Fantasy football managers should always be searching for the next collection of late-round sleepers to target at the end of drafts. Who are some of the most intriguing sleeper options at the running back position to consider adding to your fantasy team entering the 2024 NFL season?
Fantasy Football RB Sleepers
The term sleeper in the fantasy football world can be used quite loosely depending on the individual analyst’s definition of the word. For this exercise, we’re going to qualify these sleeper options as players who are currently outside of the top 120 overall, according to ADP data. This means these players should regularly be available past the 10th round of your fantasy drafts.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
Second-year running backs that showed they can be highly efficient ball carriers during their rookie campaigns should be on your radar late in fantasy drafts.
On the surface, most are going to assume that Javonte Williams will lead Denver’s backfield again in 2024. Yet, jumping to that conclusion means you either expect Williams to be far more efficient than he was last year or the coaching staff that didn’t draft him is willing to overlook his lack of production on a per-touch basis for a second straight year.
Williams averaged 3.6 yards per carry in 2023, which is a far cry worse than Jaleel McLaughlin’s mark of 5.4 in his rookie year. Do these numbers require some context? Sure, but it doesn’t change the fact that the undrafted newcomer was the far more efficient and explosive ball carrier last year.
On the subject of explosive plays, McLaughlin had two more runs of 20+ yards than Williams on 141 fewer carries last year.
Unfortunately, Williams is likely not McLaughlin’s only competition for touches in this backfield. Samaje Perine caught 50 passes (19 more than McLaughlin) in 2023, and the Broncos selected the bruising running back from Notre Dame, Audric Estimé, on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Do these other backs and the lack of optimism surrounding the Broncos’ offense make a full-blown McLaughlin breakout season in 2024 a bit murkier? Sure, but the price tag for a highly efficient player in an undetermined backfield is exactly what has me so intrigued about his upside entering his second NFL season.
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
There’s really no ideal way to explain Ezekiel Elliott’s meteoric descent in per-touch efficiency over the last three years.
Elliott’s Yards Per Carry Since 2021
- 2021: 4.23
- 2022: 3.79
- 2023: 3.49
That’s a concerning downward trend, to say the least. Yet, volume can be king in the world of fantasy football. In this case, Elliott’s track record of seeing a minimum of 240+ total touches all seven seasons in a Dallas Cowboys uniform is working in his favor.
In fact, the one year Elliott had 260 touches in Dallas’ offense was his final year with the team when Tony Pollard was a per-touch fantasy darling. Which begs the question, who currently on the roster poses a significant threat to leading the Cowboys’ high-powered offense in total touches this season? Rico Dowdle? Deuce Vaughn? Royce Freeman?
FANTASY HELP: Try PFN’s “Who Should I Draft” Tool!
I’m not trying to throw shade at any of those guys, but Elliott’s track record as a top-30 fantasy back in Dallas’ offense still looks feasible in 2024. This makes his current price tag as the RB39 off the board in Round 11 pretty intriguing.
No offense in the league made more trips to the red zone last year than the Cowboys. On the flip side, Elliott was playing for the New England Patriots — who finished dead last in that department with just 21 touchdowns on a putrid 36 trips to the red-zone area in 2023.
Are Elliott’s best fantasy days behind him? Yes, but he can still be a reliable Flex option with plenty of double-digit touchdown upside in 2024.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
The New York Giants offense isn’t one fantasy managers are rushing to invest in come draft day. The removal of Saquon Barkley, however, does make New York’s backfield one where a potential newcomer could emerge to carve out a significant role.
Devin Singletary’s signing this offseason does give him the inside track to the leading role, given his familiarity with Brian Daboll’s offensive scheme during their days together with the Buffalo Bills. Yet, rookie RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s explosive athleticism, exceptional creativity as a ball carrier, and pass-catching upside have me very intrigued at the end of the fantasy drafts.
FREE: Subscribe to PFN’s NFL Newsletter
For those unfamiliar with Tracy’s college career path, he’s a converted wide receiver who made the switch heading into his final season at Purdue. This change had excellent results, with Tracy becoming one of the most elusive backs in the country with his short-area quickness, top-shelf lateral agility, and improved play strength after adding more than 10 pounds of muscle entering the last year of his college career.
Singletary is a quality running back, but he lacks the top-end speed to provide explosive plays in the running game at the same rate Tracy flashed during his limited time as an RB.
Additionally, Singletary’s career-high 216 carries in 2023 was coupled with a career-low 4.16 yards per carry. If Tracy can provide a spark to the Giants’ offense early in the season in a complementary role, it’s not that farfetched to suggest his role could expand exponentially throughout the season.