The Best Running Back to Take in Every Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft

Aug 25, 2023

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The running back is the traditional fantasy football powerhouse. Workhorse back, all-purpose runner, league-winner—a bevy of terms allocated to the long-standing premier fantasy position. Older players like myself remember days when even considering another position in the first round was folly, and grinders like Chris Warren and Barry Foster dominated the gridiron. While things have changed in the modern era of prolific passing offenses and running-back-by-committee philosophies, you can still win or lose a fantasy season off the strong legs of your top two running backs. To help you draft the right backs for your fantasy roster, I’ve highlighted the top targets in each round. Whether you take a running back early or bargain shop in the later rounds, we’ve got you covered!

For this exercise, I’m using 4for4’s powerful Multi-Site ADP tool, focusing on 12-team leagues.

More RB Draft Strategy Content & Tips: RB Rankings | RB Touchdown Outliers | RB Sleepers Values and Breakouts + WRs to Draft in Every Round

Round 1: Christian McCaffrey, 49ers; Austin Ekeler, Chargers

This is the only round where I’m going to list two players, and the reason is simple: If not one of these two, take a wide receiver. The running back value is great this year and there’s no reason to draft a second-tier back in the first round when the Tier 2 to Tier 3 break isn’t that significant at the position. Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler both add so much receiving work and score so many touchdowns that it makes them worth their lofty cost. While both are due for touchdown regression, we say that every year. McCaffrey in particular has been an end-zone machine. He scored seven touchdowns in his rookie year, but since then, has averaged 0.9 touchdowns per game. That’s absurd. And nothing changed when he arrived in San Francisco, as he put up 10 touchdowns in 11 games with the 49ers after arriving via trade. Ekeler has similarly scored a ridiculous 38 touchdowns over the last two seasons and there’s no reason to expect the Chargers offense to decline this year.