Running backs used to play a pivotal role in NFL offenses, but only four running backs who played at least 10 games recorded 20 or more touches per game last season. That number was eight in 2013 and 17 in 2003, so Fantasy football owners have had to adjust their Fantasy football draft strategy. There are still elite running backs going off the board at the top of Fantasy football drafts though, including 49ers star Christian McCaffrey. He finished as the RB1 in Fantasy points last season, racking up more than 2,000 total yards and 21 total touchdowns.
McCaffrey has been a Fantasy football bust multiple times in his career due to injuries, and that is always a concern for his prospective owners. Which other running backs should you consider adding to your 2024 Fantasy football lineups? Before crafting your 2024 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2024 Fantasy football rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Jets running back Breece Hall would significantly outperform his sixth-round Fantasy football ADP in 10-team PPR leagues. The result: Hall rushed 223 times for 994 yards and five scores and was also a dynamic receiver out of the backfield, catching 76 passes for 591 yards and four more scores. He'd wind up finishing as the No. 2 running back in CBS Sports PPR leagues behind only Christian McCaffrey.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020 and nailing Jonathan Taylor's monstrous season in 2021. Additionally, it's called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The 2024 Fantasy football PPR rankings and 2024 Fantasy football standard rankings update multiple times daily, so you're always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2024, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts.Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2024 Fantasy football sleepers
One of the 2024 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Patriots running back Antonio Gibson. The 25-year-old landed in New England this offseason, signing a three-year deal after spending time as a backup in Washington last year. Gibson rushed for 265 yards and one touchdown while catching 48 passes for 389 yards and two more scores.
He adds versatility to New England's offense, joining Rhamondre Stevenson atop the depth chart. Gibson ranked first in missed tackles forced per attempt and eighth in yards after contact per attempt last season, so his ceiling is high as an explosive playmaker. His ability to make plays as a rusher and receiver is why SportsLine's model has him ranked ahead of running backs like Jerome Ford, Ezekiel Elliott and Gus Edwards, who all have a higher ADP.
Another sleeper that SportsLine's Fantasy football rankings 2024 have identified: Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley. The 29-year-old was suspended for the entire 2022 season due to gambling, but he showed his potential in his first season with the Jaguars in 2023. He averaged 13.5 Fantasy points per game, finishing as the WR18 in PPR formats as Jacksonville's leading receiver.
Ridley caught 76 passes for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging more than 13 yards per reception. He is flying under the radar as a Fantasy football sleeper with his new team in Tennessee, playing alongside DeAndre Hopkins and young quarterback Will Levis. The Titans signed Ridley to a $92 million contract, so they are going to do everything they can to get their new playmaker the ball.See which other Fantasy football sleepers 2024 to pick here.
How to find proven 2024 Fantasy football football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising running back you aren't even thinking about. The model says this running back is a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry.You can only see who it is, and the 2024 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2024 Fantasy Football sleepers should you target? And which running back shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2024 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Breece Hall's huge season, and find out.
