5 Running Backs you NEED to be Drafting in Fantasy Football

As the fantasy football draft season approaches, identifying the right running backs can make or break your championship aspirations. The landscape of the NFL changes every year, and with it, the potential fantasy stars at the running back position. In this article, we highlight five running backs you absolutely need to target in your fantasy drafts this season. These players are poised to deliver high returns based on their skill sets, team situations, and projected workloads. From established stars to emerging talents, these are the running backs that should be at the top of your fantasy football draft board.

Drafting the right running backs is crucial due to the position’s importance and volatility. A workhorse running back can be a league winner, providing consistent fantasy football points and high upside. On the other hand, missing on your running back picks can leave you scrambling for replacements all season. With careful analysis of each player’s potential and situation, we’ve pinpointed five backs that combine talent, opportunity, and favorable conditions to help you dominate your league.

Whether you’re in a standard, PPR, or 1/2-PPR league, these running backs offer the best blend of floor and ceiling, ensuring that your roster starts on solid footing. Let’s dive into the must-draft running backs for the upcoming fantasy football season.

Top 5 Running Backs to Draft for Fantasy Football in 2024

Although we’re only halfway through June, I’ve drafted way too many fantasy football teams on Underdog Fantasy. While the overall ADP will vary for your home leagues, these positional ADPs are the most accurate on the market since all these drafts are for real money. Below, we’ll dive into the five running backs I’ve been drafting a ton this off-season. Follow us all season long, and you might win your fantasy football league this year. 

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1. Tony Pollard (Underdog ADP: 99.9 – RB29)

In a rough running-back market, Tony Pollard is a guy I’m going to be leaving all of my drafts with this year. Simply put, I don’t understand the case against Pollard at all, but my guess would be that the Tyjae Spears fan club is running wild. Don’t get me wrong, I think Spears is good enough to have a role in the backfield, but I’m not betting on an unproven, third-round pick to take more than 30-35% of the work from a proven producer in Pollard.

Pollard is also a case where he’s being underrated because of the expectations he had last year. According to FantasyPros, he was being drafted as the RB6 (Half PPR), which is what made his 13.1 PPG season underwhelming. Otherwise, he wasn’t bad at all by any means, and he had a much better season than almost all of the ten backs being taken ahead of him. The thing with Pollard is that he’s actually better when playing next to another back, which allows him to keep his legs fresh. This isn’t the exact same scenario, but Pollard averaged 15.6 PPG in 2022 when he was playing next to Ezekiel Elliott.

With the Titans deciding to give Pollard a three-year-21 million dollar deal (10.49 million garnered), they’ve shown a much greater investment in him than Spears, whom they spent a third-round pick on. At 6’0” 215 lbs, Pollard will also be the goal line back on a solid Titans offense with upside. While Spears had 70 targets last year, Pollard is a much better pass catcher than Derrick Henry, and I expect the two to be in a similar range. I’m easily taking Pollard over guys like Zamir White (RB23), Jaylen Warren (RB25), Zack Moss (RB26) and Raheem Mostert (RB28).

2. Jonathon Brooks (Underdog ADP: 87.1 – RB22)

With Jonathon Brooks, I understand the injury risk, but at his current price, I’m rarely passing up on him. Now, my fantasy football philosophy is that “if you’re not first, you’re last,” and Brooks has the opportunity to be a low-end RB1 this year at a very cheap cost. Compared to Pollard, I understand the downside more, as Brooks is coming off an ACL injury, and there’s a chance he’ll miss time, or he won’t be 100%. However, the Panthers, who have access to his medical records, decided to trade up and make him the first back taken at pick 46. 

Due to the narrative that this was a bad 2024 running back class, I believe Brooks is being underrated as a prospect. Coming out of Texas, he ran for 1,139 yards and caught 25 passes for 11.4 YPR in just 11 games. Now Brooks steps into a situation where his competition is a washed Miles Sanders and a JAG Chuba Hubbard. Per Last Word on Sports, “Week 1 of the regular season will be roughly nine months after his original injury, which fits the rough timeline for a typical ACL recovery. While he might need some time to knock off the rust, he should be back to full strength by mid-season at the latest”. 

Now combine that with the fact that the quarterback whisperer, Dave Canales, is heading over to work with Bryce Young. I fully expect Brooks to be the bellcow back by mid-season, and if the Panthers offense improves. Ultimately, he’ll be a league winner this year. 

