- Christian McCaffrey
If you don’t have Christian McCaffrey as your RB1, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe that you need to reevaluate more things in your life than just your fantasy draft strategy. So much can be said for this guy’s fantasy dominance so I’ll do my best to get the quick hits from last year.
- Finished with 391.3 fantasy points which was just over a hundred more than the RB2 (Breece Hall – 290.5)
- Eclipsed 100+ rushing yards on 7 occasions
- Scored 21 total touchdowns (14 rushing/7 receiving)
- Averaged 4.19 receptions across 16 games. Third only behind Alvin Kamara and Breece Hall.
- Breece Hall
Everyone and their mother (Insert Zach Wilson joke) was aware of how bad the Jets were last year. Without Aaron Rodgers, the offense was stagnant, led by an underperforming Zach Wilson with a sprinkle of Trevor Siemen and Tim Boyle. Despite that, the Jets managed to pull the lamest 7-10 record out of the gutters of MetLife stadium. One of the lone bright spots on offense, Breece Hall finished the season as the RB2 with 1585 total yards and 9 touchdowns (4 rushing/5 receiving). Hall was also the second most targeted player last year with 95 targets. Only Garrett Wilson (168) saw more action. His ability as a dual threat RB firmly cements him as my RB2 this year. I think with an MVP caliber player like Rodgers under center who can air it out and free up the run game, Hall will elevate a rushing attack that finished 22nd last year in average rush yards per game.
- Bijan Robinson
I’ll be honest with you. I really wanted to put Robinson further down on this list but I could not come up with a good reason to. I wasn’t very high on him coming into last year and I was kinda right. The 8th overall pick, didnt get much action in the endzone and Tyler Allegier was still around. You are probably thinking, “But it’s all Arthur Smith’s fault!”. That is probably true. His usage last year was criminal. Just talk to Kyle Pitts about his experience the last few years. The Falcons however have a new head coach and a new offensive coordinator who have very recent experience of having a successful run game. Not to mention, they added Kirko Chains in the off season. Bijan should have a better year (Finished RB9 last year). The dual threat back is primed to propel fantasy managers to victory.
- Jahmyr Gibbs
I’ll tell you what… Jahmyr Gibbs may be one of my new favorite players. This guy is an absolute monster on the field. If David Montgomery didn’t exist, Gibbs would likely be my RB2. He started a bit slow last year much to the dismay of fantasy managers everywhere, myself included. However, Gibbs got rolling in week 7 and didn’t look back as he averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game and was the RB4 in that time frame. With a full season now under his belt, and the trust of his coaching staff, I like the idea of Gibbs taking a step up in year 2.
- Jonathan Taylor
Before you ask, the voices told me to put Taylor this high. I am very bullish on the Colts offense and I love the idea of Taylor and Anthony Richardson plowing over defenses. Very akin to the Ravens. I don’t think Taylor was 100% in 2023 but some of that can probably be attributed to Richardson going down for the year. The o-line remains solid and the pass catchers the Colts have should help free up the box for Taylor. With a healthy team around him and no contract disputes floating around, I think Taylor will have a bounce back season.
- Saquon Barkley
Barkley signing with the divisional rival Eagles feels oh so wrong but oh so right. If you thought he looked good in a Giants uniform, wait until you see him suited up in an Eagles one. Something about it just hits different. I think a lot of folks are pretty excited to see Barkley tear it up behind one of the best o-lines in football and I am one of them. Even Jason Kelce has lamented about not being able to line up with Barkley this upcoming season. Barkley finished as the RB13 last year in a pretty dysfunctional offense featuring Tyrod Taylor and the short lived Italian legend Tommy Devito. He will now lead one of the best rushing offenses. RB6 feels comfortable for Barkley based on his injury history and the fact that Jalen Hurts stands to vulture some TDs.
