Welcome to the first installation of NFL Best Ball tiers. This specific edition is our Best Ball running back tiers, which include looks at Bijan Robinson, Jaleel McLaughlin and pretty much everyone else under the sun.
Tiers help contextualize the gaps in player profiles and provide useful insights when selecting players. For example, a running back tier may only have one player remaining, while receiver or tight end have multiple. In this situation, it may be prudent to select the final running back from this tier.
This piece will break down the running back position into tiers, providing explanation to each. It will also be updated routinely through the summer. Make sure to check out our regularly updated NFL Best Ball rankings and projections page.
Ready to up your Best Ball game to the expert tier? Matt Gajewski has a guide on how to do just that; he breaks down everything, from stacking strategy to specific draft times to general roster construction.
NFL Best Ball Running Back Tiers
Best Ball Running Back Tier 1
Christian McCaffrey
This tier requires little explanation and contains only one player. When healthy, Christian McCaffrey’s combination of overall touches, target volume, and end zone expectation keep him on an island. Regardless of format, McCaffrey should be the top overall running back.
Best Ball Running Back Tier 2
The second tier includes running backs in feature roles with slight concerns.
Breece Hall
The Jets offensive line ranked 30th in pass blocking and 27th in run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), providing Hall’s only concern. Hall touched the ball 299 times last year with 76 of those coming in the pass game. Breaking down to 17.6 touches per game, Hall has one of the most secure roles in football. Behind him, the Jets have day three picks Israel Abanikanda and rookie Braelon Allen, who provide little threat. The return of Aaron Rodgers should provide a boost in efficiency.
Bijan Robinson
Last year’s eighth overall pick, Robinson touched the ball 272 times (16 times per game). The offense expects to take a step forward with Kirk Cousins under center and Raheem Morris (head coach) and Zac Robinson (offensive coordinator) taking the place of Arthur Smith. The overall split between Robinson and Tyler Allgeier remains a slight concern, pushing him behind Hall.
Jonathan Taylor
There is a real case for Taylor at number two overall. In an injury-riddled 2023 season, Taylor averaged 18.8 touches per game. The Colts have one of the shallowest backfields in the league with journeyman Trey Sermon and second-year Evan Hull as the primary backups. Anthony Richardson likely steals some work and maybe some around the goal line. However, with an 8.5 win total and secure workload, Taylor belongs firmly in this bracket.
Best Ball Running Back Tier 3
While the backs in this range all come with a legitimate concern, each has tantalizing upside if their situation breaks right.
Jahmyr Gibbs
A bet on efficiency, Gibbs averaged 15.6 touches per game in a split backfield with David Montgomery. Gibbs did handle 52 targets in 15 games, but Montgomery out-carried Gibbs 17-8 on the goal line last year. The Lions 56.6% pass rate and 10.5 win total indicate that they should continue running heavily. Both are unlikely to pay off their ADPs, but one could outperform expectations.
Saquon Barkley
Despite the Eagles 10.5 win total, a few concerns exist for Barkley. This team only ran FIVE designed running back screens all year and Jalen Hurts accounted for over 45% of the red zone attempts with the Eagles using the “tush push”. They did hire Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator and Jason Kelce retired after starting at center. With these changes, how often do they throw to running backs and how often do they QB sneak? The answer to these questions will go a long way in determining Barkley’s value. The Eagles also retained Kenneth Gainwell and drafted an excellent pass catching back in Will Shipley in round four.
De’Von Achane
Another bet on efficiency, Achane averaged just 11.8 touches per game in 2023. However, he managed 7.8 yards per carry and led the NFL in yards after contact per attempt. Unfortunately, the touches don’t project to increase much with the Dolphins retaining Raheem Mostert and drafting Jaylen Wright in the third round.
