Should I Draft Saquon Barkley or Jonathan Taylor in Fantasy Football This Year?

Picking your first running back can significantly affect how your fantasy football team will perform in 2024.

A popular fantasy football strategy is ZeroRB, but getting that sure-fire RB1 can relieve a lot of stress for you and your roster building.

Below, I’ll compare the value of Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor, examining their outlook and which is the better choice to draft. Let’s check them out.

2024 Fantasy Outlook for Saquon Barkley

Barkley lands with the Philadelphia Eagles after a big-money contract. In 2023, the Eagles averaged 124 rushing yards (No. 9) and 29.2 rush attempts per game (No. 7).

According to TruMedia, Barkley’s pass-catching role was limited to just 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 247 carries for 962 yards and six TDs.
Remember, this came with a New York Giants team that was a complete disaster with several quarterbacks. Considering this, his RB16 finish, while missing three games, is quite impressive.

Now with the Chicago Bears, the Eagles’ lead back last season was D’Andre Swift. He ran for 1,049 yards and five touchdowns on 229 carries and caught 39 passes for 214 yards and one TD.

However, we have to consider quarterback Jalen Hurts, who’s a threat to run on every play. He had 157 carries for 605 yards and a monstrous 15 rushing TDs.

The Eagles did pay A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, so perhaps there could be more emphasis on getting them the ball, too.

2024 Fantasy Outlook for Jonathan Taylor

Taylor had 169 carries for 741 yards and seven TDs in 10 games. However, none of these games were played with second-year QB Anthony Richardson. His season was shut down before the holdout between Taylor and the Colts ended.

Behind Taylor are players like Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson, none of whom are remotely threatening Taylor’s production.

The Colts averaged 121.1 rushing yards (10th) and 28.2 rush attempts (11th) per game.
Richardson has a massive arm, and the Colts have some deep-threat weapons that could keep some defenses honest, but Richardson, like Hurts, will also want to run.

In four games, Richardson had 25 carries for 136 yards and four TDs. He didn’t finish any of these games, and they also came without Taylor on the roster.

Who Should I Draft in 2024?

Barkley is going just ahead of Taylor (RB4 versus RB5 in PFN’s consensus rankings), and I think that’s the right positioning.

While Taylor could have more carries than Barkley because the offense could potentially lean a bit more on him with an inexperienced quarterback, Barkley has had 41 catches or more in three straight seasons despite never playing a full season. Plus, as a rookie, he caught the ball 91 times.

Both quarterbacks have rushing upside and competent weapons, but I believe Barkley’s pass-catching prowess will help separate him ever-so-slightly from Taylor.