Some of the big changes here included Jahmyr Gibbs going from the top of Tier 2 to the bottom because of his hamstring injury, Josh Jacobs moving to the top of Tier 3, Najee Harris moving to the top of Tier 5, and Jaylen Warren (hamstring) moving to the bottom of Tier 7. There's been plenty of other movement as well, which I'll explain below.
For context, this is based on PPR, as well as one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving. Hopefully, these tiers can help with any draft decisions you have to make this year.
McCaffrey remains at the top despite his calf injury, and he's expected to be ready for Week 1. Don't overthink it, and McCaffrey should be the No. 1 overall pick in one-quarterback leagues.
Hall is worth drafting as high as No. 2 overall, but I would actually take him fourth behind McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill , and CeeDee Lamb . If Lamb continues to hold out, then Hall will continue to rise.
I view Hall and Robinson as the best challengers to McCaffrey for the No. 1 running back this year. And Robinson should come off the board right after Hall as a top-five overall pick.
These are the three best running backs this season and the only three guaranteed to be first-round picks in all leagues.
We could see Barkley and Taylor get drafted in the first round, and I'll move Gibbs back up near Round 1 if he returns to practice next week. But his hamstring injury worries me, and I hope it's not a problem during the season.
Williams is also a borderline first-round pick based on his Average Draft Position at No. 13 overall, but I wouldn't draft Williams until the middle of Round 2. And I'm excited about Pacheco and Etienne in Round 2 as well.
Pacheco continues to rise in my rankings, and I love that Andy Reid said he'll be a three-down running back this season. Etienne also should be a stud, and both of these guys have top-five upside this year.
I was a little hesitant about Jacobs earlier this offseason, but the longer MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) remains out, the better Jacobs looks. I would draft him in the early part of Round 3.
The same goes for Cook, Henry, and White. Cook's touchdown potential is worrisome, especially with the presence of rookie Ray Davis , but Cook should be a huge factor catching the ball for Josh Allen .
I had Henry in Round 2 originally, but I would rather draft several receivers ahead of him, which is why he dropped into Round 3. He's going to need to find the end zone 15-plus times to end up as a top-10 running back this season in PPR.
And White should continue to be the featured back for the Buccaneers , although rookie Bucky Irving could be a factor in the passing game. Any decline in receptions for White, who has 114 the past two seasons, could be a problem.
Achane is worth drafting toward the end of Round 3, and he could be the biggest difference maker at running back this season -- or any position. If he hits, he could be a top-five running back, but that would likely mean Raheem Mostert missing time for Achane to reach his ceiling.
I love the setup for Walker this year, and it sounds like he's headed for a bigger role in the passing game under new coordinator Ryan Grubbs, which is exciting. I plan to draft Walker toward the end of Round 3.
Kamara and Mixon will hopefully continue to produce at a high level, but both are a little concerning. The Saints offensive line could be a disaster, and Kamara still has to contend with Taysom Hill stealing production. And Mixon might not have a huge role in the passing game based on how C.J. Stroud operates, as well as a crowded receiving corps in Houston. The earliest I would draft this duo is Round 4.
I'm only drafting running backs from this tier in Round 5 or later, and Harris occupies the top spot now with Warren hurt. Montgomery also gets a boost with Gibbs banged up, and both could slide when their backfield mates are healthy.
Stevenson and White could be on bad teams this season, but both have positives still. Stevenson should remain a factor in the passing game, and that helps his value in PPR. And White will hopefully dominate carries for the Raiders , although he isn't expected to catch many passes.
For now, Pollard is my preferred running back in Tennessee, but expect him to share touches with Tyjae Spears . And Swift could also be in a committee in Chicago, but I expect him to be the leader for what should be a productive Bears offense.
I was initially out on Williams this offseason when Denver beat writers wrote him off. However, he's looked great in training camp and solid in preseason action, and now Williams is worth drafting as a low-end starter as early as Round 6.
I'm also excited about Robinson this season, and he should be the best running back for the Commanders . Robinson is on many of my Fantasy teams already this year.
