Welcome back, RotoBallers! Week 1 is officially underway, and it's time to nail your first start-or-sit decisions of the year. Today we will go over our NFL team's updated Week 1 fantasy football running back rankings for 2024. Let's see where key players such as Bijan Robinson, Kyren Williams, De'Von Achane, Rachaad White, James Conner, J.K. Dobbins, Chase Brown, and more, rank for Week 1.
Our running back fantasy football rankings for Week 1 are put together by Nick Mariano, Brandon Murchinson, Scott Engel, and Andersen Pickard. In addition to our staff rankings, below you will also find a summary of the important fantasy football injury news for this week. There are always key injuries to keep track of, so be sure to check back until kickoff.
Be sure to bookmark our fantasy football rankings portal and check back regularly for updates. Most importantly, our free mobile app is a must-have - download it and configure your push notifications. We deliver all the top NFL news, injuries, and fantasy analysis 24x7 with our free push notification alerts... all for free!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Week 1 Running Backs Fantasy Football News and Injuries
- James Conner Retaining Starting Role In Week 1
- Devin Singletary A Risky Fantasy Start In Week 1
- Josh Jacobs Shakes Off Rough First Half, Posts Solid Line In Week 1 Loss
- Rhamondre Stevenson Is Patriots' Top Fantasy Option
- Saquon Barkley Dominant In Philly Debut
- Chase Brown Draws Flex Consideration In Week 1
- Zack Moss May Be Featured In Week 1
- Jerome Ford A High-End RB3 In Season Opener
- Jaylen Warren Removed From Injury Report
- Christian McCaffrey Says He'll Play In Week 1 After Another Limited Practice
- MarShawn Lloyd Inactive For Friday's Game Against The Eagles
Week 1 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football
Be sure to bookmark our weekly PPR rankings, Half-PPR rankings, Standard rankings.
RB Tier |
RB Rank |
Player Name |
Pos. | Overall Rank |
1 | 1 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | 3 |
1 | 2 | Bijan Robinson | RB | 4 |
1 | 3 | Breece Hall | RB | 8 |
1 | 4 | Jonathan Taylor | RB | 10 |
1 | 5 | Saquon Barkley | RB | 11 |
1 | 6 | Travis Etienne Jr. | RB | 13 |
2 | 7 | De'Von Achane | RB | 16 |
2 | 8 | Jahmyr Gibbs | RB | 17 |
2 | 9 | Rachaad White | RB | 20 |
3 | 10 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | 23 |
3 | 11 | Isiah Pacheco | RB | 25 |
3 | 12 | Josh Jacobs | RB | 26 |
3 | 13 | Derrick Henry | RB | 27 |
3 | 14 | Alvin Kamara | RB | 30 |
3 | 15 | James Cook | RB | 31 |
3 | 16 | Kyren Williams | RB | 32 |
3 | 17 | Joe Mixon | RB | 36 |
4 | 18 | Aaron Jones | RB | 48 |
4 | 19 | James Conner | RB | 52 |
4 | 20 | D'Andre Swift | RB | 62 |
4 | 21 | Javonte Williams | RB | 64 |
4 | 22 | David Montgomery | RB | 65 |
5 | 23 | Zamir White | RB | 67 |
5 | 24 | Rhamondre Stevenson | RB | 68 |
5 | 25 | Brian Robinson Jr. | RB | 70 |
5 | 26 | Raheem Mostert | RB | 72 |
5 | 27 | Jerome Ford | RB | 71 |
5 | 28 | Devin Singletary | RB | 74 |
5 | 29 | Chuba Hubbard | RB | 77 |
5 | 30 | Najee Harris | RB | 78 |
6 | 31 | Zack Moss | RB | 79 |
6 | 32 | Tony Pollard | RB | 80 |
6 | 33 | Jaylen Warren | RB | 92 |
6 | 34 | Chase Brown | RB | 94 |
7 | 35 | Tyjae Spears | RB | 101 |
7 | 36 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | 104 |
8 | 37 | Gus Edwards | RB | 105 |
8 | 38 | Austin Ekeler | RB | 106 |
8 | 39 | J.K. Dobbins | RB | 112 |
8 | 40 | Rico Dowdle | RB | 116 |
8 | 41 | Jaleel McLaughlin | RB | 124 |
8 | 42 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | 127 |
8 | 43 | Antonio Gibson | RB | 143 |
9 | 44 | Ty Chandler | RB | 144 |
9 | 45 | Samaje Perine | RB | 145 |
9 | 46 | Blake Corum | RB | 147 |
9 | 47 | Zach Charbonnet | RB | 148 |
9 | 48 | D'Onta Foreman | RB | 151 |
9 | 49 | Ray Davis | RB | 155 |
10 | 50 | Khalil Herbert | RB | 161 |
10 | 51 | Jaylen Wright | RB | 167 |
10 | 52 | Jamaal Williams | RB | 170 |
10 | 53 | Roschon Johnson | RB | 180 |
11 | 54 | Alexander Mattison | RB | 182 |
11 | 55 | Bucky Irving | RB | 184 |
11 | 56 | Miles Sanders | RB | 186 |
11 | 57 | Justice Hill | RB | 189 |
11 | 58 | Trey Benson | RB | 192 |
11 | 59 | Kenneth Gainwell | RB | 196 |
12 | 60 | Tank Bigsby | RB | 200 |
12 | 61 | Emanuel Wilson | RB | 201 |
