It is getting tougher to find elite value at the running back position, as last year only six players posted 300 or more scrimmage plays (defined as rushes and receptions). That isn't an unusually low number, as there have been six or fewer 300+ scrimmage play candidates in seven of the past ten years.

Having noted this, this year has a tremendous volume of quality running back candidates, as per my grading system there are 12 elite fantasy running backs to go along with another 19 players who rate as strong starting options.

This article will help you navigate those 31 candidates and the top roster depth picks by providing rankings and draft strategies for each tier.

Running back tiers

As first detailed in my quarterback rankings review, here are the parameters for this review.

My draft guide (available here) has five color-coded ranking tiers: blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. The blue tier is for elite fantasy prospects. Green indicates a strong starter, while yellow indicates a solid deep league starter who is better suited as a backup in most leagues. An orange rating designates that player as only viable as a backup in deep leagues, while a red rating indicates the player should not be rostered outside of very rare league types.

Now that we have that established, let's dive into the rankings for the blue-rated running backs.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Breece Hall, New York Jets
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Christian McCaffrey is the consensus No. 1 pick by a wide margin, but fantasy managers may get as much value out of Bijan Robinson. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has been very vocal about giving Robinson as many carries and receptions as he can handle, so Robinson should almost certainly be one of those aforementioned 300+ scrimmage play bell cows. Combine that with Atlanta having the most favorable rush defense schedule and it could make Robinson the best pick in this group.

Those two and Breece Hall are truly the best of this bunch, as everyone else in this tier has some potential carry competition (either in general, or for goal line carries in the cases of Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Derrick Henry) that will cap their overall value below that trio.

The key draft strategy to remember is that there are 12 players in this tier, which is enough for every team in a 12-team league to score at least one of these players. Combine that with the volume of wide receivers who will be selected in the first two rounds and it's possible for many teams to end up with two blue-rated running backs for those fantasy managers who want to stock up at this position.

Next up are the green-rated running backs.

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals
Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

This is a tier where fantasy managers should be able to shop for value, as some of these players will still be on draft boards as late as Rounds 8 or 9.

Some of those best values will be via players who have opportunities to split carries in powerhouse offenses. Raheem Mostert lands in that category, as he actually scored more points per game last year than De'Von Achane. David Montgomery is another in this category, as even though the Lions have indicated they will give Gibbs plenty of additional work, they are more likely to do that via the passing game and keep Montgomery busy as the main cog in their power-based offense.

Other value plays here are those who posted high fantasy points per play marks in 2023. This includes Tyjae Spears, who drastically outpaced Tony Pollard on a points per play basis and thus could turn this backfield into a platoon. Jaylen Warren has a similar situation with Najee Harris, but the surprise here may be Chase Brown, as the Bengals will look to incorporate his big-play ability into this offense as much as possible.

That value shopping should result in most fantasy managers in 12-team leagues being able to garner at least three blue- or green-rated running backs, and savvy managers will find a way to stock their roster with at least four of these players.

Now let's go over the yellow-rated candidates.

Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Zamir White, Las Vegas Raiders
Devin Singletary, New York Giants
Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals
Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills

With 16 players in the yellow-rated category, no fantasy manager should be without quality depth at this position, yet the reality is there are options to potentially build starter-caliber value in this tier.

Take Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Elliott isn't an impact rusher anymore, but late last year in New England he showed he is a capable pass catcher and thus has value in PPR leagues. Combine that with Dowdle, who may end up as the Cowboys lead rusher, and a fantasy manager can acquire a starter-caliber tandem for very little draft day cost.

This is also a great area for lottery picks, as someone like Ray Davis, who was second in the SEC in rushing touchdowns last season, could end up as the Bills goal line back and thus earn strong spot start value for a last round selection (although he may be even better suited as a waiver pick).

One other thing to keep in mind here is that many of these yellow-rated running backs are great, low-cost insurance policies for the blue- or green-rated running backs. Doing this is a great way to protect your initial investment while also in many cases getting a good share of spot starts.

Finally, for those in deep leagues, here are the orange-rated candidates.

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Pierre Strong Jr., Cleveland Browns
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers