Remember when running backs used to be the most important players in fantasy football? Well, I regret to inform you that those days are long gone.
That said, you will not win your dynasty league if you do not have at least two stud running backs on your roster, and finding those running backs has become increasingly difficult. With the NFL, and the fantasy world, devaluing the running back position, those true elite talents are harder to harder to come across, giving them an inflated value in the veteran trade market. That’s why finding stud running backs in your dynasty draft, and skirting the overpriced trade market, has become so imperative to the success of your team.
Luckily for you, I’m here to tell you which running backs in this year’s draft will take you from pretender to contender.
You’re welcome.
Pre-draft running back rankings are always so tedious because where a running back gets drafted is of the utmost importance to their fantasy value. Take a look at Zach Charbonnet last season — the consensus RB3 behind Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs, he managed a paltry 6.6 points per game in PPR leagues, because he was drafted to a Seattle team
that already had a workhorse back in Kenneth Walker. He went late first/early second last year and only managed to be RB45 on the season, just one spot above Broncos undrafted rookie Jaleel McLaughlin.
Landing spot matters.
These rankings will change, a lot, but that shouldn’t stop you from familiarizing yourself with the names on this list.
Here are the pre-draft top 10 rookie fantasy running backs for 2024:
1. Trey Benson, Florida State
Age: 21, (22 in July)
Dynasty Draft Projection: Early-Mid 2nd Round
Analysis: Benson ran a 4.39 forty at the combine (93rd percentile) and measured in at 6-foot, 216 pounds, giving him the perfect blend of speed and bulk.
He has great vision and excellent contact balance, making him difficult to bring down, especially in the open field. Benson is also an above-average receiving threat out of the backfield, though his projection is nowhere near guys like Christian McCaffrey, Breece Hall and Alvin
Kamara. Still though, he’s a three-down back, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find in today’s NFL, and maximizing snaps and usage is critical to fantasy success at the position.
The Bottom Line: Trey Benson is the No. 1 RB in a weak running back class. Unless you’re in dire need of a running back and have a late first-round pick, you should not take any running back in the first round of your dynasty draft this season, and if you do, it should only be Benson.
2. Jonathon Brooks, Texas
Age: 20, (21 in July)
Dynasty Draft Projection: Mid-Late 2nd Round
Analysis: If it weren’t for a torn ACL suffered in November, Brooks would be the unquestioned top running back in this draft. And, while an ACL tear is no longer a death sentence for skill position players, it is still a sizable red flag.
Brooks was overshadowed by Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson at Texas in the 2022 season, but burst onto the scene in 2023, appearing in 10 games and amassing 1,139 yards on 187 carries to go along with 10 rushing TDs. He also caught 25 passes for 286 yards and 1 TD.
The Bottom Line: There aren’t any glaring weaknesses in Brooks’ game, but his late-season ACL tear coupled with the fact that he has a small sample size at the college level present major concerns about his projection, although it certainly helps that he’ll only be 21 years old at the time of his first NFL snap.
Jonathon Brooks is a high-risk, high-reward pick, and, if you can snag him somewhere in the second round, you should feel really good about landing him.
3. Jaylen Wright, Tennessee
Age: 20, (21 in April)
Dynasty Draft Projection: Mid-Late 2nd Round
Analysis: You will fall in love while watching Jaylen Wright play football.
He’s my favorite RB prospect in this year’s class. He made Bruce Feldman’s 2023 Freaks List, coming in at 24th overall.
Of Wright, Feldman wrote, “The 5-11 Wright is up to 200 pounds but displayed some serious juice this offseason, clocking 23.6 mph in practice. Beyond that, Wright vertical-jumped 44 inches and did a 10-8 broad jump.”
Wright is a violent runner with exceptional burst. He’s a big play waiting to happen. Think a Devon Achane-Isiah Pacheco hybrid.
The Bottom Line: Wright needs to improve as a pass-catcher out of the backfield in order to fully round out his game. There are also questions that he may be a bit too slight to be a three-down back in the NFL, but the juice is there.
Wright could very well end up being the best back in this class, so you should not wait around until the third round to get your hands on him.
4. Blake Corum, Michigan
Age: 23, (24 in November)
Dynasty Draft Projection: Late 2nd-Early 3rd Round
Analysis: At 5-foot-8, 205 pounds, Corum lacks the prototypical running back size, but he runs bigger than his frame. Nonetheless, at his size one would prefer a better more speed than his 40-yard dash time (4.53) demonstrates.
That said, Corum is quicker than he is fast and uses that short-area quickness to hit holes with exceptional burst and remarkable vision. He never misses a hole.
Corum’s also got a nose for the endzone, scoring 47 total touchdowns in his last two seasons at Michigan with 28 of those coming last year.
The Bottom Line: Blake Corum carried the ball 675 times in college and added in 56 career receptions, and he’ll be 24 in November, so durability may become a concern as the result of the wear and tear he’s already endured. Does he have enough tread left on the tires?
He’s also a below-average blocker, which may keep him off the field for a number of NFL teams early in his career.
