Ladies and gentlemen, start your fantasy addictions. The 2024 NFL season kicks off this Thursday. That means it is time for the most wonderful time of the year. Fantasy football brings people together, but one thing will have your league members hating you. That is if we can help you identify the top running back sleepers and streamers and get that win in Week 1.
Running Back Sleepers and Streamers for Week 1
Sleepers
Blake Corum @ Detroit Lions
The hype began back in his time at Michigan. Then, Blake Corum was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. Kyren Williams is still there, but Sean McVay is still the head coach. The man who always has something up his sleeve. It was reported last week that Kyren Williams will be returning punts for the Rams this season. That has made managers of Williams very concerned and has made Corum the best handcuff in the NFL.
Corum saw 58 touchdowns in his college career with 27 of them happening his senior season. With day 2 draft capital, it is clear that the Rams will be utilizing Corum. I would not be surprised if Corum is quiet in his debut, but in deeper leagues, he is worth the start. The Rams are fully healthy on offense in terms of their weapons. With Williams set to return punts, there is a great shot Corum can find the endzone. For that reason, he’s one of my favorite running back sleepers in Week 1.
Ray Davis vs. Cardinals
The biggest question for the Buffalo Bills is how the offense will look. Josh Allen is there, but he lost his top two weapons in the passing game this off-season. Will the Bills lean on James Cook and rookie Re’Mahn Davis, better known as Ray Davis? Davis spent five seasons in college and is more than ready to make an impact. Standing at 5’9 and weighing in at 215lb, he is a threat to James Cook at the goal line. Teams like the Bills, Ravens, and Eagles have running backs who will see a lot of red zone carries to preserve their elite quarterbacks.
It gets better as the Bills face the Cardinals. The Cardinals allowed the most fantasy ppg to running backs and 119 YPG. James Cook is the team’s lead running back, but I expect Davis to find the endzone with around 40 yards. In deeper leagues or if you want to risk it for the biscuit, start him in Week 1.
Streamers
Raheem Mostert vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
With a career full of injuries, Raheem Mostert has played in 31 games the past two seasons. In his other seven seasons, he played in 43 games. That said, Mostert went BONKERS last year being the best draft pick in recent memory. Going in double-digit rounds, Mostert finished as the RB4 in ppg and had 21 total touchdowns last season. Now, the hype is around De’Von Achane and with good reason. This has made people forget about Mostert. The Miami Dolphins with Mike McDaniel will continue to have one of the best and most creative offenses in the NFL.
Achane has been seen lining up at receiver and I doubt McDaniel will let Jaylen Write see more playing time than Mostert. With an in-state matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, I expect Mostert to exceed expectations and find the end zone once again like he did all last season. I would start Mostert confidently and he is my favorite running back in Week 1’s sleepers and streamers.
Devin Singletary vs. Minnesota Vikings
This game screams “MID OFF” or “BATTLE FOR THE NUMBER ONE PICK”. The Minnesota Vikings are expected to struggle this season. The New York Giants with Daniel Jones as their quarterback will experience the exact same dilemma.
Devin Singletary has found a new home with the Giants, too. At the end of the day, Brian Daboll is an amazing coach and can make it work with what he has. Singletary will be the team’s lead running back and he sees work in the receiving department. To the ZeroRB managers out there, Singletary is a perfect streamer for Week 1 of the NFL season.
Check out the rest of our Week 1 Sleepers and Streamers!
Still got one more draft left to go? Then make sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.