Isiah Pacheco
In his second NFL season, Pacheco averaged 17.8 touches per game for the Chiefs. However, this number jumped to 23.3 touches per game in the playoff. Notably, this team let Jerick McKinnon walk in free agency, leaving just Clyde Edwards-Helaire behind Pacheco. The main concern here is Kansas City acquiring another back, which seems unlikely at this point. There is the potential for Pacheco to push for 20 touches per game in a top three NFL offense.
Kyren Williams
Williams averaged 21.7 touches per game for the Rams last year. The Rams have a tendency to ride one back going back to Todd Gurley. However, Williams has battled injury with his 5-foot-9, 194-pound stature. The team also drafted Blake Corum in the third round to presumably provide a change of pace.
Best Ball Running Back Tier 4
All of the running backs in this tier have some barrier to efficiency or a full workload. If everything breaks right, they could climb as high as the second tier.
Derrick Henry
This will be the best offensive environment of Derrick Henry’s career. Unfortunately, it comes in his age-30 season and Baltimore still has Lamar Jackson, Justice Hill, and Keaton Mitchell, who will all siphon some touches. Henry should still come in around his 18.1 touches per game from last year, but his lack of pass game work drops him a tier.
Travis Etienne Jr.
The Jacksonville coaching staff has taken every potential chance to talk about reducing Etienne’s workload. Etienne averaged 19.1 touches per game last year, but his efficiency waned over the latter half of the season. It appears the staff expects an increased role from Tank Bigsby in year two following his early career miscues. Bigsby had two fumbles on 50 carries and three drops on four targets. If Etienne plays last year’s role, he will jump a tier.
Josh Jacobs
Moving over to Green Bay to take the place of Aaron Jones, Jacobs will compete with AJ Dillon and third round rookie Marshawn Lloyd. The concerns remain pass-game work with Lloyd’s profile and Jacobs’ 2023 inefficiency. Last year, Jacobs ranked 47th among 50 backs with at least 100 attempts in yards after contact per attempt. Despite the inefficiency, Jacobs still averaged 20.8 touches per game last year.
Rachaad White
Similar to Cook, White averaged 19.8 touches per game last year. While White has a feature back frame at 214 pounds, his efficiency remains a concern. White ranked 41st among 50 qualifying running backs in yards after contact per attempt. The Buccaneers added fourth round rookie Bucky Irving, upgrading on Sean Tucker and Chase Edmonds.
James Cook
Cook averaged 16.5 touches per game last year, but that number jumped to 20 touches per game over the final four games. Buffalo increased their run rate with a mid-season coordinator change, resulting in an increased role for Cook. Since then, the Bills have installed Joe Brady as their full-time offensive coordinator. They also let Stefon Diggs walk in free agency, leaving them thin at receiver. With that said, Cook is only 190 pounds and the Bills added Ray Davis in the fourth round this year.
Joe Mixon
Like Etienne, Mixon would jump a tier if given last year’s role. Mixon averaged 18.2 touches per game, but his efficiency suffered after Joe Burrow’s injury. Overall, Mixon ranked 44th in yards after contact per attempt last year. However, he moves over to an elite Texans’ offense and will compete with just Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale for touches. Notably, career change of pace runner Devin Singletary iced both last year.
Alvin Kamara
Kamara averaged 19.6 touches per game last year with 75 catches in the pass game. Derek Carr still has a propensity to check the ball down, but the New Orleans beat believes his workload could drop. The team still has Jamaal Williams and Taysom Hill as goal line threats, and many believe second year player Kendre Miller could play an increased role.
Kenneth Walker III
Walker will split time with Zach Charbonnet. He averaged 16.5 touches per game last year but was out-targeted 40-37 by Charbonnet. Charbonnet actually averaged more yards after contact per attempt, but Walker still came in at 21st. If Charbonnet suffers an injury, Walker could be a league winner. However, that is not the most likely outcome, capping his upside.
