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Crafting best ball teams is a bit different than selecting a normal redraft squad. Rosters are usually much deeper in best ball formats and there is usually no roster management throughout the season. Draft your team, sit back, and relax as the system will put the players with the best stats each week into your starting lineup.
Taking boom-or-bust players isn’t as scary in best ball leagues. The weeks that a player thrives, they will be put into your lineup automatically. In the weeks that they struggle, they can be replaced by someone else who performs better.
With all of that in mind, let’s highlight some running backs to consider selecting during your best ball drafts. All ADP (average draft position) data is via Sleeper.
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Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Sleeper ADP: 29, Overall: RB12
Playing in the Chiefs’ high-powered offense already gives Pacheco a leg up against the competition. He missed three games last season but still came away with nine total touchdowns.
He averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which came on the heels of him averaging 4.9 yards per carry during his rookie season. Last season, he took a step forward in the passing game by catching 44 of 49 targets for 244 yards.
Isiah Pacheco scores his third rushing touchdown in two weeks, his sixth of the season, putting him in a 5-way tie for sixth-most in the NFL: pic.twitter.com/ywK4da9qdi
— Brian Fonseca (@briannnnf) December 4, 2023
The depth chart behind Pacheco at running back continues to be underwhelming. Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been a bust and totaled just 70 rushing attempts last season. He’s not going to push Pacheco for work this year, either.
Pacheco received 42 rushing attempts inside the red zone last year and should continue to be busy in that department with Patrick Mahomes still under center.
The Chiefs have also improved at wide receiver with the additions of Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy, which should help them rack up scoring opportunities even more.
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Sleeper ADP: 44, Overall: RB14
After a quiet rookie season, Cook emerged with 1,122 rushing yards on 237 carries last year. He also caught 44 of 54 targets for an additional 445 yards. The downside was that he recorded just two rushing touchdowns. He did somewhat help make up for that by posting four receiving touchdowns.
Latavius Murray is no longer with the Bills, so Cook’s primary backups are a fourth-round rookie in Ray Davis and an underwhelming veteran in Ty Johnson who has never received more than 61 carries in a season.
The Bills have some question marks at wide receiver with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis no longer in town, which could force them to rely even more on their rushing attack. Josh Allen will likely take some touchdown opportunities away from Cook when the Bills get in close, but Cook could be primed for the best season of his career.
Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals
Sleeper ADP: 92, Overall: RB29
Things will look different in the backfield for the Bengals this year with Joe Mixon now on the Texans. He had spent his entire seven-year career with Cincinnati, racking up at least 200 rushing attempts in a season five times.
Despite his efficiency numbers not being the best, Mixon had four seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards. He also had 29 total rushing touchdowns in the last three seasons.
Taking over for Mixon will be the duo of Moss and Chase Brown. Brown, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, had only 44 carries for 179 yards last year. Meanwhile, Moss turned a career-high 183 carries into 794 yards and five touchdowns for the Colts.
Moss can also be a weapon in the passing game, posting three games last year with at least four receptions. There should be no shortage of work inside the red zone for Moss, so he could approach double-digit touchdowns.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Sleeper ADP: 108, Overall: RB34
It’s a new era for the Titans with Derrick Henry no longer on the team. He had been the focal point of their offense, rushing for a least 1,000 yards in five of the last six seasons. In the one year that he failed to reach that threshold, he was limited to just eight games because of injury. Still, he rushed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Tyjae Spears for SIX.
📱: Stream #SFvsTEN on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6kgxvfCtTI
— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024
The Titans brought in Tony Pollard to help replace Henry, but he only averaged 4.0 yards per carry last year while taking on a larger role for the Cowboys. He’s not going to be a featured back like Henry was, especially with Spears in the fold.
Spears averaged 4.5 yards per carry last year and made a mark in the passing game, catching 52 of 70 targets for 385 yards and a touchdown. There is a path for Spears to surpass 150 carries and 70 targets this season. With him currently being selected out of the top 100, he could provide significant value.
Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
Sleeper ADP: 191, Overall: RB52
McLaughlin showed upside during his rookie season last year, averaging 5.4 yards per carry. Two of his best performances came early on.
In Week 4, he posted 104 total yards and a touchdown against the Bears. He followed that up with 89 total yards and another touchdown against the Jets in Week 5. The downside was he never had more than nine carries in a game all year.
McLaughlin will battle veterans Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine for work again. Williams did not look great while returning from ACL, PCL, and LCL tears, recording fewer than 50 rushing yards in a game nine times last year.
He still enters this season as the Broncos’ top option, but he’ll need to improve on the 3.6 yards per carry that he registered last year. There is a chance that McLaughlin could work his way into a larger role as the season moves on, making him a risk well worth taking this late in drafts.
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