The Best Running Back to Take in Every Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft
The running back position continues to be pushed down fantasy draft boards as the NFL becomes increasingly pass-heavy. Even “run-heavy” offenses are only a Diet Rite version of their contemporaries from the past. The most extreme versions of these offenses in 2024, the Eagles (52.7%), Packers (52.1%), and Colts (50.3%), were still hovering around a 50:50 pass-to-run ratio in neutral game scripts last season.
This means RB values slide into the fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds and beyond. Below, we will go round-by-round and highlight my favorite back to take in every single round.
* Note: we'll be using 4for4’s Multi-Site tool for ADP
Round 1: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs’ rushing role expanded in Year 2, though his 46.8% share of team carries still ranked just 24th among running backs, with veteran David Montgomery continuing to handle much of the short-yardage work. Even so, Gibbs’ goal-line involvement quietly grew, jumping from 11 inside-the-five attempts as a rookie to 17 last year (10th in the league). The real prize remains his role in the passing game, where he ran routes on nearly half of Detroit’s dropbacks, posted an 11.1% target share, and finished top-11 in both yards and fantasy points per route.
If Montgomery misses time at any point, Gibbs has overall RB1-in-fantasy upside. Even with Montgomery healthy, his combination of receiving work and goal-line chances gives him one of the safest and highest-ceiling profiles you can land in Round 1.
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