It’s important to enter your fantasy football drafts with a strong set of rankings. Although there’s far more to a successful draft than pure rankings, it’s essential to have that baseline to help guide your decisions. Here are our fantasy RB rankings, including a couple of highlighted players worth further discussion.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Running Backs
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | WR | TE | K | DEF | SF
1) Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco 49ers
2) Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons
3) Breece Hall | New York Jets
4) Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions
5) Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens
6) Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts
7) Saquon Barkley | Philadelphia Eagles
8) De’Von Achane | Miami Dolphins
9) Travis Etienne Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
10) Kyren Williams | Los Angeles Rams
11) Isiah Pacheco | Kansas City Chiefs
12) Joe Mixon | Houston Texans
13) Josh Jacobs | Green Bay Packers
14) Rachaad White | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15) James Cook | Buffalo Bills
16) David Montgomery | Detroit Lions
17) Kenneth Walker III | Seattle Seahawks
18) Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints
19) Zack Moss | Cincinnati Bengals
20) Jonathon Brooks | Carolina Panthers
21) James Conner | Arizona Cardinals
22) Najee Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers
23) Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh Steelers
24) D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears
25) Aaron Jones | Minnesota Vikings
26) Zamir White | Las Vegas Raiders
27) Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots
28) Raheem Mostert | Miami Dolphin
29) Tyjae Spears | Tennessee Titans
30) Tony Pollard | Tennessee Titans
31) Javonte Williams | Denver Broncos
32) Gus Edwards | Los Angeles Chargers
33) Devin Singletary | New York Giants
34) Brian Robinson Jr. | Washington Commanders
35) Ezekiel Elliott | Dallas Cowboys
36) Blake Corum | Los Angeles Rams
37) Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks
38) Austin Ekeler | Washington Commanders
39) Trey Benson | Arizona Cardinals
40) Rico Dowdle | Dallas Cowboys
41) Jerome Ford | Cleveland Browns
42) MarShawn Lloyd | Green Bay Packers
43) Nick Chubb | Cleveland Browns
44) Ty Chandler | Minnesota Vikings
45) Chase Brown | Cincinnati Bengals
46) Tyler Allgeier | Atlanta Falcons
47) Antonio Gibson | New England Patriots
48) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | New York Giants
49) Kimani Vidal | Los Angeles Chargers
50) Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers
51) Jaleel McLaughlin | Denver Broncos
52) Elijah Mitchell | San Francisco 49ers
53) Jaylen Wright | Miami Dolphins
54) Kendre Miller | New Orleans Saints
55) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Kansas City Chiefs
56) Ray Davis | Buffalo Bills
57) Roschon Johnson | Chicago Bears
58) Khalil Herbert | Chicago Bears
59) Braelon Allen | New York Jets
60) Kenneth Gainwell | Philadelphia Eagles
61) Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
62) J.K. Dobbins | Los Angeles Chargers
63) Audric Estimé | Denver Broncos
64) Alexander Mattison | Las Vegas Raiders
65) Justice Hill | Baltimore Ravens
66) Jamaal Williams | New Orleans Saints
67) Miles Sanders | Carolina Panthers
68) Keaton Mitchell | Baltimore Ravens
69) D’Onta Foreman | Cleveland Browns
70) Dameon Pierce | Houston Texans
71) Kenny McIntosh | Seattle Seahawks
72) Jerick McKinnon | Free Agent
73) Kareem Hunt | Free Agent
74) AJ Dillon | Green Bay Packers
75) Ameer Abdullah | Las Vegas Raiders
76) Jeff Wilson Jr. | Miami Dolphins
77) Samaje Perine | Denver Broncos
78) Michael Carter | Arizona Cardinals
79) Dalvin Cook | Baltimore Ravens
80) Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars
Who Are the Best Running Backs To Draft in Fantasy?
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Despite consecutive underwhelming years marred by injury, fantasy managers are still valuing Jonathan Taylor as an elite fantasy back, myself included. Part of the reason is the lack of alternatives. Taylor is a proven talent with a clearly defined role. At worst, he should be a high RB2. That provides safety in the early rounds.
Taylor has missed 13 of his last 34 contests, and he’s either been limited or left early in several more. As a result, Taylor averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game (ppg) in 2022 and 15.6 ppg last year. These aren’t terrible numbers, but they fall well short of expectations.
Last season, Just 3.6% of Taylor’s carries went for 15+ yards, 37th in the league. He also averaged 3.25 yards created per touch (31st). By comparison, in 2021, those numbers were 6.9% (ninth) and 3.72 (third). Unsurprisingly, a host of other efficiency metrics were far superior in 2021 as well.
There’s reason to believe Taylor can rebound in a big way this year. He’s entering the 2024 season fully healthy and without a contract dispute. While Anthony Richardson will inevitably steal touchdowns, Taylor should still be able to score 12+ on the season.
In non-PPR formats, Taylor’s 7.6% target share is not as much of an issue. A target is still more valuable than a carry, but the difference is mitigated with no points awarded for a reception.
Given that Taylor is just two years removed from being the No. 1 overall pick, fantasy managers in non-PPR formats should consider the Indianapolis Colts RB in the first two rounds of 2024 fantasy drafts.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley finds himself in a similar situation to Taylor but with a bit more risk. The Colts are unlikely to exclusively run the Tush Push with Anthony Richardson from the one-yard line. The Philadelphia Eagles are not going to deviate from what works. That means lower touchdown potential for a guy accustomed to handling all the goal-line work.
There’s also the potential for Barkley to see a reduced target share. Jalen Hurts is more apt to scramble than check it down to his running back. While all of this lowers Barkley’s upside, he still projects to be a three-down back in one of the league’s best offenses.
The Eagles should be able to fix a lot of their offensive woes from last season with Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator. Plus, it’s not as though Barkley won’t have any chances to score touchdowns. He will see just about all of the carries from the 2-yard to 5-yard line. Barkley is more than capable of scoring 10+ times, making him a worthwhile candidate to be your team’s hero RB in the second round of fantasy drafts.
