Fantasy Football: Post-Draft Rookie Running Back Rankings for 2024
We are ranking the most notable rookie running backs drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft based on their redraft value for the upcoming season.
1. Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Brooks was our top-ranked rookie running back prospect coming into the 2024 NFL Draft and he is now our top-ranked rookie running back for the 2024 fantasy football season.
With only Chuba Hubbard ahead of him on the depth chart, winning the starting job is clearly in his view this season. However, injury may prevent that from happening for a bit, but Brooks is the type of back who could be a league winner for fantasy owners down the stretch. More importantly, he can reach his ceiling this season without an injury occurring to the starter.
2. Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
Our rankings held true with the NFL Draft as Benson was drafted as the second running back off the board after Brooks. He will be the running back of the future in Arizona and the transition from James Conner to Benson will take place this season.
Conner is also a near lock to miss a handful of games each season due to injury and is now a year older with even more tread on the tires. This is another potential league-winning pick who should see at least a split backfield by the season's end with or without injury to the starter.
3. Audric Estime, Denver Broncos
Estime was our eighth-ranked prospect at the position entering the draft but has now jumped to third in our 2024 rankings. The reason being that we don't believe the Broncos have faith in Javonte Williams and they are looking to replace him. Sean Payton did not draft him and he will look to get one of his guys in there.
We wouldn't even be surprised if Williams isn't on the team anymore by the time the trade deadline passes this season. At worst, we anticipate Estime earning a secure role in the offense and at best, he could take over as the starter at some point.
4. Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
We actually had Tracy ranked sixth heading into the draft, nevertheless, he fell behind Estime in these rankings for the sole reason that we have more faith in Devin Singletary maintaining his role in the Giants' offense than we have with Williams in Denver. Can't say we saw that coming two years ago.
Tracy also could take some time to develop being that he recently transitioned from wide receiver to running back. That wide receiver background does give him massive PPR upside if things fall right for him though and you could have a fantasy monster on your hands if Singletary gets hurt or underperforms.
5. Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers
Vidal is not a guy we ranked highly as a prospect, but was drafted as the fifth running back off the board. The Chargers obviously liked him a lot and they are going to run the ball a ton.
We are fans of Gus Edwards, nonetheless, he's not a world-beater and even if he maintains his starting job there will be enough carries to go around. This ranking is based on situation and hopefully, he will take full advantage of it.
6. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rachaad White was a case of a great fantasy running back but not so great in real life. His PPR value gave him a ton of value, however, his efficiency was less than impressive, especially on the ground.
What's really scary about this for White is that Irving is a much better pass catcher. So if he's already better at what White does best and it won't take much to pass him on the ground, you have to wonder how safe White's job is - probably not very safe at all. Irving will be a sneaky good pick in PPR leagues this season.
7. Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
Miami could become a full-blown committee this season and Wright could be a big part of it. He fits into the offense like a glove and looks to be the eventual replacement for Raheem Mostert. De'Von Achane is also in the mix but is undersized and will only see so many touches. Mostert and Achane also come with serious injury risks.
Of course, we also know this offense produces fantasy monsters at the position. When you add all that up, Wright has a ton of upside if the opportunity arises. That opportunity may not be as much of a long shot as it looks at first glance.
#2024-fantasy-football
