NFL Fantasy Top RB 2024
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finished the 2023 season ranked #1 as the top RB in fantasy football. McCaffrey enters the 2024 season as the consensus #1 player, but could this be the year that someone else overtakes him as the top RB in fantasy football?
Breece Hall from the New York Jets and Bijan Robinson from the Atlanta Falcons are the most likely candidates to become the NFL’s top fantasy RB in 2024, especially if McCaffrey is slowed down by injuries. Jahmyr Gibbs from the Detroit Lions and Jonathan Taylor from the Indianapolis Colts could also challenge McCaffery for the #1 ranking.
1. Christian McCaffrey
In 16 games with the 49ers last season, McCaffrey rushed 272 times for a career-best 1,459 yards and 5.4 yards per carry. He scored 14 rushing touchdowns but added seven TD receptions, which also set a career high. With 2,023 yards from scrimmage, the versatile McCaffrey was awarded the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. He averaged 21.2 touches and 126.5 combined yards per game in 2023. He finished last season ranked #1 in red zone touches, ranked #2 in carries, and #4 in targets among running backs.
McCaffrey sustained a minor calf injury in training camp, and the 49ers held him out of the rest of the preseason for precautionary reasons. He returned to practice this week and he’s expected to play in Week 1.
McCaffrey avoided any serious injuries since the Carolina Panthers traded him to the 49ers in 2022. However, he appeared in only 10 total games with the Panthers during the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to various injuries.
2. Breece Hall
Before he blew out his knee seven games into his rookie season, Breece Hall averaged an eye-popping 5.8 yards per carry for the New York Jets in 2022.
The Jets eased Hall back into the rotation during the first four games of 2023. By the end of the season, he rushed 223 times for 994 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 76 receptions for 591 receiving yards and four more touchdowns. Even with a slow start, Hall finished last season as RB #6 in fantasy with 299 total touches while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He led all running backs in targets, receiving yards, and receptions last season.
The Jets expect their offense to make a huge leap with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning from an Achilles injury. Hall is the type of modern dual threat running back that can gash teams on the ground and in the air. Hall poses the biggest threat to challenge McCaffrey as the top fantasy RB this season.
3. Bijan Robinson
The Atlanta Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith, which is a huge relief for Bijan Robinson fans. Smith relied on a “running back by committee” with Robinson and Tyler Allgeier even though Robinson was a far superior player. Even with Smith tinkering with Robinson’s usage rates, especially in the red zone, Robinson rushed 214 times for 976 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry. He also added 58 receptions for 487 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
The Falcons hired Raheem Morris as their new head coach and Zac Robinson takes over as the new offensive coordinator. They changed the playbook and intend to use Robinson as their primary weapon out of the backfield. Some fantasy football experts think Robinson could surpass both McCaffrey and Hall to become the top RB this season.
4. Jahmyr Gibbs
Jahmyr Gibbs averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a rookie with the Detroit Lions last season. Even though he shared touches with veteran RB David Montgomery, Gibbs still finished ranked #8 out of all running backs last season. He rushed 182 times for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns in 15 games. Although he was not known as a big receiving threat in college, Gibbs added 52 receptions for 316 yards and one TD catch with the Lions.
5. Jonathan Taylor
After a sensational rookie campaign with the Colts in 2020, Jonathan Taylor led the NFL in rushing in 2021 with an average of 5.5 yards per carry. He was sidelined by injuries in 2022 and missed six games. He endured a contract extension dispute entering the 2023 season and battled a thumb injury, which is why he only appeared in 10 games last season.
When he was healthy in 2021, Taylor combined for 2,171 yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns. If he can return to his old self, Taylor has a chance to compete for a rushing title and pass the 2K combined yardage mark once again.
Don’t Overlook: Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley
Keep a close eye on two veteran running backs who changed teams this season including Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.
The Tennessee Titan’s offense struggled last season, which is why Henry had a subpar season. Henry averaged a career-low 4.2 yards per carry in 2023. He appeared in all 17 games, but he rushed only 280 times for 1,167 yards. He still scored 12 touchdowns, while adding 28 receptions for 214 yards.
The Baltimore Ravens signed Henry in free agency, and he will get the opportunity to run behind the best offensive line in his career. Although quarterback Lamar Jackson racks up a lot of rushing yardage, he’s not greedy at the goal line. Jackson prefers to hand the ball off to running backs than score a touchdown on a QB keeper.
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Saquon Barkley to a new contract and the former member of the New York Giants heads south on the New Jersey Turnpike to play for a divisional rival.
Barkley endured a several rough seasons with the Giants while he battled injuries, and the team struggled. Even though the Giants had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season, Barkley combined for 1,242 total yards from scrimmage and scored 10 touchdowns in 14 games.
Barkley finally gets a chance to play for a great team, with a top-notch offense including one of the premier offensive lines in the NFL. The downside for Barkley is that quarterback Jalen Hurts will cannibalize potential goal-line touchdowns. The controversial “Tush Push” is a nearly unstoppable play, so Hurts often calls his own number in goal-line situations which reduces touchdown chances for Barkley.
