Getting your running back strategy right in fantasy football drafts can make or break your season. The pressure on this position can result in managers feeling a sense of panic heading into drafts, which is never good for clear decision-making.
To relieve that pressure, it helps to have a set of rankings that managers can lean on to help them make a plan ahead of time and clear decisions in the heat of the moment.
That is where PFN’s consensus RB fantasy rankings can help, as we take the work of our three primary fantasy analysts, Kyle Soppe, Derek Tate, and Jason Katz, and make it into a comprehensive list of our views at the position for 2024.
With over 30 years of experience between them, you can rely on our fantasy analysts to make their rankings based on hours of research and analysis.
The rankings below also fuel the PFN Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and the Trade Value Charts. Therefore, to see how each player compares across positions and scoring formats, check out those, as well as our other fantasy tools.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Running Backs
1) Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco 49ers
2) Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons
3) Breece Hall | New York Jets
4) Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions
5) Saquon Barkley | Philadelphia Eagles
6) Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts
7) Kyren Williams | Los Angeles Rams
8) Travis Etienne Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
9) Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens
10) Isiah Pacheco | Kansas City Chiefs
11) De’Von Achane | Miami Dolphins
12) Josh Jacobs | Green Bay Packers
13) Rachaad White | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14) Joe Mixon | Houston Texans
15) James Cook | Buffalo Bills
16) Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints
17) Kenneth Walker III | Seattle Seahawks
18) David Montgomery | Detroit Lions
19) Aaron Jones | Minnesota Vikings
20) D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears
21) Zamir White | Las Vegas Raiders
22) James Conner | Arizona Cardinals
23) Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots
24) Najee Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers
25) Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh Steelers
26) Raheem Mostert | Miami Dolphins
27) Zack Moss | Cincinnati Bengals
28) Tyjae Spears | Tennessee Titans
29) Brian Robinson Jr. | Washington Commanders
30) Nick Chubb | Cleveland Browns
31) Javonte Williams | Denver Broncos
32) Ezekiel Elliott | Dallas Cowboys
33) Jonathon Brooks | Carolina Panthers
34) Devin Singletary | New York Giants
35) Chase Brown | Cincinnati Bengals
36) Gus Edwards | Los Angeles Chargers
37) Tony Pollard | Tennessee Titans
38) Austin Ekeler | Washington Commanders
39) Jerome Ford | Cleveland Browns
40) Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks
41) Rico Dowdle | Dallas Cowboys
42) Trey Benson | Arizona Cardinals
43) Ty Chandler | Minnesota Vikings
44) Jaleel McLaughlin | Denver Broncos
45) Blake Corum | Los Angeles Rams
46) Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers
47) Tyler Allgeier | Atlanta Falcons
48) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | New York Giants
49) MarShawn Lloyd | Green Bay Packers
50) Antonio Gibson | New England Patriots
51) J.K. Dobbins | Los Angeles Chargers
52) Ray Davis | Buffalo Bills
53) Kendre Miller | New Orleans Saints
54) Kimani Vidal | Los Angeles Chargers
55) Jaylen Wright | Miami Dolphins
56) Roschon Johnson | Chicago Bears
57) AJ Dillon | Green Bay Packers
58) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Kansas City Chiefs
59) Khalil Herbert | Chicago Bears
60) Dameon Pierce | Houston Texans
61) Justice Hill | Baltimore Ravens
62) Elijah Mitchell | San Francisco 49ers
63) Keaton Mitchell | Baltimore Ravens
64) D’Onta Foreman | Cleveland Browns
65) Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
66) Alexander Mattison | Las Vegas Raiders
67) Miles Sanders | Carolina Panthers
68) Audric Estimé | Denver Broncos
69) Braelon Allen | New York Jets
70) Jamaal Williams | New Orleans Saints
71) Kenneth Gainwell | Philadelphia Eagles
72) Dylan Laube | Las Vegas Raiders
73) Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars
74) Samaje Perine | Denver Broncos
75) Will Shipley | Philadelphia Eagles
76) Jeff Wilson Jr. | Miami Dolphins
77) Michael Carter | Arizona Cardinals
78) Jordan Mason | San Francisco 49ers
79) Pierre Strong Jr. | Cleveland Browns
80) Israel Abanikanda | New York Jets
Who Are the Best Value Running Backs To Draft in Fantasy?
De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
If you believe in De’Von Achane, you will probably have to spend a second-round pick to get him on your fantasy squad in 2024. His current ADP is No. 20 overall, and he is the RB7 off the board.
Look, I love Achane’s fantasy ceiling in this Miami offense, but you would be drafting him ahead of guys like Josh Jacobs, Travis Etienne, and Isiah Pacheco at the RB position if you select him at that price point.
Not to mention, he is probably your RB1 on your fantasy team unless you go RB-RB, which means your team depends on his production to sustain an ideal weekly point total output.
De’Von Achane was a fantasy superstar this year when he was healthy.
Is he a top-10 lock at the RB position going into 2024 fantasy drafts? @KyleSoppePFN shared his thoughts on a recent episode of The PFN Fantasy Football Podcast⤵️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/TFNdU7PF2R
— PFN Fantasy (@PFNFantasy) January 19, 2024
If you want to swing for the fences, then Achane is a great candidate to emerge as a fantasy star in 2024. Yet, the presence of Mostert and Wright doesn’t exactly project him as a feature back in this offense, and his durability concerns also make him a risky pick at this price point.
Personally, the second round is probably a bit too expensive for me, but the upside is certainly present if you would prefer to build your roster with players who have elite upside.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
David Montgomery is an incredibly safe selection. Typically, touchdown-dependent RB2s are more volatile. However, Montgomery’s touchdowns are actually quite reliable.
Last season, Montgomery scored double-digit fantasy points in all but one game — a contest he left early due to injury. How did he manage that? By scoring touchdowns.
Montgomery played 14 regular-season games and three postseason games last year, scoring a touchdown in 13 of them.
Anyone drafting Montgomery needs to acknowledge the lack of upside, though. Outside of that anomalous Week 4 game in which he handled 32 carries, Montgomery had just one other game with 20+ fantasy points. He scored between 10.0 and 17.8 fantasy points in 11 of his 14 games played last season.
Fortunately, Montgomery’s ADP sits at RB20, No. 63 overall. That’s not bad for a guy whose worst-case scenario is probably around RB22-24. Plus, he does have injury-contingent upside. If Gibbs gets hurt, Montgomery’s workload will increase.
I have Montgomery as my RB17. I wouldn’t consider him someone to aggressively target, but he is a very viable pick at cost.
– Jason Katz, Fantasy Football Analyst