Sean Koerner, a 4x winner of FantasyPros’ Most Accurate Fantasy Football Ranker, breaks down his best ball running back sleepers. Find more fantasy football content — best ball and season-long — from Sean and Chris Raybon, including rankings and expert analysis, throughout the summer.
2024 Best Ball Fantasy Sleepers — Running Backs
J.K. Dobbins ADP RB49, My Rank RB33
- J.K. Dobbins returns from an Achilles tear that ended his 2023 season.
- He recently said he feels 100% and it appears that he will be ready for Week 1 of the 2024 season.
- The Chargers backfield mimics the Ravens from the past few seasons with Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Greg Roman as the OC. Dobbins has acted as the lead back whenever both RBs have been healthy.
- I expect Dobbins to continue to operate as the lead back, as long as he’s healthy
- There was a chance the Chargers would take a running back earlier in the 2024 draft but they waited until the sixth round, drafting Kimani Vidal. Their patience should be viewed as a positive for Dobbins stock ahead of the 2024 season.
- I think his RB49 ADP is a bit too low and will climb during the offseason if he continues to trend toward healthy and looks readt to start Week 1.
Ty Chandler ADP RB46, My Rank RB41
- Ty Chandler proved he could operate as a lead back in the 2nd half of last season, ranking as the RB28 from Weeks 10-18.
- Aaron Jones enters as the unquestioned starter, but will be turning 30 in-season and missed six games last season due to injury. Chandler may have 2-3 or more games as a spot starter and could see enough work, even when Jones is healthy, to have the occasional spiked week, which we know is so crucial when playing on best ball sites. He stands out as a RB to target in the RB45 range.
Khalil Herbert ADP RB56, My rank RB47
- Sure, D’Andre Swift is set to take over as the lead back but Khalil Herbert is still one of the better backups in the league.
- Herbert is also battling 2nd year back Roschon Johnson to become the #2 back. If he’s able to win the #2 role, he could see enough work to have the occasional spiked week and also earn a few spot starts if Swift were ever to miss time.
- The worst-case scenario for Herbert would be if he operates as the #3 back for the Bears. But even then, there is a chance the Bears would trade him to an RB-needy team, a scenario in which Herbert’s value would still likely rise. Therefore, I think Herbert is a sneaky flier in this range given he seems more likely to go up in ADP, than down.
Ezekiel Elliott ADP RB40, My Rank RB33
- Ezekiel Elliott finds himself back in Dallas and while his days of being an RB1 option are likely over, he should be able to post RB2/3 fringe numbers based on his potential workload.
- Tony Pollard is now on the Titans, while Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn are unlikely to command as many touches as Pollard when he was Zeke’s backup in Dallas.
- Like many predicted, Dallas avoided using draft capital on a running back, so Zeke’s value has shot way up over the past couple of weeks. I don’t think the market has adjusted enough for that and I like targeting Elliott around RB40, making him a great addition for those using zero RB strategy in best ball drafts.
Eric Gray ADP RB79, My Rank RB64
- Devin Singletary is set to become the new lead back for the Giants in the post-Saquon Barkley era.
- However, he’s unlikely to have the same job security as Barkley, meaning we should be much more interested in who will be the no. 2 back for the Giants heading into the season.
- Gray, their 5th-round pick last year, seems to have the inside track over Tyrone Tracy, who was selected in the 5th round in this year’s draft. Both backs were 5th-round selections, but Gray already has a year of experience under his belt and is only 19 days older than Tracy. It’s likely going to be a battle that gets decided in camp, but I think the fact that Gray (RB79) is going 20 slots lower than Tracy (RB59) makes him the better value right now.
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