In fantasy football, identifying and drafting “sleepers” can give you an edge over your competition and help you win championships. The term “sleeper” can mean different things to different people, so it’s important for me to define what it means when I give advice about my favorite running back sleepers for the upcoming season. I will define a Fantasy Football “sleeper” as a player whose value / average draft position (ADP) is considerably lower than what their Fantasy production can be.
Here are some running back sleepers from last season that would fit this definition:
- Raheem Mostert: RB41 ADP vs RB5 Fantasy finish
- Kyren Williams: RB81 ADP vs RB7 Fantasy finish
- James Cook: RB ADP27 vs RB12 Fantasy finish
- Isiah Pacheco: RB ADP29 vs RB15 Fantasy finish
The following players are running backs that fit my definition of a “sleeper” and can pay off in your lineups for 2024. These running backs are all currently being valued outside the top 24 running backs but can easily produce inside of that and therefore should be targeted in 2024 drafts.
Running Back Sleepers for the 2024 Fantasy Football Season
James Conner, Cardinals
Across James Conner’s final five games in 2023, he averaged:
- 20.8 rushing attempts
- 102.8 rushing yards
- 4.92 yards per attempt
- One rushing touchdown
- 2.6 receptions
- 25.8 receiving yards
- 0.4 receiving touchdowns
During said five-game stretch Conner finished as the RB5, RB11, RB4, RB1, and RB5. What does this mean? It means that at 29 years old Conner still has juice.
Conner has averaged over 15 Fantasy PPG across the last three seasons in a row. When he is on the field, he is a monster. Arizona did draft Trey Benson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, who I like a ton. Benson is the future, but the now is Conner. I expect Arizona to continue utilizing as a workhorse in the final year of his contract. The Cardinals’ offense looks much different in 2024 than in 2023 with a healthy Kyler Murray, an outstanding rookie in Marvin Harrison Jr., and Trey McBride who showed signs of an elite tight end last season. Conner is a candidate for double-digit touchdown scoring and should be a great asset to rosters.
Zack Moss, Bengals
The Bengals signed Zack Moss to a two-year, $8 million contract this off-season after releasing Joe Mixon (now a Texan). Moss finished 2023 with career-highs in rushing attempts (183), rushing yards (794), receptions (27), total touchdowns (seven), and Fantasy PPG (12.1) while filling in for an injured Jonathan Taylor with the Colts. There was plenty of Fantasy upside attached to Zack Moss last season when given volume:
- Week 2: 20.7 Fantasy Points (RB10)
- Week 3: 22.5 Fantasy Points (RB5)
- Week 5: 33.5 Fantasy Points (RB2)
- Week 6: 17.9 Fantasy Points (RB8)
- Week 8: 14.4 Fantasy Points (RB15)
- Week 15: 12.3 Fantasy Points (RB18)
Zack Moss enters a solid Bengals offense as the lead-back in 2024, with minimal competition. 2023 fifth-round rookie, Chase Brown, showed some signs of efficiency last season but did so on under 60 touches. There has been a lot of Brown hype, but I personally cannot justify it with the draft capital, lack of size and athleticism, and a small sample of touches. The Bengals are led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who can work to put Moss into red zone opportunities. You want pieces of good offenses for Fantasy Football, and Moss is lined up to be a big piece of one this coming season.
Tyjae Spears, Titans
As a third-round rookie last season, Tyjae Spears finished with a 52.9% snap share, on a Titans team that featured a healthy Derrick Henry. Spears finished his rookie campaign:
- #9 in targets (70)
- #7 in target share (14.7%)
- #9 in receptions (52)
- #11 in receiving yards (385)
- #6 in yards per touch (5.5)
- #4 in juke rate (26.3%)
- #23 in evaded tackles (40)
- #5 in breakaway run rate (7%)
Entering 2024, the competition in the backfield has shifted from King Henry to Tony Pollard. Pollard is another pass-catching running back who was the defaulted RB1 for Dallas last season, but disappointed vs his expectations when it came to his production. Downgrading the competition in the backfield is a major plus for me. Even if Pollard creates a committee with Spears in 2024, that still should mean plenty of work for the sophomore that can translate to Fantasy Football. Spears finished five weeks as a top 24 Fantasy running back in 2023, and you should expect that to go up this season.
Javonte Williams, Broncos
In 2021, Javonte Williams finished with 903 rushing yards and seven touchdowns paired with 40 receptions. Williams finished with two games over 100 rushing yards, four weeks as a top 10 Fantasy running back, and scored 20+ Fantasy Points three times. Most of this production happened after the Week 11 BYE. Playerprofiler ranked him sixth in evaded tackles and sixth in yards created. 12.1 Fantasy PPG ranked 22nd for the rookie. Unfortunately in Week 4 of 2022, Javonte tore his ACL.