It’s nice to bet on production, but Corum is one to be wary of.
5. Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
Age: 20, (21 in January)
Dynasty Draft Projection: 3rd Round
Analysis: Braelon Allen is a tank for the position, at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds. Couple that with his marvelous speed and strength, and Allen has scouts salivating over his physical gifts.
Oh, and the best part? He’s only 20 years old. Which means his body isn’t even fully developed yet.
He also made Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Feldman wrote, “Last year he made it on the strength of his power-cleaning 406 pounds and clocking a 1.49 in his 10-yard split. He benched 365. Allen has bulked up 10 more pounds to 245 now.”
The Bottom Line: Braelon Allen has all the tools to be a star in this league, but there are two things holding him back from earning a third-round dynasty-draft grade.
First, he’s not a great pass catcher and, in today’s fantasy football landscape, running backs have to be a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, especially in PPR leagues. His shortcomings as a receiver could also limit his role within the
NFL.
Second, he has a hard time holding on to the ball. Allen fumbled nine times in his college career, and lost five of them. If those issues carry into the NFL, he’ll be hard-pressed to carve out a role as a workhorse back.
6. Marshawn Lloyd, USC
Age: 23, (24 in January)
Dynasty Draft Projection: 3rd/4th Round
Analysis: Thanks to his compact frame, at 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds, Marshawn Lloyd has a naturally low center of gravity and runs with excellent balance.
His running style is smooth and his cuts are sudden, but he needs to learn to run with more patience and allow blocks to develop.
He’s also a very good pass-catcher out of the backfield and is arguably the best pass-blocking back in this draft. Those kinds of traits are important when scouting rookie fantasy running backs because it means that they won’t come off the field on third down.
The Bottom Line: Marshawn Lloyd is a very solid running back, but there’s nothing he does that really makes him pop. He’s a jack of all trades, but a master of none. That being said, those kinds of running backs can have lengthy, productive careers, and Lloyd will fall under that category as long as his vision as a runner improves.
7. Bucky Irving, Oregon
Age: 21 (22 in August)
Dynasty Draft Projection:Early-Mid 3rd Round
Analysis: Bucky Irving is so much fun to watch.
He’s incredibly difficult to tackle despite his 5-foot-9, 192-pound frame, and he’s a threat to turn any given play into a touchdown. Irving is a confident, decisive runner with little-to-no wasted movement in his gait. He also excels in the passing game through screens and swings.
The biggest concern with Irving is his putrid pass blocking, perhaps due, in part, to his stature.
The Bottom Line: As good as Bucky Irving is as a runner, his pass protection is awful, and if you can’t pass protect as a running back in the NFL, your reps are going to be limited.
8. Audric Estime, Notre Dame
Age: 20 (21 in September)
Dynasty Draft Projection: 4th Round
Analysis: Physically, Audric Estime is a freak.
Unfortunately, he ran a painfully slow 4.71 in the 40-yard dash. While a running back’s 40 time is far from the most important thing about their game, having a historically slow time does not bode well for Estime.
I’ve searched and searched and could not find another running back who ran that slowly who had success in the NFL.
But perhaps Estime will be the outlier. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in size and strength. He runs with excellent patience between the tackles and is difficult to bring down with an arm tackle.
The Bottom Line: Perhaps it was an anomaly, but the 40 time is really scary. There are certainly things about Estime’s game to like, but it will be an uphill battle if he hopes to become anything more than a short-yardage specialist.
9) Ray Davis, Kentucky
Age: 24
Dynasty Draft Projection: 4th round
Analysis: Ray Davis is a powerful, effective running back who breaks a lot of tackles and racks up a lot of yards after contact. He may lack breakaway speed, but Davis has the power to run through arm tackles.
His age is a bit of a concern as he will be turning 25 in November, not to mention the fact that he transferred two different times in college, going from Temple to Vanderbilt, and then from Vanderbilt to Kentucky.
That said, he produced well in the SEC, as Davis ran for over 1,000 yards in each of his last two seasons and averaged 5.7 YPC in his final year.
The Bottom Line: Ray Davis is the ideal guy to take a late-round flier on.
There’s nothing he’s truly elite at, but there’s also nothing he’s bad at. Davis isn’t worth taking in the first three rounds, but can add some value and depth to your roster when the draft starts thinning out.
10) Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
Age: 23 (24 in June)
Dynasty Draft Projection: 4th/5th Round
Analysis: Isaac Guerendo put on a show at the combine.
He was absolutely incredible and is easily the best athlete in this running back class.
Unfortunately, his production leaves a lot to be desired. He spent his first four seasons at Wisconsin, where he amassed 99 carries, 582 yards and six touchdowns. This past season, he transferred to Louisville, where he split carries with Jawhar Jordan, and rushed 132 times for 810 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also added 22 receptions for 234 yards.
The Bottom Line: Being an elite athlete doesn’t necessarily mean Guerendo will be an elite running back. His production in college was severely lacking, especially considering what a phenomenal athlete he is. Guerendo has a high ceiling but a very low floor, so he makes for a fun dart throw late in the draft.