12 | 62 | Jordan Mason | RB | 207 |
12 | 63 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | RB | 209 |
13 | 64 | Cam Akers | RB | 210 |
13 | 65 | Braelon Allen | RB | 211 |
13 | 66 | Cordarrelle Patterson | RB | 212 |
13 | 67 | Dameon Pierce | RB | 215 |
13 | 68 | Kimani Vidal | RB | 218 |
13 | 69 | Dalvin Cook | RB | 219 |
13 | 70 | Pierre Strong Jr. | RB | 220 |
13 | 71 | Carson Steele | RB | 221 |
14 | 72 | Dylan Laube | RB | 223 |
14 | 73 | Will Shipley | RB | 224 |
15 | 74 | Deuce Vaughn | RB | 228 |
15 | 75 | Eric Gray | RB | 230 |
15 | 76 | Audric Estime | RB | 231 |
15 | 77 | Trey Sermon | RB | 232 |
15 | 78 | D'Ernest Johnson | RB | 234 |
15 | 79 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | RB | 240 |
15 | 80 | Ty Johnson | RB | 241 |
15 | 81 | Isaac Guerendo | RB | 243 |
15 | 82 | Kyle Juszczyk | RB | 247 |
15 | 83 | Tyler Goodson | RB | 255 |
15 | 84 | Ameer Abdullah | RB | 259 |
15 | 85 | Evan Hull | RB | 260 |
15 | 86 | Raheem Blackshear | RB | 265 |
15 | 87 | Emari Demercado | RB | 267 |
15 | 88 | Ronnie Rivers | RB | 271 |
15 | 89 | Israel Abanikanda | RB | 281 |
16 | 90 | Jeff Wilson Jr. | RB | 282 |
16 | 91 | Alec Ingold | RB | 284 |
16 | 92 | Isaiah Davis | RB | 292 |
Week 1 Running Back Outlooks for Fantasy Football
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Fantasy Football Outlook
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is coming off a breakout campaign with the organization in 2023. He racked up 1,539 scrimmage yards as White has proven to be a reliable option in both the running and receiving game. The Bucs added Bucky Irving in the fourth round of this year's draft. However, there's no one really challenging White, as he's the clear-cut leadback heading into the regular season.
He'll kick off the season with a favorable matchup against the Washington Commanders. A defensive unit that got torched for 19 touchdowns to opposing running backs last season. White should once again be an essential piece in this offense, with little changes being made on the offensive side of the ball. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable plugging White in as their RB2 for Week 1.
- Andy Webb, RotoBaller
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals - Fantasy Football Outlook
When the Arizona Cardinals open their season on Sunday, it will mark running back James Conner's eighth as a pro and his fourth with the team. Since joining the Cardinals in 2021, Conner has the eleventh-most carries in the league despite missing seven games due to injury over the last two seasons and starting only six games in 2021.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing recently told the media that Conner is "the bell cow in that room," signaling he will maintain his role despite rookie Trey Benson's presence on the depth chart. In 2023, Conner turned in his first 1,000-yard season and finished with the third-most rushing yards per game (80.0).
The Buffalo Bills have a stout defense, but last season had a weakness against running backs, allowing 4.4 yards per carry (eighth-worst in the NFL) and 6.33 yards per target (fourth-worst) to the position. Conner can be started as a solid RB2 option in Week 1.
- Dan Stephens, RotoBaller
Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals - Fantasy Football Outlook
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown ran for 179 yards off 44 carries in his rookie season, adding 14 grabs for 156 yards and a touchdown. With Joe Mixon now in Houston, many anticipate the 24-year-old will be more involved than ever. Granted, Cincinnati signed Zack Moss to a two-year deal this offseason, so he'll also be on the field. However, there's a good chance both players will split carries equally out of the backfield throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
With that in mind, the Bengals will begin the year with a Week 1 matchup versus the New England Patriots. But Ja'Marr Chase (not injury-related) and Tee Higgins (hamstring) may not suit up. If that's the case, Brown deserves flex consideration in every fantasy format, considering he may see more carries and targets from Joe Burrow.
- Dennis Clausen, RotoBaller
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