Whether you are a beginner or an obsessive fantasy football enthusiast, utilizing a rock-solid rankings list can help you crush your fantasy draft. One position that is crucial to your fantasy success is finding reliable running backs to anchor your starting lineup.
Here is a closer look at the fantasy running back rankings in a non-PPR format entering the 2024 NFL season.
Ranking the Top Fantasy Running Backs
FIND MORE POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | WR | TE | K | DEF
1) Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco 49ers
2) Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts
3) Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons
4) Breece Hall | New York Jets
5) Kyren Williams | Los Angeles Rams
6) Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions
7) Saquon Barkley | Philadelphia Eagles
8) Travis Etienne Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars
9) Josh Jacobs | Green Bay Packers
10) Isiah Pacheco | Kansas City Chiefs
11) De’Von Achane | Miami Dolphins
12) Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens
13) Rachaad White | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14) Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints
15) Kenneth Walker III | Seattle Seahawks
16) James Cook | Buffalo Bills
17) D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears
18) Aaron Jones | Minnesota Vikings
19) David Montgomery | Detroit Lions
20) Joe Mixon | Houston Texans
21) Zack Moss | Cincinnati Bengals
22) Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh Steelers
23) Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots
24) Nick Chubb | Cleveland Browns
25) Zamir White | Las Vegas Raiders
26) Ezekiel Elliott | Dallas Cowboys
27) Raheem Mostert | Miami Dolphins
28) Tyjae Spears | Tennessee Titans
29) Gus Edwards | Los Angeles Chargers
30) Najee Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers
31) Trey Benson | Arizona Cardinals
32) Brian Robinson Jr. | Washington Commanders
33) James Conner | Arizona Cardinals
34) Jaleel McLaughlin | Denver Broncos
35) Devin Singletary | New York Giants
36) Austin Ekeler | Washington Commanders
37) Tony Pollard | Tennessee Titans
38) Javonte Williams | Denver Broncos
39) Jonathon Brooks | Carolina Panthers
40) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | New York Giants
41) Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers
42) Chase Brown | Cincinnati Bengals
43) Jerome Ford | Cleveland Browns
44) Kendre Miller | New Orleans Saints
45) Rico Dowdle | Dallas Cowboys
46) Roschon Johnson | Chicago Bears
47) Antonio Gibson | New England Patriots
48) Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks
49) Blake Corum | Los Angeles Rams
50) Tyler Allgeier | Atlanta Falcons
51) Ty Chandler | Minnesota Vikings
52) MarShawn Lloyd | Green Bay Packers
53) Kimani Vidal | Los Angeles Chargers
54) AJ Dillon | Green Bay Packers
55) Ray Davis | Buffalo Bills
56) Rasheen Ali | Baltimore Ravens
57) Dameon Pierce | Houston Texans
58) Miles Sanders | Carolina Panthers
59) Keaton Mitchell | Baltimore Ravens
60) Jaylen Wright | Miami Dolphins
61) Kenneth Gainwell | Philadelphia Eagles
62) Dylan Laube | Las Vegas Raiders
63) J.K. Dobbins | Los Angeles Chargers
64) D’Onta Foreman | Cleveland Browns
65) Alexander Mattison | Las Vegas Raiders
66) Deuce Vaughn | Dallas Cowboys
67) Jamaal Williams | New Orleans Saints
68) Audric Estimé | Denver Broncos
69) Justice Hill | Baltimore Ravens
70) Elijah Mitchell | San Francisco 49ers
71) Khalil Herbert | Chicago Bears
72) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | Kansas City Chiefs
73) Eric Gray | New York Giants
74) Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
75) Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars
76) Isaac Guerendo | San Francisco 49ers
77) Jerick McKinnon | Free Agent
78) Kareem Hunt | Free Agent
79) Jeff Wilson Jr. | Miami Dolphins
80) Royce Freeman | Los Angeles Rams
81) Will Shipley | Philadelphia Eagles
82) Michael Carter | Arizona Cardinals
83) Pierre Strong Jr. | Cleveland Browns
84) Jordan Mason | San Francisco 49ers
85) Samaje Perine | Denver Broncos
86) Emari Demercado | Arizona Cardinals
87) Israel Abanikanda | New York Jets
88) Joshua Kelley | Free Agent
89) D’Ernest Johnson | Jacksonville Jaguars
90) Chase Edmonds | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
91) Cordarrelle Patterson | Free Agent
92) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | Washington Commanders
93) Rashaad Penny | Carolina Panthers
94) Ronnie Rivers | Los Angeles Rams
95) Trey Sermon | Indianapolis Colts
96) Evan Hull | Indianapolis Colts
97) Isaiah Spiller | Los Angeles Chargers
98) Latavius Murray | Free Agent
99) Matt Breida | Free Agent
100) Cam Akers | Free Agent
101) Braelon Allen | New York Jets
102) Salvon Ahmed | Miami Dolphins
103) Keaontay Ingram | Kansas City Chiefs
104) Craig Reynolds | Detroit Lions
Who Are the Best Running Backs To Draft In Fantasy?
