Today we’ll dive into which running backs you should make a trade target for your dynasty fantasy football leagues. Running backs will carry you to the promised land, and then the following fall they’re suddenly liabilities. So with that, this article will attempt to find a nice happy medium of guys who can contribute to your team now and have the stability dynasty managers desire.

Personally, I like to focus on opportunity and potential, as results can never be guaranteed. That being said, here are five of the best running backs that you should trade for in your dynasty fantasy football leagues today.

Rhamondre Stevenson

Starting my list is a player I believe is sensational. Myself, I took Rhamondre Stevenson in my dynasty league two years ago when he began turning heads in the pre-season and the patience is finally paying off. Fantasy managers saw Stevenson take control of the Patriots backfield in 2023, breaking out for 1,040 yards. That was good for the 13th-best in the league. Additionally, he ran for five rushing touchdowns.

In addition to this, he also secured 69 catches which were the 4th highest amongst all running backs. Now, he has room to grow as the team’s leading running back, as Damien Harris had a 35% snap count last year, and that includes him missing a whopping six games. Harris is now on the Buffalo Bills and leaves behind a minuscule 462-3 rushing line. Needless to say, Stevenson should get even more work moving forward as he has beyond proven himself capable.

Hypothetically, let’s say Stevenson absorbed even half of the rushing production that Harris had last year, which would be 231 yards. With that, he would have shot up to fifth in the NFL in rushing last year. 69 catches are nice, but Stevenson only had one touchdown to show for those receiving touches. During this offseason, the Patriots added decent, but not spectacular free agents in Mike Gesicki and JuJu Smith-Schuster to their skill group. Overall, Mac Jones should continue to pepper Stevenson in check-downs and other high-percentage looks.

Without any real competition to challenge him and an improved coaching staff, I believe Stevenson will improve on his rushing yards and score more receiving touchdowns this season. Additionally, he should cement himself as a weekly top-12 option with a top-5 upside. There are rumors the Patriots are looking to add a back to the mix in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, which is fine. Stevenson has proven to be a valuable asset even as part of a committee.

After just turning 25 in February, Stevenson has five more years until he hits the daunting 30-year-old cliff for running backs in the NFL. This makes him the perfect buy-now candidate for dynasty managers. No, he won’t be cheap. However, sometimes players like this are worth investing in.

Breece Hall 

Lost amongst the talk of Aaron Rodgers to the Jets, is arguably the best playmaker, Breece Hall. Hall was on a rocketship to RB1 rankings before landing on season-ending IR. That being said, the reports are that he will be ready for Week 1, which is outstanding news for the 21-year-old. I wouldn’t count on Week 1, but the news is promising regardless.

Hall is just as big a beneficiary of Rodgers coming to town as anyone for several reasons. It could take Rodgers a couple of games to get into the rhythm of new teammates and organization. Yes, Nathanial Hackett being in town helps but, the games are played on the field. In that respect, it could take a few games to see the Rodgers we are used to.

Hall is more likely to hit his stride as he works his way into a full-time role, but that could be sooner than expected. 68, 63, 65, 72. Those are Aaron Jones’ targets over the last four years with Rodgers under center. In seven games last year, Hall had 31 targets (19-218-1 production line) showing that he is already a focal point of the passing game. In college, Hall had strong receiver numbers at Iowa State, going 82-734-6 over three years. That skill set and production will make him a seamless transition for Rodgers from Jones to Hall.

Last year, during the Week 7 win against the Broncos, the Jets also lost their starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. He is a bright spot on an overall underwhelming Jets offensive line. Vera-Tuckers torn triceps cost him a 12-week recovery period and he will be ready well ahead of their 2023 Training Camp.

Breece Hall had an ACLR and meniscectomy (not repair).
From surgery to wk1: 9 months 27 days

Breece Hall IS going to play Week 1. https://t.co/axz7vcti20

— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) April 14, 2023

Holding the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, I think the Jets are prime candidates to move up and secure a lineman prospect or, be in the perfect slot should one slide due to a run of quarterbacks. When Tom Brady joined the Buccaneers in 2020, Tampa Bay moved up one spot to secure Tristan Wirfs and protect their 40-year-old quarterback. All options are on the table for Joe Douglas, and considering they have all their skill positions are filled, the Jets are a great landing spot for one of this year’s offensive line prospects.

Isiah Pacheco

New Jersey it’s our time to shine! Next up on the buy-now list is the Chiefs’ new bell-cow running back. After being drafted 251st overall last Spring, Isiah Pacheco is now the starting running back for the most creative offensive scheme in the league. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, coming off an injury ruined 2022 campaign (71-303-3, 10GP), became an after-thought for the Chiefs at the end of last year. Even before suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 11, Edwards-Helaire saw his snap share reduce in favor of Pacheco.

Last year, Edwards-Helaire was actually second on the team in snap share percentage (32%) while only playing 10 games. However, Pacheco was leaned on heavily in the run game (172 carries), out-carrying both Jerick Mckinnon and Edwards-Helaire (72 and 71 attempts, respectively). Needless to say, he was the most efficient, averaging 4.9 YPA to McKinnon’s 4.0 and Edwards-Helaire’s 4.3.

From Week 9 on, Pacheco had at least 60 rushing yards and/or a touchdown every week. That stability made him a useable Flex play for fantasy managers in most formats. Pacheco took a back seat to McKinnon in the passing game where McKinnon was a huge asset. Now, McKinnon is no longer on the team and leaves behind a 56-512-9 receiving line (71 targets). We can’t expect him to get all that work but, he should improve on his 13 catches, and 130-yard receiving totals from 2022.

