These are Sleeper RBs to target in Dynasty Trades!
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In 2023, 12 of the top PPR scorers at the RB position reached the top 24 for the first time in their careers. Seven of these players finished as RB1s. While we marvel at the longevity of players like Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry, it is easy to forget that new players break through at the RB position every year. Players like Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Breece Hall were expensive early rookie draft picks who were always expected to reach this milestone, but many others slip under the radar and wildly beat expectations.
When talent meets opportunity in the NFL and in fantasy football, great things can happen. And when it comes to the RB position, opportunity knocks every season. Sometimes older players regress. Sometimes scheme changes can create new roles, and sometimes there is simply more trust from a coaching staff. Then, there is the tried-and-true “young player beats out older player.” The pathways differ. However, when an under-the-radar player breaks through, dynasty managers rostering them prosper.
Here are a few players to keep an eye on in 2024. None of these players are being treated like RB2 in the open market or in Dynasty Startups, but all could be there at the end of the year in 2024. These are running backs you should be targeting in Dynasty Trades!
Veterans (Third Year in the NFL or More)
Chuba Hubbard | Carolina
Hubbard finished as RB27 last year and just missed being ineligible for this article. But we will cheat a little bit and include him. Hubbard entered the 2023 season as the perceived backup to Miles Sanders, a big free agent signing for Carolina last offseason. He went on to not only beat out Sanders but dominate the backfield production and touches. Hubbard finished with 902 rushing yards and added 39 receptions.
Carolina hired Dave Canales as their new head coach. Canales was the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay last season and oversaw the rise of Rachaad White – one of the better breakout stories of 2023 and the PPR RB4 overall. In Canales’s offense, White finished No. 2 in the NFL with 272 carries and No. 4 among all RBs with 64 receptions. Hubbard could be the next high-volume RB in the Dave Canales offense. If he survives the NFL Draft, then wheels up. A top 15 season could be in the cards, and he one of the cheaper running backs that can be acquired in Dynasty Trades.
Zack Moss | Cincinnati
Last season, Joe Mixon finished as RB6 overall in PPR scoring. Just a year earlier, Mixon finished as RB9. Mixon’s long and productive Bengals career came to a close this offseason as he was shipped off to Houston. The Bengals could afford to live without him as they had already signed their Mixon replacement- Zack Moss. Moss was a surprising addition for some who did not anticipate just how hot the market would be for his services. But when it was all said and done, the Bengals signed Moss for a two-year contract worth $8 million.
Moss has had a long journey to reach this level, with not much fantasy success to speak of in Buffalo after being selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. With Jonathan Taylor away from the team during a long contract dispute, Moss made the most of his early 2023 opportunity and then some. He was No. 3 in the NFL in rushing yards through five games played finished the season with career highs in any offensive category you can think of. Moss finished the season with 986 combined yards and seven TDs. He can build on those numbers with a new opportunity in one of the league’s better offenses.
Zamir White | Las Vegas
White is a Dynasty exercise in patience. When he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, both redraft and dynasty managers alike were excited about his immediate prospects to earn carries as the handcuff RB to Josh Jacobs. What they did not plan for was Jacobs’ explosion that season, finishing as the RB3 overall and leading the NFL in rushing yards. White’s contributions were virtually nonexistent. Year 2 started off with much of the same, with little to no usage stuck behind Jacobs up until late in the season. But when Jacobs went down with injury, it was White’s time to shine.
He ended the season on a tear. White averaged 15 PPR points per game in four starts to end the season, finishing no lower than RB20 in any week during that span. He carried great momentum into the offseason that has now reached a fever pitch with Josh Jacobs signing with Green Bay as a free agent. The Vegas RB job is seemingly White’s to lose. While the NFL Draft will be highly stressful for Dynasty managers rostering White, if they can survive it, the pathway to an RB2 or better finish is there in 2024.
Second Year Players
Zach Charbonnet | Seattle
Charbonnet entered the 2023 NFL Draft as one of the top RBs available. Dynasty Managers were ready to select him early in their rookie drafts if he were to land on several backfields that were perceived to be open. Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks ruined the plan, selecting Charbonnet 52nd Overall (great!), but in the same backfield with 2023 second round draft pick Kenneth Walker (bad!). The clogged backfield limited Charbonnet’s opportunity for immediate success, but there were still signs of future fantasy success.
