ekeler looked washed last year and signed with the Commanders in large part because he didn’t want too many carries.

Last year, the New Orleans Saints gave Jamaal Williams a lot of money after the aging veteran happened to fall into the endzone a lot with Detroit. He followed that up by having a terrible season in New Orleans. Now, the Los Angeles Chargers get to make the same mistake with Gus Edwards. Ezekiel Elliott wraps up these fantasy football running back rankings, as somebody has to run the ball in Dallas.

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Main Photo: Junfu Han – USA Today Sports

David Latham, Managing Editor

David Latham, Managing Editor

David joined LWOS as an NFL writer in 2017. A passionate fan of Boston sports, Latham covers the Patriots, fantasy football, and breaking news across the league.

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