What many people still fail to grasp is that 2023 was a recovery season, following his 2022 ACL tear. We had no idea for a long time what Williams’ actual timeline was. During the first six weeks, Javonte played under 50% of the snaps in five of those games and missed a game. Solid flashes though in 2023 include:
- 15 attempts for 82 rushing yards Week 7
- 85 yards on the ground Week 8
- 79 rushing yards Week 10
- 47 catches on the year
- Four top 12 Fantasy finishes on the year
Javonte Williams is built like a true every-down running back, who evades tackles, breaks them, and is part of the passing game plenty. Workhorse sort of DNA. Jaleel McLaughlin flashed as a change-of-pace back with some receiving abilities in 2023, but has instantly become one of the most overrated running backs this off-season. I did like Audric Estime’s profile out of Notre Dame, but he likely will be fighting for the RB2 role (handcuff). Javonte Williams was once regarded as a future star prior to the injury, which many people forget, and is now a year further from that injury. This is a running back you can lock in for 200+ touches in 2024, which even in a potentially weak Denver offense can translate to Fantasy Football.
Devin Singletary, Giants
What is not talked about enough is the fact that Devin Singletary Weeks 10-18 for the Texans last season:
- #2 in total rushing yards (689)
- #9 in total Fantasy Points scored
- Three top 10 fantasy finishes
- Seven top 24 fantasy finishes
Can you really fluke nine weeks of production? Seems like a stretch. Singletary thrived in Houston at times, but we have seen him flash in windows back when he was in Buffalo as well with seasons of 822 (2022), 870 (2021), and 775 (2019) rushing yards and three seasons of 38+ catches.
This off-season, Singletary was acquired by the New York Giants on a three-year, $16.5 million deal. Singletary’s competition right now looks like fifth-round rookie Tyron Tracy Jr., which basically means he is guaranteed work. Even if the Giants struggle as an offense, you have a running back who was very productive in 2023 with secured volume. Volume is king in Fantasy Football, so at cost, Singletary is a great running back to have on your roster knowing how depleted the position can be by the Fantasy Football playoffs.
Quick-Fire RB Sleepers
- Ezekiel Elliott lands back in Dallas, with only Rico Dowdle who has rushed the ball just 96 times across the last three seasons. Even if Zeke was inefficient for the Patriots last year, he still produced at times when given volume. This is another running back who many may not be in favor but is guaranteed work. Being the RB1 in a solid Dallas offense, with four seasons of over 50 receptions along with four seasons of 12+ total touchdowns may be useful for Fantasy football managers in 2024. It’s strange to list former top RBs as running back sleepers but you’ll see that seems to be a trend for this season.
- Austin Ekeler finished five of his 14 appearances as a top-eight Fantasy running back in 2023, which ended up being a season he dealt with injuries and was not utilized to his strengths at times. Resume: seasons of 107 (2022), 70 (2021), and 92 (2019) receptions along with three seasons averaging over 19 Fantasy PPG. Washington signed Ekeler this off-season and knows what they are bringing in. Do not be surprised if Ekeler finishes 2024 with 50+ receptions and 200+ touches in a bounce-back year for Fantasy. All it takes is one down season for the echo chamber to say a guy sucks, and that is the market feel for Ekeler.
- Gus Edwards likely opens up the season as the Chargers’ RB1. Gus Bus finished with career-highs in rushing yards (810), receptions (12), total touchdowns (13), and Fantasy PPG (11) in 2023 with Baltimore. Call Edwards a sleeper to cap off the season, but do not be shocked if sixth-round rookie Kimani Vidal ends up fitting the definition later into the season. Vidal rushed for 1,132 yards in 2022 and 1,1661 yards in 2023 for Troy with double-digit touchdowns in both of those seasons. Vidal could have the juice that Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins are not able to provide.
- Blake Corum may be looked at as just a handcuff for Kyren Williams, but he could end up being much more than that in 2024. 3,737 rushing yards, 58 rushing touchdowns, 56 receptions, 411 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns through his career at Michigan. Corum carried the National Champions at times. Far too productive of a running back, who will bring a lot to the Rams, to just sit and watch Kyren at the end of the day.
- Ray Davis was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft. Davis’ compact build and toughness could mean creating somewhat of a committee with James Cook as the new “Latavius Murray” who can earn short-yardage work along with red zone work.
- Antonio Gibson has caught between 42-48 passes in each of the last three seasons in Washington. Gibson opened up his first two seasons in the NFL scoring double-digit touchdowns. Gibson has also finished seasons with 14.4 (#16/2020), 14.3 (#17/2021), and 11.1 (#28/2022) Fantasy PPG. Now a Patriot, Gibson could carve out a role behind Rhamondre Stevenson that could be Jaylen Warren-like.
- Chuba Hubbard won the starting job in Carolina last season and finished with 902 rushing yards, 39 receptions, 233 receiving yards, and averaged 10.7 Fantasy PPG (#33). I love me some (second-round rookie) Jonathon Brooks, but coming off of an ACL I feel like he is going to be eased into work that might not come until late in 2024. I am not the biggest Hubbard fan, who I feel is inefficient, but I do want to reiterate that volume is king and in the late rounds we are looking for running backs to touch the ball.
Who are your favorite running back sleepers for 2024 fantasy football? Drop some names in the comments below and then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.