3. Rhamondre Stevenson (Underdog ADP: 85 – RB21)

Similar to Pollard, Rhamondre Stevenson had an underwhelming year at his 2023 RB12 price.  Despite playing in one of the worst offenses in the NFL and playing next to Ezekiel Elliott, who was much better than expected, he still had 10.6 PPG (Half PPR). To put this into context, the Patriots scored the 2nd fewest PPG (13.9) and ran the 5th fewest plays per game (60). Both of these marks make it impossible for almost any fantasy running back to find success. With the Patriots drafting Drake Maye, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker, you should expect this offense to be serviceable.

Furthermore, Stevenson will get a ton of volume in this offense, as his only competition is a washed-up Antonio Gibson. Gibson only had 65 carries, and even though his strength is as a pass catcher, his 59 targets don’t stack up with Stevenson. While Stevenson was hurt in 2023, let me remind you that he had 88 targets and 69 receptions en route to a 12.6 PPG season. The only reason Stevenson wasn’t better in 2023 was because he only scored six total touchdowns in a Half-PPR format. 

Even though Stevenson (227 lbs) and Gibson (228 lbs) are almost the same size, Gibson has fumbling issues and is clearly the inferior goal-line back. If you need proof of this already happening, Gibson had 21.4% of the Commanders’ rushing attempts in the red zone last season. At cost, I would much rather have Stevenson due to his receiving upside and workload over David Montgomery (RB18), Aaron Jones (RB19) and Najee Harris (RB20).  

4. Rachaad White (Underdog ADP: 60.7 – RB14)

The only argument you can make against Rachaad White is the fact that he’s not a very efficient runner. I get that White only had 3.6 YPC last season, but what I care about is the fact that he had 70 targets and finished as the RB7 (13.9 PPG). After finishing as the RB7, White has dropped all the way down to the RB14 spot despite being in a very similar situation to last year. Dave Canales is gone, and the team brought in Bucky Irving, but these moves should make him move down a few spots at worst.

Losing Canales is tough, but he had a much bigger impact on Baker Mayfield than anyone else. The team has said Liam Coen will run a very similar style to last season, and it’s worth noting that he’s from the Sean McVay tree. Irving was a day three pick, and standing at 5’10” 195 lbs, he’s not taking away a high percentage of White’s snaps. Irving is a good pass catcher, but White is clearly better in that area. The Buccaneers need depth, and it seems like Irving will be the change of pace back, which won’t affect White.

White is still going to get the goal-line work and a majority of the pass-catching work as well. Irving can get those meaningless carries between the 20s as long as White is getting the high-value touches. White has the upside to finish even higher than the RB7 if he can improve his efficiency in year three, and his floor is very high due to his receiving upside.

5. Isiah Pacheco (Underdog ADP: 47.3 – RB11)

Isiah Pacheco is the most expensive player on this list, but I believe his price is more than fair. Pacheco was the RB16 last year, but with his uptick in receiving work, I’m all in. Keep in mind that the Chiefs offense had their worst year since Patrick Mahomes came into the NFL. The Chiefs finished the year 14th with 22.2 PPG and 10th in Plays per Game (64.5). These are two of the most important team metrics for running backs, and I expect the Chiefs to be much better in 2024. I look at the addition of Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown as a positive because Pacheco is going to give you most of his value around the goal line.

Pacheco has always been a very talented runner, and even with an increased workload, he ran for 905 yards and had 4.6 YPC on 205 carries. The main concern I had with Pacheco as a rookie was that he had 14 targets, even though he had 170 carries. In 2023, that number went up all the way to 49 targets and 44 receptions, even though his 5.5 YPR mark was still fairly low. 

That being said, Jerick McKinnon was still on that offense last year, but the Chiefs decided to release him this off-season. Now Pacecho’s only competition is Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who was the third target last season. It just comes down to the fact that even in a wide receiver-heavy format, Pacheco is back with a mid-RB1 upside in the fourth round. I also see a large tier break with the backs after him, such as Josh Jacobs (RB12), James Cook (RB13), Joe Mixon (RB15), and Kenneth Walker (RB16). 

All things considered, he’s slightly more risky than these other guys based on his cost. However, he has a very good floor/ceiling combination, which has made me draft him a ton already. In the end, Pacheco may end up being a must-draft player this year in your fantasy football leagues. 

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