David Montgomery
The counterpart to Gibbs, Montgomery averaged 16.8 touches per game last year. While Gibbs handles pass work, Montgomery handles goal line work. If Detroit struggles even in the slightest, one or both of these backs will not pay off their ADPs. It should be noted that both were efficient. Montgomery ranked 16th in yards after contact per attempt and Gibbs ranked 17th.
D’Andre Swift
Swift ranked 46th in yards after contact per attempt last year, but the Bears still gave him $24 million dollars. Khalil Herbert ranked 14th in this metric on an inferior 2023 Chicago Bears offense. Swift has played his way out of favor in two offenses already but gets a third shot here.
James Conner
Another player who would occupy a higher team with last year’s workload, Conner will now contend with third round rookie Trey Benson. Conner still showed plenty of juice, averaging 18.1 touches per game. More importantly, he ranked second in yards after contact per attempt, behind only Achane. Also working against him, Arizona has a low 6.5 win total.
Najee Harris
Harris will split time with Jaylen Warren. Last year, Warren averaged 12.4 touches per game to Harris’ 16.7. From an efficiency perspective, Warren ranked third in yards after contact per attempt, while Harris checked in at 14th. Despite the gap in efficiency, Harris comes with first round draft capital, while Warren went undrafted. It has been hard for Pittsburgh to look past this, but new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has never considered draft capital.
Rhamondre Stevenson
New England has a league-low 4.5 win total, a rookie quarterback, and added Antonio Gibson this offseason. With that said, they are still probably more efficient than last year. Stevenson ranked 31st in yards after contact per attempt and averaged 16 touches per game. Still, Gibson could cut into pass work and this team doesn’t look likely to score much.
Aaron Jones
Moving from Green Bay to Minnesota, Jones projects to lead a committee over Ty Chandler. Jones has often battled injury, including last year when he played 11 games. Jones averaged 15.6 touches per game when healthy, but he will now play with a rookie quarterback for a team projected to win 6.5 games.
Best Ball Running Back Tier 5
Tier five consists of committee backs in powerful offenses or feature backs in weak offenses. Much would have to break right for them to approach the top three tiers.
Zamir White
Similar to Moss, White handed 20+ touches in each of Las Vegas’ last four games. Head coach Antonio Pierce routinely mentions his desire to run the ball. Las Vegas only has Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah, and sixth round rookie Dylan Laube behind White. It should be noted that Abdullah and Laube excel on third down, posing threats to White’s pass game work.
Jaylen Warren
Warren will presumably run as the 1B to Harris as the 1A in Pittsburgh. Fortunately for both, Arthur Smith comes in as offensive coordinator. Only three teams ran the ball more than Atlanta last year.
Raheem Mostert
There is merit to ranking Mostert much higher than this, but he enters his age 32 season with Achane and Wright also in the backfield. Last year, he broke 1,000 yards rushing for the first time while averaging 15.6 touches per game. Mostert still showed plenty of juice, ranking fifth in yards after contact per attempt.
Devin Singletary
One of the trickiest players to rank, Singletary moved from Houston to New York this year. Despite his 5-foot-7, 203-pound build, Singletary handled 14.5 touches per game last year. However, he exceeded 18 touches in three of the final four regular season games as Pierce fell out of favor. In New York, his competition will consist of Eric Gray and fifth round rookie Tyrone Tracy. New York has a 6.5 win total and a bottom three offensive line from a season ago, but this could be one of the cheapest feature backs in fantasy football.
Zack Moss
Letting go of Joe Mixon, Cincinnati’s backfield consists of Moss and second year pro Chase Brown. Moss did have seven games with at least 18 touches when Taylor missed time. However, he still only ranked 32nd in yards after contact per attempt. Brown remains a legitimate threat, but the upside is undeniable if Moss can carve out a feature back role.
Jonathon Brooks
The Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks off a November ACL tear with the 46th pick in the second round. While he profiles as a feature back, his injury clouds his workload. Carolina still has Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard on the roster and a bottom-three 4.5 win total.