- Alvin Kamara
Kamara famously missed the start of the 2023 season with a 3-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after being arrested on a battery charge. Upon his return to the field, Kamara made his fantasy presence felt by ripping off 5 dominant performances (21.4, 18.7, 17.4, 29.3, 27). From weeks 4-17, Kamara was the RB 3 sitting right behind fan favorite Breece Hall. One of the lone bright spots on a pretty underwhelming Saints offense, I think the dual threat RB will slide a little lower down draft boards. However, Kamara presents as an excellent discount related to his ADP. (Currently going 36.5 overall on ESPN).
- Derrick Henry
After 8 run dominant years in Tennessee, Derrick Henry signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Plagued by RB injuries in recent years, Henry is a great upgrade to an already run dominant offense. There is a lot to like about this just from an overall team perspective. In 2023, the Ravens rushed for the most yards in the NFL as a team. Henry is always a threat to rip off big runs and absolutely hammer the goal line. I think the only cons facing Henry are his age (30) and that his QB will undoubtedly vulture some goal line touchdowns.
- Kyren Williams
Kyren Williams was one of the more fun surprises of 2023. Williams exploded out of nowhere putting up 1,594 total yards and 15 total touchdowns. That was all done while only playing 12 games. I think the Rams are primed to be successful on offense and Williams should be a big part of that. A couple things I am worried about though. McVay has been known to rotate RBs and the Rams drafted Blake Corum out of Michigan in the third round and he could eat into Williams workload a little bit. Williams also missed OTAs due to a “foot issue”.
- Travis Etienne
Etienne had a successful 2023 campaign coming in as the RB3. He put up 1008 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns while also putting up 476 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. The Jaguars went through some offensive changes in the offseason. Zay Jones heads to the Cardinals and Calvin Ridley is now a Tennessee Titan. In comes Gabe Davis, Devin Duvernay, and Brian Thomas (Draft). The Jaguars also beefed up their o-line by signing Mitch Morse and drafting Javon Foster. I may have him too far down my list but some regression may be due for his touchdowns and I’m not sold on the Jaguars offense in general. Etienne and the Jags offense as a whole petered out in the second half of the season last year which also has me a little lower on him. Still a very talented back worth rostering!
Guys I like:
James Connor
James Connor has felt like the sleeper that everyone knows about but rarely utilizes. That could be for a couple reasons. The first being that he has never played a full NFL season or that he has only recently eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark. OR hear me out… because he is on the Cardinals. Regardless, this man is a TD machine and is utilized in the passing game. Ian Hartitz had a great stat comparing Connor’s preseason ADP and where he finished that sums up why you should be drafting Connor this season.
- 2021: RB35 ADP, RB8 finish
- 2022: RB15 ADP, RB9 finish
- 2023: RB25 ADP, RB13 finish
- 2023 ADP: RB27
Nothing is ever guaranteed but I am encouraged by the return of Kyler Murray and Connor’s overall role in this offense.
Gus Edwards
Let’s start by getting the obvious out of the way… no one expects a lot out of the Chargers offense this year. They got rid of Mike Williams, traded Keenan Allen and let Austin Ekeler go to free agency. The offense looks totally different under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. However, Gus Edwards projects as a great value as he is currently going at pick 133 in ESPN leagues. That is around backup RBs like Chase Brown, Zach Charbonnet, Jerome Ford and Trey Benson. Edwards should be the starting RB for the Chargers though! After J.K. Dobbins was lost to a season ending injury in week 1, Edwards split time with Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell. In that span, he played every single game rushing for 810 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. The Chargers brought in run focused head coach Jim Harbaugh and drafted Joe Alt with their first round pick which are green flags for Edwards and his fantasy relevance. My critics will say to buy in on Kimani Vidal instead but give me Gus “the bus” Edwards all day. Or just grab both!
Zamir White
Zamir White blew up at the end of last season averaging 15.18 fantasy points over his last 4 games. Add some touchdowns to those outings and I think the conversation around this guy is a little different. Over those 4 games, it’s important to note that he had 84 carries which was a league high. If the Raiders continue to give White 20+ carries a game, he should be very fantasy relevant. Without Josh Jacobs in town, Alexander Mattison remains as his only competition which doesn’t feel like a threat. A big ding is that the Raiders should be pretty bad offensively which should keep White’s ADP pretty low.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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