Bijan Robinson
If you want to give yourself an upset stomach, then just take a closer look at Tyler Allgeier’s usage compared to Bijan Robinson’s last season.
2023 Rushing Stats
- Robinson: 214 carries, 976 yards (4.6 YPC), four TDs
- Allgeier: 186 carries, 683 yards (3.7 YPC), four TDs
If that isn’t nauseating enough, Allgeier seeing twice as many carries inside the five-yard line as Robinson last year should be enough to make fantasy managers vomit. If that wasn’t enough to make you sick, then here is the real cherry on top of the expired milkshake. Robinson saw the exact same amount of carries inside the five-yard line as third-string running back Cordarrelle Patterson: two.
For some perspective, Robinson saw fewer carries inside the five-yard line last season than Chris Rodriguez Jr., Samaje Perine, Ty Chandler, Rico Dowdle, Kenneth Gainwell, and Royce Freeman. Yikes.
Thankfully, this egregious coaching malpractice wasn’t left unpunished, as Arthur Smith was promptly fired after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season. This cleared the way for new head coach Raheem Morris to hire Zac Robinson — who has spent the last five years on the Los Angeles Rams offensive coaching staff working under Sean McVay — as the new offensive coordinator.
This is the same offensive staff that featured Kyren Williams in the Rams’ backfield last season, who finished with a league-high 21.7 total touches per game in 2023. Robinson averaged just 16.0 total touches per game last year, which was slightly lower than Javonte Williams (16.5), Chuba Hubbard (16.3), and Najee Harris (16.7).
Robinson seeing just 28 more carries than Allgeier — despite Robinson averaging nearly a full yard more per carry — in 2023 definitely lowered his fantasy floor a bit, especially in an offense that produced just 47 trips to the red zone last year — 25th in the league due to inconsistent quarterback play.
However, another reason to be encouraged for a breakout year for Robinson in 2024 is the addition of Kirk Cousins at quarterback. Cousins executed this McVay-adjacent offensive scheme at a fairly high level in Minnesota and Washington, which could certainly help the offensive production across the board for the Falcons.
Despite Robinson’s disappointing rookie season, he still finished as a top-10 fantasy RB with 1,463 total yards, 58 receptions, and eight TDs. If these changes impact Robinson’s usage and red-zone opportunities the way we can reasonably expect them to, then the sky could be the limit for Robinson in 2024.
For a second consecutive year, fantasy managers who believe that Robinson’s exceptional talent could lead to fantasy excellence will have to pay a premium price to have the second-year back anchor their fantasy team in 2024. This year, I expect it to pay off.
Christian McCaffrey
The term “league-winner” is used frequently in fantasy football. Yet, very few players who actually deserve this title are properly awarded this distinction.
San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey’s 2,023 total yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage this past year made him the runaway top overall RB in fantasy football this season by a wide margin, which makes him one of the few players qualified for this high praise.
Sure, his reception totals weren’t quite as staggering as his 116 receptions for 1,005 receiving yards back in 2019, but his 391.3 fantasy points in full-PPR formats were 100.8 points more than the RB2 overall (Breece Hall), which is an absurdly wide gap when you consider that the gap between the QB1, WR1, and TE1 to the QB2, WR2, and TE2 is just 74.8 fantasy points combined.
McCaffrey may be turning 28 before the start of the upcoming season, but a quick look back at his 2023 production shows that he has shown no signs of slowing down.
2023 Notable Stats
- Yards Per Carry: 5.36 (career high)
- Total Touchdowns: 21 (tied for most in the NFL)
- Total Touches: 339 (led the NFL)
- Rushing Yards After Contact: 573 (led the NFL)
- Receptions: 67 (third-most at RB position)
- Runs of 50+ Yards: Three (tied for most in the NFL)
This was not a one-year wonder. McCaffrey averaged 21.7 fantasy points per from Week 7 through the rest of the season after joining San Francisco in 2022, good for the RB1 overall during that span.
McCaffrey competing with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and the team’s first-round pick Ricky Pearsall for targets in an offense that ranked 30th in pass attempts per game last year is the only thing keeping other fantasy backs anywhere close to this level of production.
McCaffrey haters may be quick to point out that he still missed 23 games over his final two years with the Carolina Panthers, but he has shown no injury concerns since joining the 49ers. Injuries are a part of football.
If you pass on McCaffrey at No. 1 overall in your fantasy draft because you are afraid he might get hurt or are projecting Father Time to start tapping his shoulder out of nowhere this year, then you are probably only hurting your own chances of winning.