As for Edwards-Helaire, he has not caught more than 17 passes or recorded more than 150 receiving yards since his rookie year. That was back in 2020 and he also averages just two receiving touchdowns a year. IF Pacheco is going to face competition for the receiving work from the backfield, that player is not currently on the Chiefs roster.

Coming off his rookie year where he performed a hostile takeover of the rushing work, Pacheco’s arrow was screaming upward. Additionally, there’s not another serious threat to that spot on the roster right now. Not to mention, the receiving production leaves Pacheco in a spot to win leagues for managers in the future. Oh, and he also plays for Andy Reid?  Forget the price tag, open your wallet. Go buy Pacheco in your dynasty fantasy football leagues.

Tyler Allegier

PFF’s #1 ranked running back from 2023 comes in at #4 on our buy-now dynasty running back candidates. Over the first month of the season, Allegier was not seeing a large usage percentage, he didn’t play a snap in Week 1. That all changed when Cordarrelle Patterson went on IR after Week 4. During that window, Allegier’s snap percentage in Weeks 5-9 were as follows: 59%, 57%, 62%, and 60% respectively. Additionally, he had a least 13 carries in each of those contests, a preview of his volume to follow. Finally, during the fantasy playoffs (Weeks 15-17), he was fantastic. Producing a 55-296-2 rushing line which was good for three top-12 finishes in PPR formats.

Where I think Allegier is a great buy candidate is that he has a scary amount of opportunity available to him. Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith is committed to playing ground-and-pound football, as we saw in 2022. Additionally, Marcus Mariota is now in Philadelphia, which leaves behind an 85-438-4 rushing line. Even if Allegier were to assume 40% of that production it would be an additional 34-176-2 rushing line. Moving forward, Allegier is poised to increase his rookie output (210-1035-3) and those additional rushing yards from Mariota (approximately 1,211) would have made him 6th in the NFL.

That being said, Smith seems fine with torturing the fantasy football community and having Kyle Pitts be a 6th offensive lineman. Not to mention, the Falcons did not add any big-name pass catchers this offseason. On the contrary, they beefed up their defensive unit. I believe all signs are pointing to the Falcons repeating 2022’s recipe with a consistent (sometimes super-boring) run approach and playing great defense in an effort to control the game flow. Overall, this strategy will help their young quarterback, whether that’s Desmond Ridder or someone they draft.

Allegier had a very modest 16-139-1 receiving total as a rookie. Patterson was a fantasy gem in 2021 partly because of a 52-548-5 receiving line. I believe it is unfair to assume Allegier can do something like that, as few players have Patterson’s Swiss army knife skill set. However, somewhere between his 2022 and Patterson’s 2021 is a realistic expectation. Particularly with a young quarterback that could feed him check-down and short-yardage looks.

Finally, I think Allegier is a tremendous buy-now candidate who will be a high-end RB2 with RB1 finishes mixed in. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on making a move for the second-year running back in your dynasty leagues.

Alexander Mattison

Last on our buy-now running back list shows an elite handcuff getting promoted to the top of the depth chart. Alexander Mattison, after just being rewarded a new two-year, $7 million dollar contract, could find himself in the driver’s seat should the Vikings move on from Dalvin Cook. Cook had the worst YPC in 2022 (4.4) and had the fewest 100-yard games since 2018 where he only played 11 games. In addition, Cook also had the second-lowest yards-per-game total of his career (69). These downward trends make his 2023 and 2024 salaries, ($10.4 Million and $11.3 Million, respectively) hard to justify.

Minnesota will be looking at their books closely, here are the looming players or second-string players who need deals after this year… TJ Hockenson, Ezra Cleveland, Chris Reed, KJ Osborn, Justin Jefferson, and Kirk Cousins. That’s a lot of contributors who need paid. Needless to say, Cook’s paycheck might be better spent elsewhere.

Enough about Cook, let’s talk about Mattison. Since 2020, Mattison has had six starts and has taken advantage of his opportunity. In six starts, he has compiled a 117-417-3 rushing line and a 23-216-2 receiving total. This equates to an average of 23 touches, 105.5 all-purpose yards, and nearly a touchdown per start.

In 2022, Cook was 3rd in the NFL with a Snap Share Percentage of 72%,  showing that Kevin O’Connell allows his running backs to absorb snaps. Adam Thielen plays for Carolina now, and Mattison could be looked on to take on some of those targets in the short passing game to complement Jefferson and Hockenson.

Since 2020, Mattison has been an elite handcuff for Cook managers. Rumors are flying that Cook could be either cut or traded near the NFL Draft. If that were to happen, Mattison would be a strong RB2 with RB1 potential every week in a high-pace Vikings offense, who ran the 6th most plays per game in 2022. If the opposite were to happen, and Mattison was traded, he could still find himself atop a new team’s depth chart.

Overall, Mattison has shown he can handle a full workload and has a 3-down running back skill set. Additionally, I believe this is the year we see him get that well-deserved opportunity to lead a backfield. Now is the time to go trade for Mattison in your dynasty fantasy football leagues, not later.

For free agent news, check out the Fantasy Football News Tracker.

Best Landing Spots for Rookie Running Backs

Best Landing Spots for Rookie Tight Ends

More Dynasty Content

Rookie ADP

Latest Articles

2023 Rookie Profiles