Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs are two great running backs for fantasy football managers to potentially draft, but in most cases, due to their average draft position (ADP), both players living on the same roster is a dream scenario at best.
Gibbs electrified at the end of the season for a surprising Detroit Lions team, but will still share his backfield with David Montgomery. Meanwhile, Barkley is ready to help his new Philadelphia Eagles squad elevate its high-flying offense.
So, who should we draft, and who should we fade? It’s a good question.
2024 Fantasy Outlook for Saquon Barkley
Barkley’s future is bright in Philadelphia. The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, which should open lanes and allow him to outperform his ADP of No. 11 overall.
Last season, Barkley gained 962 rushing yards, the 16th-best mark in the league. That was with the New York Giants, where there wasn’t much help in elevating Barkley’s game.
His 29th-ranked average yards per rush should vastly improve with emptier boxes and better offensive line play from the Eagles.
According to TruMedia, Barkley also only produced the NFL’s 36th-best third-down conversion rate; again, an area he should trend upward in this coming year.
2024 Fantasy Outlook For Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs had an incredible 2023, no matter how you slice his stats.
His 10 rushing touchdowns were good for eighth-best in the NFL, and his 5.2 yards per rush average was the third-best, per TruMedia.
The biggest issue swirling around Gibbs is his counterpart in the backfield, Montgomery, who’s poised to steal opportunities from him throughout the season.
Last season, Montgomery found the end zone 13 times, while Gibbs finished with 11 himself. The two will continue to take from each other’s ceilings, but both have the ability to be fantasy starters despite the presence of the other. It limits the ceiling, but this offense can handle two productive running backs.
Who Should I Draft in 2024?
Although the battle is close, my answer is Barkley.
As shocking as it sounds, Barkley will be in a better offense with less competition in the backfield and Kellen Moore, Philadelphia’s new offensive coordinator, in charge.
In the last few years, Moore has given an aging Austin Ekeler and Ezekiel Elliott both a boost. He also pulled the best out of Tony Pollard two years ago, so imagine what he can scheme up with Barkley in the picture. Eagles wide receivers will also demand more defenders, allowing for better-rushing lanes and emptier boxes for the superstar running back.
Gibbs will be a fine fantasy player. However, the Lions have to work around the lack of a WR2, which allows defenders to enter the box, clogging lanes for the second-year running back.
Add in Montgomery sharing the duties and an injury-riddled training camp for Gibbs, and it makes me lean into taking Barkley.