This is the old running back tier, and I don't expect to have much exposure to Conner and Jones. Conner is being drafted toward the end of Round 4 based on his ADP, and Jones goes in Round 5. That's too expensive for me.
Mostert is someone I would draft if he's available in Round 7 or later, but his ADP puts him in early Round 6. It's hard to expect an Achane breakout if Mostert is still a viable running back for the Dolphins this season.
Just remember that Conner and Jones are 29, and Mostert is 32. It's tough to trust running backs at their age, especially when all of them could face competition for touches.
This might be my favorite tier because a lot of pleasant surprises can come from this group. And Warren will definitely move up if his hamstring injury heals prior to Week 1, but initial reports indicated he could miss a couple of games, which is disappointing.
Spears could prove to be the best running back for the Titans , and he's an amazing value based on his ADP of 102.9. I prefer Brown ahead of Moss, but Brown is the cheaper running back with an ADP of 102.9 (Moss is 82.0). Hopefully, one of these running backs emerge as the leader of the Cincinnati backfield early in the season.
As for Brooks, you'll have to be patient with him since he could miss a few games early in the season in his comeback from last year's torn ACL. The hope would be that in the second half of the season, we're getting a potential top-20 running back since Brooks has that much upside.
I don't see a lot of upside in this tier, but these are guys who could be No. 2 running backs as the season goes on. Singletary might not have much competition for touches, especially with Tyrone Tracy Jr . (ankle) hurt, but the Giants could be terrible.
Ekeler will likely play behind Robinson for the Commanders, but Ekeler could lead the Washington backfield in receptions. And Edwards should open the season as the best running back for the Chargers , but he'll face competition from J.K. Dobbins and Kimani Vidal .
I'd love to see Chubb return at 100 percent from last year's knee injury, but we might not see the best of Chubb until the second half of the season. And when he does return, Jerome Ford should continue to be a factor in Cleveland's backfield, which should hinder Chubb's upside.
This is another one of my favorite tiers because now we're entering the lottery ticket territory. But first, we have four guys in Dowdle, Ford, Hubbard, and Chandler who could be the best running backs on their teams, even without an injury.
Dowdle is my favorite Cowboys running back, and I would draft him as early as Round 9. Ford and Hubbard should go in the same range, and both should be good flex options or stopgaps early in the season. Ford should start for the Browns as long as Chubb is out, and Hubbard will do the same in Carolina with Brooks on the shelf. Chandler will likely need an Aaron Jones injury to maximize his potential, but there's talk of Minnesota's backfield being a 50-50 split, which makes Chandler a potential flex option to open the season.
I'm hopeful Dobbins is healthy after last year's Achilles injury, and we'll see if he can push Edwards for the starting job. And McLaughlin should play in tandem with Javonte Williams in Denver, which could make him a flex option if he's involved in the passing game.
Corum and Benson will likely need an injury to maximize their Fantasy value, but both have immense upside. Corum will play behind Kyren Williams, who struggled to stay healthy in 2023. And Benson will be the backup for Conner, who has missed at least three games in four of the past five seasons.
Charbonnet continues to fall due to continued hype for Walker, as well as Charbonnet missing practice time. He's still a good handcuff option for Walker, who has missed two games in each of the past two years.
I love Irving as a lottery ticket as the backup for White in Tampa Bay, and Gibson could be a nice surprise if something were to happen to Stevenson. Gibson also might have standalone value if he works on passing downs for the Patriots .
I'm not actively targeting Elliott, who has looked bad the past two years with the Cowboys and Patriots. But if he falls far enough then I'll draft him with a late-round pick, but I prefer to roster Dowdle.
This is essentially the handcuff tier, and it's hard to envision these guys having a big role without an injury. Allgeier, Tracy, and Lloyd, when healthy, might play in tandem with the starter, but none of these guys will be worth starting if everyone else is healthy.
We'll see who ends up as the handcuff for McCaffrey, but I'm more hopeful in Mitchell compared to Mason. Both are currently injured, but Mitchell has more upside if he got the chance for increased playing time.
And of all the guys in this group, Wright has the most upside if he ever got a starting role for the Dolphins. He might be the ultimate lottery ticket based on his speed and the offense in Miami.
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