In the process of creating Dynasty Fantasy Football running back tiers something frightening struck me: There are only five running backs I feel universally positive and certain about in Dynasty. Those five running backs are Bijan Robinson, Breece Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffrey, and Jonathan Taylor and they're all found in the top two tiers below. That makes Tier 3 the most interesting tier to me. Some of the guys in that tier will move into the top two tiers very soon, but some will be the biggest losers in Dynasty over the next calendar year.
Travis Etienne, De'Von Achane, Kyren Williams, Jonathon Brooks, James Cook, and Kenneth Walker are the running backs in that tier. The first three in this tier all finished as top-seven running backs in 2023, but they all have reasons they need to prove it again. Jacksonville seems intent on lightening Etienne's load, Achane's efficiency is bound to regress and we have no idea if he can stay healthy, and Williams has new competition in Blake Corum, and a nagging foot injury to overcome. Any of these three could see their value fall early in the season but they could also join Tier 2 in short order.
Cook and Walker are the veterans who haven't quite proven it yet but have shown me enough glimpses. Walker with his wild efficiency and game-breaking ability, Cook with his 20-plus touches after Ken Dorsey took over the offense in the second half of 2023. These are the buys in this tier if you agree with my valuation of them because most people have them at least a tier below Achane and Williams.
The biggest wild card is Brooks. He's a rookie running back recovering from a torn ACL so that probably makes sense from a floor perspective. But don't sleep on his upside. Despite that ACL he nearly snuck into Round 1 and was the first running back drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was incredible when healthy last year, averaging 142.5 yards per scrimmage per game, 6.1 yards per carry, and 11.4 yards per reception. He may get off to a slow start due to the injury, but if we see Carolina use him as the focal point of their offenses in the second half of the season he'll have a chance to join Robinson and Hall in Tier 1. Brooks value may be the most insulated because of his age and the ACL lowering expectations, but if he's stuck in a committee all year long, or struggles to get to 100%, even he could fall a tier or two.
Tier 3 offers the kind of volatility that offers opportunities for profit in Dynasty, but there's no shortage of risk either. That's why none of these six running backs cracked my top two tiers.
Here are my updated Dynasty running back tiers: