Everyone knows where Christian McCaffrey and Breece Hall should be selected.
But with most folks’ fantasy football drafts just around the corner, it’s also crucial to know who the best players to draft are in the later rounds.
There’s been a flurry of activity that has impacted depth charts over the past couple of days, and it’s difficult to know who you should lock onto – or avoid. Don’t worry, I’m here to help while you mock draft to prepare.
Before we dive into some of the best players to select at the RB position, it’s important to clarify what counts as a sleeper in fantasy football rankings.
Different analysts and platforms will have different guidelines for what qualifies a sleeper, but for the purposes of this exercise, we’ll be looking at players outside of the first 10 rounds in 12-team leagues.
We’ll identify several players throughout the data from the latest average draft position (ADP) update, so if you play in a shallow league – or a league that goes 17+ rounds – you’ll be covered.
Here’s a cheat sheet of my top RB sleepers to target when you’re on the clock.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Did you know that Hubbard finished with the ninth-most carries at RB last season? Unfortunately, due to the state of the anemic Panthers offense, that opportunity didn’t turn into elite fantasy production. However, it’s hard to imagine who would’ve set the world on fire with that QB play and the state of their offensive line.
Heading into 2024, the Panthers drafted a talented rookie RB out of Texas in Jonathon Brooks, but he’s set to miss at least the first four games of the year as he recovers from an ACL injury. That means that Hubbard is set to walk right back into the substantial workload he had in 2023, but in what could be a much-improved offense.
The Panthers brought in wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason and spent a premium NFL Draft selection on former South Carolina WR Xavier Legette. Those are moves that figure to dramatically help open things up for Bryce Young going into his second season.
Not only should those moves assist Young and his ability to spread the ball around the field, but it’ll prevent defenses from being able to zero in on the run game. If Hubbard can maintain his substantial role through the first several weeks of the season, he should return immediate dividends from a fantasy standpoint after scoring five touchdowns in 2023.
Even when Brooks does make it back onto the active roster, it’s certainly not a guarantee that he’s going to see 10+ opportunities week in and week out. He’s the future at the position, so the team could choose to bring him along slowly. That would pave the way for Hubbard to return value as a late-round pick and be a contributor off your bench.
Our season-long model has Hubbard as RB34 in PPR, which puts him between Washington’s Brian Robinson Jr. and Miami’s Raheem Mostert. There’s worse company to keep.
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
The signing of former Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones in free agency seemed like a death sentence to Chandler’s fantasy value, but recent moves have moved Chandler back into the conversation.
The Vikings were comfortable letting Myles Gaskin and Kene Nwangwu hit the free agent market, leaving Jones and Chandler as the only options on the roster. Gaskin is back on the practice squad for the time being, but he’s certainly not a threat to steal touches any time soon.
That leaves a 29-year-old Jones as the only player standing in the way of massive volume for Chandler in 2024. It’s important to remember that Jones only played 354 offensive snaps last season as he dealt with a nagging hamstring injury, and those soft-tissue injuries become more and more difficult to shake for RBs as they get older.
Chandler’s proven that he’s not an elite option at the position, but volume is king in fantasy football. Depending on the makeup of your league, he could see enough on his own to be in the Flex conversation each week, and he could skyrocket up in value if Jones were to miss any time this year.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
There aren’t many other players out there who have as much burst and acceleration as McLaughlin. While he didn’t handle a massive workload last season for a poor Broncos offense, he did showcase his talent on numerous occasions.
McLaughlin has the ability to bust big plays, as 15.8% of his carries went for 10+ rushing yards in 2023. That was a higher rate than Detroit Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Miami Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert and Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson – just to name a few.
He also led the NFL in missed or broken tackles forced per touch (.271) among RBs with at least 50 carries and ranked ninth in average yards after first contact (2.27) last season.
There’s no denying the spark he can provide for an offense, but a crowded backfield last season – combined with McLaughlin being in his rookie campaign – left him with little opportunity to see an expanded role. However, 2024 offers a different chance to break out.
Javonte Williams is set to be the starting option, but the RB2 role is up for grabs. Considering what McLaughlin can provide, it won’t be long before we see him gain a steady role in the offense and turn those rushing attempts into fantasy points.
He’s worth the dart throw as RB44 off the board in current consensus rankings (per fantasypros). We have him just slightly above that at RB41 in PPR.
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
Davis is one of my favorite breakout targets in fantasy football right now due to his talent and landing spot. Additionally, he’s being ignored by the vast majority of fantasy managers, which creates a perfect opportunity to swoop in and scoop him up for cheap.
Davis is a powerful RB who combines size with impressive top-end speed and elusiveness. He’s also an incredibly smooth route runner and receiver out of the backfield, which gives him a perfect three-down skill set for today’s NFL.
The Bills have been searching for a complimentary option to James Cook for the last couple of years and they just have not found the right pairing. Davis is the perfect option to step in and be Buffalo’s goal-line TD vulture from Day 1.
He may not see enough work to be relevant right out of the gate, but keep him on your bench as he’ll be a coveted option before too long.
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
The hype for Bigsby was there entering last year due to his opportunity to step in alongside Travis Etienne in the Jaguars backfield. Unfortunately, Bigsby wasn’t able to produce right away and he hit waiver wires everywhere within the first couple weeks of the season.
However, the news surrounding Bigsby heading into 2024 has been completely different. The coaching staff has been raving about his progress in training camp and they’ve been vocal about their desire to easy Etienne’s workload throughout the preseason.
Bigsby could see enough work on his own to be in Flex consideration certain weeks, but he holds immense upside if Etienne were to miss any time. For a player who’s being drafted outside of the top 215 in overall ADP, he’s worth taking a flyer on in the final rounds of your fantasy draft.
Dylan Laube, Las Vegas Raiders
Laube will probably go undrafted in your typical league, but if you’re looking for a hidden gem in a deeper league, he’s worth considering.
Laube is a rookie out of New Hampshire who fits the role of what the Raiders are looking for alongside Zamir White. White’s a big, bruising RB who’s going to be able to withstand a significant workload, but he lacks refinement as a pass catcher and has never truly been utilized much in that fashion.
Laube, however, can thrive in that role and should step in as the third-down option for this unit at some point. Given that the Raiders will likely be throwing the ball frequently while playing from behind this season, Laube could pile up some receptions and should be on the fantasy radar in PPR formats.
Stash him away until he becomes a key part of the Las Vegas offense.
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