Charbonnet had more receptions than Walker (33-29) and averaged more yards per carry (4.3-4.1). His receiving ability was evident. He ran the No. 8 most routes among all RBs and was No. 8 in catch rate. This year, with a new coaching staff in town, Charbonnet will have an opportunity to cut into Walker’s touches even more. The combination of size, receiving ability, and efficiency are there. Charbonnet simply needs the opportunity.
Jaleel McLaughlin | Denver
McLaughlin flashed last year as an undrafted free agent from Youngstown State. He was a standout during Denver training camp and earned his way onto the team. He became a red-hot waiver wire addition early in the season and finished with back-to-back top 10 RB finishes in Weeks 4 and 5. McLaughlin eventually came back to earth, and Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine both out-touched the rookie.
Still, there are some indicators that we could see a lot more from McLaughlin in 2024. Metrics wise, he flashed in a number of categories, finishing No. 9 in fantasy points per opportunity, No. 4 in true yards per carry, and No. 6 in juke rate. He finished with 31 receptions despite the presence of Williams and Perine. McLaughlin would need Denver to move on from Perine to take a big next step, or he could simply beat out the soon to be 29-year-old. Denver is an offense that will be in transition in 2024 and is devoid of playmakers. Giving more touches to the elusive McLaughlin would be rational coaching and would make him a dark horse to take a significant leap forward in year two.
Kendre Miller | New Orleans
Alvin Kamara was terrific last season, finishing as RB3 overall in PPR PPG at the RB position. The soon to be 29-year-old showed no signs of slowing down, and in fact, was far more efficient as a receiver than in 2021 or 2022. But in the NFL, father time is undefeated. With the receiving utilization that Kamara received, there are few RBs with as much contingent upside as Kendre Miller.
Miller, a 2023 third round selection out of TCU, is still only 21 years old. His sample size last season was quite limited. He only played in eight games, but still finished with two RB2 finishes. If Miller had returned to TCU and was eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft, he would be considered a top 5 RB in the class. Instead, he costs less in Dynasty than any of the higher ranked incoming rookies despite having NFL experience and the probable handcuff role behind an older RB. Go and buy low on Miller in Dynasty. If Kamara were to miss any time, he would be a weekly RB2. There is a reason the Saints made him a Day 2 selection, and that could be apparent in 2024. Keep him on your radar when negotiating Dynasty Trades.
Chase Brown | Cincinnati
Remember what I said about Moss? The opportunity is also there for Brown. Brown was electric in a limited sample size last year. He reached 22 MPH on a run- the second fastest finish of any RB during the entire 2023 season. A 5th Round pick in the NFL Draft, Brown has elite RB speed with a 4.43 40 yard dash time last year at the NFL Combine.
With Mixon now gone, Brown has familiarity with the coaching staff, and the ability to thrive as a high value touch back who can excel in the receiving game and on explosive runs. He has the sort of big play ability that coaching staffs cannot ignore. Even during peak Joe Mixon seasons, Zac Taylor teams worked in a second RB (hello Samaje Perine in the Super Bowl.) With Mixon how in Houston, Brown will only have to compete with Moss for touches in one of football’s better offenses.
This is a situation where I want exposure to both players in Dynasty as well as Best Ball formats. Neither player costs much and both could provide big returns. If the touches are split, I would expect Brown to be the leading receiver among all Bengals RBs. Therefore, he is a key target in Dynasty Trades.
Rookies
2024 is a rare year where the dynasty marketplace is ice cold on the incoming Rookie RB class. There is not an RB that is expected to be selected in the top 5 of Dynasty rookie drafts. In Superflex leagues, no RB will be selected in the top 8. Sharp Dynasty managers should be looking to acquire second and early third round picks in Dynasty Trades for their rookie drafts right now.
After the NFL Draft, expect for several RBs to gain value when managers start getting excited about “landing spots.” We have seen a rookie RB finish inside the top 20 scorers in PPR for ten straight seasons. There will be opportunities for the 2024 class no matter how many analysts tell you this class is “bad.” (It is better than some think.)
If you liked this Dynasty Trades – Sleeper RB article, check out more from Theo Gremminger here – NFL Free Agency News – 12 Fantasy Football Winners and Losers (playerprofiler.com)
