The battle between running backs and the NFL continues to rage on. This offseason, some veteran running backs took cheaper deals with contenders, while guys like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs signed longer-term deals for less money than they likely deserved compared to other positions.
Luckily for fantasy football players, that doesn’t really matter to those playing best ball. Managers in best ball leagues need to just draft players they think will have a good season and check back in at the end of the year to see how they did in their leagues. With that in mind, here are our running back rankings for 2024 NFL best ball leagues.
2024 best ball rankings: Top 93 running backs
Until he gets hurt, I still think that Christian McCaffrey is the best fantasy football running back in the league. He will hurt defenses on the ground and through the air as the San Francisco 49ers use him in a variety of ways. Last season, CMC led the league in rushing yards (1,459) and had the third-most rushing touchdowns (nine) and most receiving touchdowns for a running back (seven).
Despite David Montgomery being on the roster, I’ve got Jahmyr Gibbs as my overall RB3. He wasn’t used much at the start of his rookie season, but I’d expect that to change in Year 2. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Gibbs as the main running back. Granted, this means that Montgomery may vulture some touchdowns, but I’m betting Gibbs still has a great year.
My top rookie running back is Jonathan Brooks. His ranking will fluctuate all offseason as reports show how his knee is recovering from a later season ACL tear last year. If he is fully healthy, he should be able to beat out incumbent running backs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. Even if he doesn’t, Brooks should see plenty of the field as a rookie and is a solid addition for bestball leagues.
Austin Ekeler is going to be a surprising name to see, as low as he is. Maybe it is the recency bias from struggling with the Los Angeles Chargers last season, but I am not super high on him as he moves to the Washington Commanders. They no longer have Antonio Gibson, but Brian Robinson Jr. will likely eat up some of the work. If Ekeler reverts back to the role he used to have with Melvin Gordon or only serves as the pass-catching back, he could be a great addition to the team’s real-life roster, but may be a reach in fantasy football, even best ball.