-2024 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2024 Draft Kit
Achane flashed with a multitude of explosive plays throughout his rookie season, one he finished with 800 rushing yards, 197 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns (eight rushing, three receiving) across 11 games. The 2023 third-round pick put together four 100-yard efforts as well and averaged a whopping 7.8 yards per carry, and come his second training camp this summer, Achane figures to be a prime contender for an appreciably larger role despite the expected return of veteran Raheem Mostert.
Abanikanda never quite got going in 2023, as he played behind Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and Dalvin Cook throughout the year. His best rushing game came in Week 16 against Washington when he turned nine carries into 43 yards. A week later, the team gave him seven targets but he only turned them into 27 yards. While Carter and Cook are gone, the Jets drafted both Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, meaning Abanikanda will face stiff competition to earn the RB2 role. If he wins that job, he'll be worth a pick in the double-digit rounds of Fantasy drafts but it seems more likely Abanikanda should only be rostered in deep Dynasty leagues.
Chase Brown remains a high-end handcuff bet for 2024 that could offer some stand-alone value if he can eat into Zach Moss's workload. Brown was impressive on a per-touch basis last season, although the sample size is pretty limited (44 carries). Among 77 backs with at least 40 carries, Brown ranked 12th in yards after contact per attempt and 16th in missed tackles forced per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Brown is a player to get exposure with during draft season because the upside is there for him to outkick his ADP.
Unfortunately, Evan Hull got injured in Week 1 of the NFL season, so we were not able to see him in action during the regular season outside of one carry. Hull walks into the 2024 season as Jonathon Taylor's immediate backup. Hull only had 17 rushing attempts in the preseason, but he finished with a passable 2.53 yards after contact per attempt (per PFF). Hull proved in college that he has a three-down skillset with over 1,400 total yards and a 17.3% target share in his final season at Northwestern. Hull is a high-priority handcuff for 2024. If Taylor misses any time, Hull could be this year's Zack Moss.
RIP Tyjae Spears RB1 szn. It was fun while it lasted, but Tony Pollard's arrival has kiboshed that. That doesn't mean Tyjae Spears can't be 2021 Tony Pollard to Tony Pollard in Tennessee. Spears operated as discount De'Von Achane last season, ranking fifth in explosive run rate and 14th in yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). He proved that he can be a three-down explosive play monster as well, ranking seventh in target share, 10th in TPRR, and 17th in YPRR. If the Titans trot out an offense with an above-average neutral rushing rate and Spears can continue his insane efficiency, he will remain a strong RB3 who could finish as a low-end RB2 if this offense surprises people.
Gray will be competing for touches with Devin Singletary and Tyrone Tracy in New York this year. Our expectation is that Singletary will handle early downs with Tracy making an impact on passing downs, so we aren't advising drafting Gray in most redraft leagues at this time. It is worth noting that Gray did have a better rushing profile entering the NFL than Tracy, with 1,366 rushing yards and 11 TDs in his final season at Oklahoma. He also caught 99 passes in four years of college, so he's no slouch there either. But he was also very underwhelming in limited action as a rookie and fifth round picks don't get that many chances. For now, we're only rostering Gray in very deep leagues. That could change with some positive camp reports.
With the Commanders not selecting a running back in last month's draft, Rodriguez profiles as the team's No. 3 option at running back behind Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson,Ben Standig of The Athletic reports. Per Standig, Rodriguez, who's presumably past his late-season ankle issue, appears to be the clear early-down backup to Robinson. However, with Ekeler also in the mix and destined to see plenty of touches, notably in passing situations, Rodriguez doesn't initially have a path to steady volume as the 2024 season approaches. As a rookie, the 2023 sixth-rounder recorded 51 carries for 247 yards and two TDs to go along with two catches for 12 yards in 13 regular-season contests. Also currently in the Commanders' depth RB mix are Jeremy McNichols, Austin Jones and Michael Wiley (thumb).
Gibbs enters his sophomore campaign looking to build off his productive rookie season in 2023. We like Gibbs as a No. 1 running back in all leagues, and he's worth drafting toward the end of Round 1. As a rookie, Gibbs was a star, averaging 16.1 PPR points per game, including six outings with at least 21.5 PPR points in his final 11 contests. Only seven running backs saw more targets than Gibbs' 71, and his 52 catches were tied for the ninth-most at the position. General manager Brad Holmes said in May that Gibbs should "see more of the load" this season, which could come at the expense of David Montgomery, who out-carried Gibbs 219-182. Even if Montgomery continues to get more carries than Gibbs, he should still have the chance for 250-plus total touches. And Gibbs scored 11 total touchdowns in 2023 (10 rushing). Gibbs should have the chance for another big year in 2024.
The hype around Robinson led to first-round Fantasy draft capital in Year 1 in almost all leagues and formats. Those who drafted Robinson were disappointed in his production as he finished with the 17th-most Fantasy points per game (PPR). Former Falcons play caller Arthur Smith afforded Robinson just the 25th-most touches among all RBs as a rookie. The key areas Smith could have gotten Robinson the ball more were in the red zone and in the passing game, and the expectation is that new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will do just that. Zac Robinson joins the Falcons after working on the Rams staff and fresh off a 2023 season where Kyren Williams led all RBs in touches per game. The coaching change plus how the addition of Kirk Cousins raises the ceiling of the entire offense are the two key factors in why Bijan Robinson is being drafted around the same range or earlier (mid-to-late Round 1) than he was as a rookie. Robinson is one of a handful of players who can challenge Christian McCaffrey as the highest-scoring non-QB in 2024.
Zach Charbonnet played a complementary role in Seattle for most of his rookie season. Overall, he finished as the RB48 in fantasy points per game with 141 touches and 671 total yards. In the three games that he played at least 61% of the snaps, he averaged 19.7 touches and 75.3 total yards, with two top-18 running back finishes (RB18, RB13). Charbonnet did prove that he could carry the mail last year and surprised many with his top-20 rankings in explosive run rate (20th) and yards after contact per attempt (11th, per Fantasy Points Data). Charbonnet could eat into Kenneth Walker's work more in 2024, but he's likely best viewed as a high-end handcuff with some stand-alone flex value.
McLaughlin split the snaps with Samaje Perine behind Javonte Williams in the Broncos backfield. He remains off the fantasy radar.