Veteran Running Backs Worth Monitoring This Summer

This is my seventh round of RB rankings, but this time I list my Top 5 veteran running backs I’m monitoring throughout the summer based on various situations – injury recovery, new rookie/free agent competition, new offensive scheme/coaching, etc. Bookmark this page to keep tabs on my rankings. These rankings are for RB only and based on PPR settings. Rookies are not yet listed in my rankings. However, incoming rookies could have impacted current RB rankings.

Which RBs am I too high/low on? Comment below and we’ll discuss in the chat.

Remember to check in with the @RazzballNFL team of writers as we host our Tuesday evening show, where we hit on all things offseason fantasy football.  Join Bobby LaMarco @BobbyLaMarco, Matt Stiles @stiles08, The Lineup Builder @Derek_Favret, and me, Sky Guasco @SkyGuasco at 9 pm EST/6 pm PST for the show as we answer all your questions thus keeping you engaged for the 2024 season while looking back at what coulda, shoulda, woulda been in 2023.  Come for the analysis, and stay for the laughs!

• Player: Jahmyr Gibbs / David Montgomery
• Team: Lions
• Why I’m Monitoring: Each other

This one is easy. We’re all watching for the same thing here. Which back will be the featured back. Gibbs certainly proved his case with explosiveness and “Alvin Kamara” like agility. Montgomery remains a solid and reliable option both on early downs and in short yardage situations. Each player should be considered for your fantasy roster, but ADP is what I’m paying attention to. Does Gibbs really separate himself earning a late 1st Round pick as the RB4? Will Montgomery continue to save value with another 1,000+/10+ season becoming a steal in the “RB dead zone” of drafts? The Lions should only be better all around, but keep an eye on this over the next few months.

• Player: Jonathan Taylor
• Team: Colts
• Why I’m Monitoring: Return of Anthony Richardson

We all love JT, but can we trust him? After dominating in 2021 as the RB1 overall, he’s missed 13 games over the last two years finishing as the RB30 in 2022 and RB37 last year. He’s the RB6 off the board right now and going in the early 2nd Round of draft. He scored 12 touchdowns as a rookie. He’s scored 12 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. Richardson only played four games before having a season ending shoulder injury. It’s not enough to decide whether Taylor and Richardson will benefit from each other or not, so this is something I’m watching develop during training camp. Richardson led all QBs in fantasy points per drop back in his two full starts, but again, that’s a very small sample size. 

• Player: Kenneth Walker III
• Team: Seahawks
• Why I’m Monitoring: New offensive scheme, health

Walker is effective when on the field and healthy, but while he’s only missed four career games in two seasons, he seems to be on the pregame injury report weekly. He’s had nearly identical seasons finishing as exactly the RB19 in both. He also scored exactly nine touchdowns each season. He’s going as the RB16 right now which gives me pause. Are drafters expecting New OC Ryan Grubb to revive Geno Smith one more time offering up open lanes and scoring opportunities for Walker, or have they not realized that Grubb wants to let Smith take the reigns for a high-powered offense? While the Seahawks have great skill players, I personally don’t believe Smith returns to his QB6 form from 2022. I like Walker a lot, but unless we see him remain a workhorse in this new offense (and fending off Zach Charbonnet), I may look elsewhere come draft day. We’ll see…

• Player: Joe Mixon
• Team: Texans
• Why I’m Monitoring: New offense, lethal passing attack

Mixon and I go way back as fantasy bros. I was really excited about him coming out of Oklahoma (minus the whole off-the-field history). He never really clicked the way I thought he would though, so I jumped ship. Just as I did he was the RB4 in 2021, RB12 in 2022 and somehow RB7 last season even though he was horrendously inefficient. #touchdowns. He’s scored 16, 9 and 12 in those seasons respectively. Now on the Texans, he lands in an absolutely prime position to stay in the Top 10 among RBs on opportunity alone. The passing attack of CJ Stroud and three number one receivers should keep defenses back opening lanes for Mixon. He’s proven powerful around the goal line. He’s the RB15 going in the 5th/6th Round right now. If he doesn’t pull a Dameon Pierce and disappear on us, he could be a major steal come August and a potential league winner. This offense wants to feature the RB in the passing game, they just couldn’t last year. I’m manifesting this one to workout for us all. Join me. 

• Player: Javonte Williams
• Team: Broncos
• Why I’m Monitoring: Year two off the torn ACL, rookie competition

I’m pulling for the dude, but yikes. 2023 was not as reassuring for Williams coming off his torn ACL as it was for Breece Hall. I’ll save you the numbers, but trust me, Javonte was not efficient or explosive. He now has a rookie quarterback and tons of competition (Jaleel McLaughlin, Audric Estime and seasoned veteran Samaje Perine). Williams, as a rookie, went for 1,200+/7 as the RB15, but 2022 was cut short to the injury in Week 4 and last year was barely a bounce back. As the RB28 in the 8th Round, he may be worth a RB4 on your roster, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be confident playing him outside of bye week fillers. Let’s hope I’m wrong. So far, HC Sean Payton says he’s “looking good”. That means nothing in May/June, but it’s better than the alternative. 

For more from Sky and his Razzball content, find him on Twitter @skyguasco.