Tony Pollard
Hyper efficient until his 2023 season, Pollard simply wilted under a full workload last year. While he broke 1,000 yards rushing, Pollard ranked 28th in yards after contact per attempt. His 18.1 touches per game project to decline in Tennessee, but perhaps his efficiency returns under a reduced workload.
Tyjae Spears
A thorn in the side of Henry last year, Spears averaged 8.9 touches per game. This included 70 targets and an efficient profile. Spears ranked 11th in yards after contact per attempt. While early projections have him splitting time with Tony Pollard, Spears’ efficiency dwarfed Pollard last year.
Javonte Williams
Now a year removed from his ACL/LCL tear, Williams should build on his 2023 season. Williams averaged 16.5 touches per game last year, but Denver insisted on a committee. The roster still contains Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin, while Denver spent a fifth round pick on Audric Estime. With a rookie quarterback, it appears they will take a run-heavy approach. However, their 5.5 win total may force them to pass more than desired.
Chase Brown
Brown has gotten a lot of first team reps at Cincinnati training camp.
Rico Dowdle
Dowdle didn’t reach the 100-carry threshold, but he would have ranked 20th in yards after contact per attempt last year. He hasn’t eclipsed 133 carries in a season since high school.
Austin Ekeler
An early season ankle sprain had Ekeler running in mud to the 40th ranked yards after contact per attempt in 2023. Separating the ankle sprain from general decline in play from 29-year-old running backs remains key here. A new regime handpicked Ekeler, while the old regime drafted his counterpart Brian Robinson.
Jerome Ford
Nick Chubb tore his ACL and MCL in Week 2 in horrifying fashion. Likely to start the year on PUP, Jerome Ford could function as a feature back for at least six weeks with only D’Onta Foreman to compete with. Ford averaged 14.6 touches per game in 2023, while ranking 25th in yards after contact per attempt. Chubb’s inevitable return likely puts a ceiling on Ford during the most important weeks of the season, but Chubb’s health cannot be guaranteed.
Gus Edwards
Edwards tentatively projects to lead a Charges backfield split between himself, JK Dobbins, and sixth round rookie Kimani Vidal. There is no doubting Jim Harbaugh’s intention to run the ball, but the split is tough to project. Still, Dobbins tore his Achilles in Week 1 last year after previously tearing his ACL, meniscus, and LCL in 2021.
Best Ball Running Back Tier 6
Tier six consists of valuable committee backs with the potential for larger workloads with injury.
Brian Robinson Jr.
Ezekiel Elliott
Reunited with Dallas, Elliott averaged 13.8 touches per game last year. However, he still proved capable of handling large workloads, following Stevenson’s injury. It wasn’t pretty with Elliott ranking 43rd in yards after contact per attempt, but he still caught 51 balls. Early reports have him running as the 1A over formerly undrafted Rico Dowdle.
Zach Charbonnet
Blake Corum
Ty Chandler
Nick Chubb
Tyler Allgeier
Antonio Gibson
Chuba Hubbard
JK Dobbins
Best Ball Running Back Tier 7
This group consists of pure dart throws. Most have multiple obstacles to a feature role or lack the profile to assume a feature role even with injury.
Ray Davis
Jaleel McLaughlin
Bucky Irving
Trey Benson
Marshawn Lloyd
Khalil Herbert
Braelon Allen
Jaylen Wright
Jordan Mason
Mason has been the direct backup with Elijah Mitchell injured yet again.
Tank Bigsby
Kendre Miller
Injured yet again, Miller is at risk of losing his job to Jamaal Williams
Dameon Pierce
Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Roschon Johnson
Audric Estime
D’Onta Foreman
Will Shipley
Shipley has been mixing in with the first team in training camp.
Elijah Mitchell
Kimani Vidal
Cut candidate
Dylan Laube
Kenneth Gainwell
Keaton Mitchell
Justice Hill
Jamaal Williams
Samaje Perine
Alexander Mattison
Deneric Prince
Trey Sermon
Eric Gray
