We asked our staff to plant their flag on players this fantasy season. These are the guys they want and have big hopes for this season. Let’s take a look at our staff’s running back flag plants.
Ty Recino: Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Give me Chuba! Scared of Rico Dowdle taking carries away from Chuba Hubbard? That’s been the talk all offseason since his signing. I have ZERO fears over that, ZERO. Rico wasn’t even wanted back by the Dallas Cowboys, who let him walk in free agency. The same Cowboys that are going to have Jaydon Blue and Javonte Williams carrying the load for them. Even if the Panthers take away some playing time from Chuba, it’s not enough to warrant any real concern. Chuba earned a 4-year, $33.2 million extension for a reason. The Panthers just cut Miles Sanders, and Jonathon Brooks is out again for the year, with Dowdle as his only competition. Give me Chuba all day. The Panthers also went out and drafted Tet McMillan for Bryce Young, and I think Bryce will improve in year 2. I see this offense being better than last year and putting up more than 20.1 points per game. I can see them being a 23-25 points per game team, which just means more scoring opportunities for Chuba. He was already worth the value alone, but more touchdowns = me wanting him all day. If he falls to me in round 4, he’s arguably the easiest smash there is. Chuba is going to win people some fantasy leagues.
Aaron Weiner: Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Mason was an absolute small-sample fantasy star last year for the San Francisco 49ers, and now he’s getting an opportunity to play behind one of the league’s best offensive lines in Minnesota. Mason has averaged more than five yards a carry for his whole NFL career, and here’s the situation he’s walking into. His main competition is a 30-something Aaron Jones, who couldn’t convert goal-line carries last year. His quarterback is a redshirted rookie who could definitely use a strong running game. The Vikings have some of the strongest pass catchers in the game, and Mason is going from some of the most loaded boxes to some of the emptiest in the NFL. If Mason gets the 250 carries that Jones got last year, using his career average, that’s 1300 yards – that would have ranked seventh in the NFL last year. Mason is also projected for a hilariously low amount of touchdowns on a lot of sites (somewhere between 3 and 5), which is silly since he’s definitely the goal-line back. I have literally tried to not leave a single draft without Mason this year: I think he’s potentially this year’s Kyren Williams and a top 10 running back if he gets the volume he should.
Aaron St. Denis: Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford is the perfect example of how early-season ADP can be set on a platform and takes a while to adjust. A month ago and Ford was going mostly undrafted while rookie star Quinshon Judkins was going off the board as a Top 20 running back. An offseason arrest has led to Judkins not signing his rookie deal, and at this point, it is appearing more and more likely that he may not suit up for Cleveland at all this year. That revelation has caused Judkins to fall in ECR to RB46. The problem is, Ford is still going two running backs later at RB48. In 2023, when Nick Chubb missed all but two games, Ford stepped up and finished as a mid-range RB2 for fantasy managers. He was not a league-winner by any means, but he was a free RB2 that you could plug and play every week. Going into this season, the Brown’s backfield appears to be Ford’s job to lose. The only competition he faces is rookie Dylan Sampson. The fantasy community has yet to accept that Ford will be the Week 1 starting running back for the Brown’s, and you can take advantage of that. Ford is currently going after the 10th round and is the perfect target for a Hero-RB build that has loaded up at every other position. Ford won’t win you a title, but he will be a consistent RB2/flex option that is nearly free to draft.
Joe Frick: Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Death, Taxes, and Alvin Kamara being an elite option in fantasy football. His WORST finish of his career is RB16, and he has done nothing but finish as a top 10 RB (6 of 8 seasons). There’s no offseason drama this year, and as far as we can tell, he has a clean bill of health, so all signs are pointing up. He should be the focal point of Kellen Moore‘s offensive attack. Moore’s offenses rely on a high pace of play, giving Kamara more opportunities to be a PPR merchant. Since he has been an OC, his teams have averaged 66.33 plays per game. That would have topped the league in 2024! Yes, he’s approaching the age cliff. Yes, he has certified scrubs throwing him the football. However, we don’t need this to be pretty. We need him to catch dump-offs in a negative game script, which he will. Furthermore, Kendre Miller and Devin Neal do not pose much of a threat to eat into Kamara’s workload. And if he were somehow traded before the deadline, he’d be moving to a better office! Kamara is my RB8 on the season, and I see great value in drafting the RB14 at his floor.
Matt Mutchler: Breece Hall, New York Jets
My, how quickly people forget! In 2023, Breece Hall was the 2nd-best back in fantasy. Even with the injury in Week 13 and the mess that was the Jets, he was still the RB16. I know there’s concern that he will lose TDs to Justin Fields, and rightfully so, but not all of them. In 2022, Fields’ best season with the Bears, David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert still had over 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns, despite Fields’ 1,100+ yards and eight scores. I have him as my RB6, and he has been the 18th running back off the board. Get that value!