3 Running Back Sells for the Fantasy Football Playoffs 2024
As the fantasy football playoffs approach, every decision matters more than ever. Securing a championship often comes down to making the right trades at the right time. In this article, we’ll explore 3 running backs to sell high before the 2024 fantasy football playoffs. We’ve got you covered with the best running back trades to make before the fantasy playoffs arrive. Let’s get right into it.
Running Back Sells for the 2024 Fantasy Football Playoffs
If you’ve been playing fantasy football long enough, you know that predictions aren’t always correct. At this point in the fantasy season, it’s important to give yourself the best chance possible to make a playoff run. With that, I’ll take a look at a few running backs who you might want to sell high on before the playoffs.
For this article, I will be utilizing our free RB D-Pac Score or Defensive Points Allowed Consistency tool to help determine which running backs have the worst matchups for the fantasy playoffs. In short, the lower the D-Pac Score, the less often those teams give up fantasy points to the opposition’s running back. Let’s get right into the picks.
J.K. Dobbins – Los Angeles Chargers
Fantasy Football Playoff Schedule:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Denver Broncos
- @ New England Patriots
J.K. Dobbins has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy managers and the Chargers this season. Considering his horrible injury history and cheap ADP in the offseason. However, as of now, he is currently the RB14 on the season.
Week 15 against the Buccaneers and Week 17 against the Patriots are not overly difficult matchups for Dobbins. Notably, both teams’ rushing defenses are in the bottom third of the league.
His toughest matchup is during Week 16 against the Broncos who have the 11th-lowest D-PAC Score. They are the 9th-ranked defense against the run, conceding 108.7 rushing yards per game and only six rushing touchdowns for the season.
My concern for Dobbins includes three main reasons. First, his average rush per carry has been under 3.4, in three out of his past four games. This signifies potential inefficient running and can be a concern in tough matchups.
Next, Gus Edwards returned to the lineup in Week 10. While Dobbins’ snap share was at 66%, it was also his lowest since Week 3, when coincidentally Edwards was also in the lineup. Edwards only played on 15 snaps, but he was given 10 carries and averaged 5.5 yards with them. Needless to say, this split backfield situation isn’t helping Dobbins at all.
Finally, Dobbins hasn’t played more than eight games in a season since 2020. This may seem irrelevant considering how healthy he’s been all year. However, it’s still absolutely a factor worth remembering.
If you can convince someone in your league that Dobbins is a high-end RB2 for the rest of the season, it may be time to move on from him. All things considered, I’d sell high on Dobbins before the fantasy football playoffs.
Joe Mixon – Houston Texans
Fantasy Football Playoff Schedule:
- Miami Dolphins
- @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Baltimore Ravens
Joe Mixon has been an absolute stud for fantasy football managers and the Houston Texans this season. Even though he has missed three games this season, he is currently the RB10 for the season. In total, he only has had one game below 16 fantasy points. Impressively, his average fantasy points per game is 19.6, only behind Derrick Henry.
Furthermore, Mixon has averaged an outstanding 21.12 fantasy points per game from Weeks 6-10. This also happened to be during a time when the Texans were without their best receiver Nico Collins. Apparently, Collins is on track to return in Week 11. So will this help or hurt Mixon’s value?
More concerning is Mixon’s playoff schedule. Week 15 is his easiest matchup against a Dolphins rush defense that has the second-worst RB D-PAC Score. However, the matchups get increasingly difficult for him during Weeks 16 and 17.
In Week 16 Mixon goes up against the Kansas City Chiefs who have the 4th-lowest D-PAC Score. Additionally, they are the third-ranked rushing defense in the league, only surrendering 83.9 rushing yards and a measly five rushing touchdowns on the season.
Finally, in Week 17 Mixon plays against the Baltimore Ravens who have the lowest RB D-PAC Score and are the number one ranked rushing defense in the league. You can throw against the Ravens, but you can’t run on them.
Without a doubt, Mixon has the hardest fantasy semi-final and finals matchup amongst any running back in the league. Get out while you can and consider selling high on Mixon before the fantasy football playoffs begin.
Tony Pollard – Tennessee Titans
Fantasy Football Playoff Schedule:
- Cincinnati Bengals,
- @ Indianapolis Colts
- @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Tony Pollard’s playoff schedule isn’t anything to be scared about. Far from it. During the playoffs, Pollard will go up against teams that have the 8th (Bengals), 3rd (Jaguars), and 16th (Colts) highest RB-DPAC Scores. If anything they are positive matchups for the Titans and the running back position.
However, my concern for Pollard is the return of Tyjae Spears in Week 10. Spears played on 46% of the Titans’ snaps during his first game back. While Pollard still had a 54% snap share, it was his lowest total all season! During Spears’ three-game absence, Pollard saw an 89%, 82%, and 86% snap share.
Moving forward, Spears will eat into Pollard’s snaps and possibly limit his ceiling. If you can trade Pollard based on past performance, now is the time to do it before the fantasy football playoffs begin.
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