Drafting the running back position is a divisive topic within the fantasy community. Some people believe that running back is by far the most important position in fantasy football, and auction drafters should plan to allocate a large portion of their budget to running backs. On the other hand, Zero RB truthers would make the case for spending a limited amount of your budget on running backs and embracing the chaos and uncertainty of the position.
Most drafters fall somewhere within the middle. Spending up to grab two of the top-10 RBs is likely not ideal, but failing to address the position until names like D'Andre Swift are nominated will likely be a mistake. Finding a balance that works for your preferences and budget is key.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2024 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet
The beauty of auction drafts is that you can "game the system" to a degree. Taking advantage of poor budgeting from other managers can pay off in a big way. The most obvious way is by nominating players who are not targets for you. Let's say there are some upper or mid-tier running backs whose outlooks are shaky in your eyes. Nominating those players, allowing other drafters to burn their budgets, and then pouncing on the players who you are bullish on can lead to a running back room that you love.
2024 PPR Rankings
Top 250 Overall | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
Leaving room in your budget for your favorite sleepers is crucial too. Each year, a few running backs emerge from the depths of drafts to be true difference makers. The managers who spent less than $10, or potentially zero dollars, on Raheem Mostert, De'Von Achane, or Kyren Williams were quite pleased with their plan of attack at running back.
2024 FANTASY SLEEPERS
QB | RB | WR | TE | Every Team
It's important to not get too out of line with sleeper options. It's fun to have strong takes on late-round players, but every player has a price where it becomes too expensive. Chase Brown is quickly becoming a trendy pick, but there is no reason to spend 20+ dollars on him.
While overpaying for players is a poor choice, not having a general idea of how you want to attack running back in your draft is arguably worse. Using the projected prices for each player, you can get an idea of how to plan out your running back budget while formulating an overall draft plan. A combination of preparation and flexibility is the key to success in an auction draft.
2024 FANTASY AUCTION VALUES (PPR & STANDARD)
Overall | QB | WR | TE | DEF/ST | K
We'll continue updating these RB auction values until Week 1, so check back periodically for updates.
To get customized dollar values tailored to your league settings, check out FantasyPros' premium Auction Calculator. For customized mock auctions that you can do in minutes, check out FantasyPros' premium Salary Cap Simulator.
Fantasy Football RB Auction Values 2024: Running back dollar projections for PPR leagues
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
Scoring based on full-point PPR formats.
All players not listed are valued at $0
Our latest update reflects changes following cut-down day when teams pared their rosters down to 53 players.
| RANK | PLAYER | VALUE |
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey, SF | $65 |
| 2 | Breece Hall, NYJ | $50 |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson, ATL | $48 |
| 4 | Saquon Barkley, PHI | $39 |
| 5 | Jonathan Taylor, IND | $37 |
| 6 | Jahmyr Gibbs, DET | $34 |
| 7 | Alvin Kamara, NO | $32 |
| 8 | Kyren Williams, LAR | $31 |
| 9 | Travis Etienne Jr., JAC | $31 |
| 10 | Rachaad White, TB | $30 |
| 11 | Derrick Henry, BAL | $30 |
| 12 | James Cook, BUF | $29 |
| 13 | Isiah Pacheco, KC | $28 |
| 14 | De'Von Achane, MIA | $28 |
| 15 | Josh Jacobs, GB | $28 |
| 16 | Joe Mixon, HOU | $26 |
| 17 | Kenneth Walker III, SEA | $22 |
| 18 | Aaron Jones, MIN | $20 |
| 19 | Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | $18 |
| 20 | David Montgomery, DET | $17 |
| 21 | Zamir White, LV | $16 |
| 22 | James Conner, ARI | $16 |
| 23 | Najee Harris, PIT | $15 |
| 24 | Javonte Williams, DEN | $14 |
| 25 | D'Andre Swift, CHI | $14 |
| 26 | Raheem Mostert, MIA | $13 |
| 27 | Jaylen Warren, PIT | $13 |
| 28 | Tony Pollard, TEN | $13 |
| 29 | Devin Singletary, NYG | $11 |
| 30 | Brian Robinson Jr., WAS | $11 |
| 31 | Austin Ekeler, WAS | $11 |
| 32 | Tyjae Spears, TEN | $11 |
| 33 | Zack Moss, CIN | $11 |
| 34 | Chase Brown, CIN | $10 |
| 35 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | $9 |
| 36 | Jerome Ford, CLE | $8 |
| 37 | Gus Edwards, LAC | $7 |
| 38 | Jonathon Brooks, CAR | $6 |
| 39 | Nick Chubb, CLE | $6 |
| 40 | J.K. Dobbins, LAC | $5 |
| 41 | Chuba Hubbard, CAR | $5 |
| 42 | Antonio Gibson, NE | $5 |
| 43 | Ty Chandler, MIN | $5 |
| 44 | Rico Dowdle, DAL | $5 |
| 45 | Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN | $5 |
| 46 | Zach Charbonnet, SEA | $5 |
| 47 | Tyler Allgeier, ATL | $5 |
| 48 | Blake Corum, LAR | $4 |
| 49 | Trey Benson, ARI | $4 |
| 50 | Khalil Herbert, CHI | $4 |
| 51 | Bucky Irving, TB | $2 |
| 52 | MarShawn Lloyd, GB | $1 |
| 53 | Ray Davis, BUF | $1 |
| 54 | Jamaal Williams, NO | $1 |
| 55 | Jordan Mason, SF | $1 |
| 56 | Alexander Mattison, LV | $1 |
For full RB PPR rankings, click here.
