This year’s top running back free agent class for 2024 is a MONSTER one. Some of the top names who have been fantasy football stalwarts and faces of their franchises for the past few years will likely find themselves on new teams.
This year is an interesting one for the running back landscape when looking at free agents versus the incoming rookie class. The rookies are considered to be lackluster and there is no true consensus RB1 (Jonathan Brooks out of Texas is the closest and he’ll likely be redshirting his first NFL year due to injury). The big names that headline the free agency class are expected to potentially play musical chairs and switch teams.
These are the teams most needy of either a new RB1 or a bolstering of their current backfield where you could easily find one of them, especially the top names, landing: Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders. Let’s get to those running back free agents!
Saquon Barkley
I would consider Saquon Barkley the crown jewel of this class. I am also hoping he finds a new home anywhere besides New York. He has been plagued there by poor offensive line play and cursed with bad luck injuries. All three other teams in the NFC East could be suitors for Barkley along with many others from both conferences. Wherever he lands, I would consider it an upgrade for fantasy football purposes (yes, even Washington!).
From a dynasty league standpoint, he feels like a buy-low due to his “injury-prone” perception and lack of hitting his perceived ceiling for the past few years. Barkley is currently my dynasty league RB7 and that even feels a bit low. I have him behind Travis Etienne currently and once the landing spot is official, that probably changes and he’ll be locked in as the dynasty RB6.
Steve’s ideal landing spot: the Dallas Cowboys.
In that high-powered offense behind a strong offensive line, we could get the season we were expecting out of Tony Pollard last year.
Josh Jacobs
Notoriously with my dynasty league friend groups, I’ve been lower on Josh Jacobs than most. That looked great this past year, but not so great the year before. That’s what makes Jacobs such a hard eval for fantasy football. The consistency has been lumpy. That of course is not 100% his fault but he does shoulder some percentage of the blame.
Right now, Jacobs sits as my dynasty league RB17 behind the likes of David Montgomery, Derrick Henry, Tony Pollard, and Javonte Williams. It feels like Jacobs is a running back who needs the perfect situation, plenty of volume, and scheme to thrive. So, the landing spot will be crucial. Jacobs has the most elasticity to his rankings potential. Meaning, that he has the most room to move up or down as the offseason, draft, and free agency go on.
Steve’s ideal landing spot: the Los Angeles Chargers.
Austin Ekeler is likely gone and Jim Harbaugh is likely going to sign and/or draft a RB that he will FEED the rock whether it be on the ground or through the air. The Chargers will be a coveted landing spot for any running back free agents or rookie RB.
Derrick Henry
This King’s reign is more likely over than not in Tennessee. Take Reddit with a grain of salt, but if this is not entirely fabricated, then it seems Derrick Henry will hit free agency and find a new home.
I still believe in Henry despite his age. Remember that he started his career on the bench so he is not quite as old from a body/carries perspective as the average 29-30-year-old running back. Henry sits as my dynasty league RB13 with the perceived landing spot being Baltimore. Even if that occurs, I don’t see him moving up more than a spot or two but he certainly won’t be moving down no matter what team he signs with.
Steve’s ideal landing spot: the Baltimore Ravens.
Last year was a nightmare for the Ravens from an RB standpoint between injuries and ineffectiveness. Gus Edwards quietly has a shit ton of touchdowns but that was the bulk of his contributions. This fit is too perfect as the Ravens could preserve and limit the potential injury-inducing hits on their franchise QB, Lamar Jackson, with the addition of Henry.
Tony Pollard
Maybe this makes me foolish, but I still believe in Tony Pollard. That 2022 season I can’t get out of my head. Pollard is essentially 1 for 2 on fantasy seasons so his landing spot and production this year for dynasty leagues will be crucial. He had a fair amount of bad luck when it comes to scoring touchdowns this year on top of the lackluster yardage and passing game production. Pollard was stopped close to the goal line on numerous occasions.
Similar to Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard’s dynasty league rankings have a good amount of elasticity. A poor landing spot, and looking further into the future, a poor 2024 season, could see him drop substantially from my current ranking as dynasty RB12.
Steve’s ideal landing spot: the Las Vegas Raiders.
As long as Josh Jacobs does not re-sign with the Raiders, I like Pollard landing here to form a thunder/lightning attack with Zamir White a la Ezekiel Elliott from the Dallas days. Hopefully, with the shared workload we could get the explosive play ability of Tony Pollard from 2022 that we know and love back to helping us win fantasy football games.
Austin Ekeler
Boy, is the RB cliff a very, very real thing. Just one year removed from incredible back-to-back finishes as the fantasy RB1 in 2021 and RB2 in 2022, the undrafted free agent PPR machine hit the proverbial wall this past year. The Chargers did not extend nor trade him which was a red flag for dynasty league managers.
Steve’s ideal landing spot: the New Orleans Saints.
Sitting as my dynasty league RB25 currently, I fear that there is only room to go down. However, one saving grace could be the Saints releasing Alvin Kamara and getting older Alvin Kamara in Ekeler on a cheap one-year type contract. If Ekeler could stay healthy, this is an ideal landing spot with the Saints’ scheme and RB usage.
Yes. Kendre Miller is there and people are high on him, expecting a leap but I’m souring on him after he failed to insert himself into the usable fantasy RB landscape with opportunities like Kamara’s suspension and Jamaal Williams‘s injury this past year.
D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift is the last of the free-agent running backs to get excited about. He had a career year in 2023 running behind one of the best offensive lines in the league in Philadelphia (RIP Jason Kelce). However, the touchdown department was downsized as Jalen Hurts routinely tush-pushed his way into the endzone from the goal line.
#Eagles C Jason Kelce on what he tells D'Andre Swift every time he gets tackled at the one-yard line.
"I'm so sorry, man. You know exactly what we're about to do." 😂😂
(via @newheightshow) https://t.co/DZfHkfemwa pic.twitter.com/RBxSrAHEdL
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 27, 2023
Steve’s ideal landing spot: the Philadelphia Eagles or Baltimore Ravens.
Let’s face it, Swift is very similar to Josh Jacobs in that he needs a great offensive line and scheme to be a successful fantasy RB. He struggles with vision and decision-making at times. Should he re-sign with the Eagles, and the Brotherly Shove outlawed, we could see a vast improvement in TD production. Swift currently sits as my dynasty RB19 and could rise with an official reunion with the Birds. However, he could also take a dip landing somewhere with a weak O-line or as part of a committee like he was in Detroit.
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