Fantasy Football RB Auction Values 2024: Running back dollar projections for standard, Non-PPR leagues
Dollar values courtesy of FantasyPros and based on 12-team leagues with $200 budgets.
Scoring based on Non-PPR formats.
All players not listed are valued at $0
Our latest update reflects changes following cut-down day when teams pared their rosters down to 53 players.
| RANK | PLAYER | VALUE |
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey, SF | $64 |
| 2 | Breece Hall, NYJ | $47 |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson, ATL | $45 |
| 4 | Jonathan Taylor, IND | $42 |
| 5 | Saquon Barkley, PHI | $40 |
| 6 | Derrick Henry, BAL | $38 |
| 7 | Kyren Williams, LAR | $36 |
| 8 | Jahmyr Gibbs, DET | $32 |
| 9 | Isiah Pacheco, KC | $31 |
| 10 | Travis Etienne Jr., JAC | $31 |
| 11 | Josh Jacobs, GB | $30 |
| 12 | James Cook, BUF | $29 |
| 13 | De'Von Achane, MIA | $28 |
| 14 | Joe Mixon, HOU | $28 |
| 15 | Rachaad White, TB | $28 |
| 16 | Kenneth Walker III, SEA | $27 |
| 17 | Alvin Kamara, NO | $25 |
| 18 | David Montgomery, DET | $23 |
| 19 | Aaron Jones, MIN | $19 |
| 20 | Zamir White, LV | $19 |
| 21 | Najee Harris, PIT | $18 |
| 22 | James Conner, ARI | $18 |
| 23 | Raheem Mostert, MIA | $17 |
| 24 | Rhamondre Stevenson, NE | $17 |
| 25 | D'Andre Swift, CHI | $15 |
| 26 | Tony Pollard, TEN | $15 |
| 27 | Javonte Williams, DEN | $14 |
| 28 | Brian Robinson Jr., WAS | $14 |
| 29 | Devin Singletary, NYG | $13 |
| 30 | Zack Moss, CIN | $13 |
| 31 | Gus Edwards, LAC | $12 |
| 32 | Jaylen Warren, PIT | $12 |
| 33 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL | $10 |
| 34 | Chase Brown, CIN | $10 |
| 35 | Tyjae Spears, TEN | $10 |
| 36 | Austin Ekeler, WAS | $9 |
| 37 | Jerome Ford, CLE | $9 |
| 38 | Nick Chubb, CLE | $9 |
| 39 | Jonathon Brooks, CAR | $8 |
| 40 | J.K. Dobbins, LAC | $7 |
| 41 | Ty Chandler, MIN | $7 |
| 42 | Chuba Hubbard, CAR | $7 |
| 43 | Blake Corum, LAR | $7 |
| 44 | Rico Dowdle, DAL | $6 |
| 45 | Tyler Allgeier, ATL | $6 |
| 46 | Trey Benson, ARI | $6 |
| 47 | Khalil Herbert, CHI | $6 |
| 48 | Jaleel McLaughlin, DEN | $5 |
| 49 | Antonio Gibson, NE | $5 |
| 50 | Zach Charbonnet, SEA | $5 |
| 51 | Bucky Irving, TB | $4 |
| 52 | Jordan Mason, SF | $4 |
| 53 | MarShawn Lloyd, GB | $3 |
| 54 | Alexander Mattison, LV | $3 |
| 55 | Braelon Allen, NYJ | $3 |
| 56 | Ray Davis, BUF | $3 |
| 57 | Jamaal Williams, NO | $3 |
| 58 | Tyrone Tracy Jr., NYG | $3 |
| 59 | C. Edwards-helaire, KC | $2 |
| 60 | Tank Bigsby, JAC | $1 |
For full RB Non-PPR rankings, click here.