Unfortunately, the NFL Draft is over, but it’s time to analyze all the players who got drafted and their dynasty future! In this article, I’ll be going over the winners and losers of the rookie running backs. Many running backs were taken, but some saw their dynasty stock rise while others experienced a steep drop.
Winners
Bijan Robinson, ATL
Bijan is a generational running back. He’s elusive, agile, fast, and terrific at anything you need a running back to do. While there’s an argument that Atlanta shouldn’t have drafted Bijan, this is an excellent landing spot for Bijan. Atlanta runs the ball more than any other team in the league. Now, they’ll have the best running back since Saquon Barkley entered the league doing it. Bijan is set up for a heavy workload. He could be the RB1 in all of dynasty. Bijan’s already the 1.01 of every type of rookie draft. Robinson is a sure bet to finish this year as a top-four running back. Don’t be shocked if he gets 50 or more receptions and close to 300 or more rushes. Bijan is a fantasy football stud.
Jahmyr Gibbs, DET
Gibbs is a lethal weapon in Detroit’s backfield. With D’Andre Swift gone, Gibbs will get all his work and much more. David Montgomery is there to spell him and do the dirty short-distance work. This allows Gibbs to stay healthy and explosive in the passing and rushing game. He’s a dynasty RB1 already after getting selected 12th overall. That tells you how the NFL feels for the Jamaal Charles clone. Gibbs would be the RB1 of nearly any other rookie class, but Bijan’s in this one. Overall, he’s a safe bet to be off the board by 1.05. Gibbs is a lock to be top twelve this year in fantasy football. He is on a rush-heavy Lions attack with a quarterback that helped make Todd Gurley into a fantasy superstar. Sign me up.
Devon Achane, MIA
If there was ever a system meant for Devon Achane, it was the Dolphins. Miami employs the type of rushing system that suits Achane to a tee. A ton of zone rushes, outside especially, and that involves a ton of speed. When you watch Achane, it’s like watching a younger, faster Raheem Mostert. Coincidentally, they are now teammates. Achane is in the perfect system for his abilities. He should be viewed as a late first-round pick, especially since he should get a ton of work in Miami’s rushing system. Achane is an RB2 in dynasty now.
Eric Gray, NYG
Gray fell into a perfect spot. The Giants needed a three-down capable back that could spell Barkley for a drive or in case of injury. Gray provides that. He’s a bruising back that can get short yardages and handle the passing game. This smash landing spot raises his value from a late-third-round pick to one of the best handcuffs in fantasy football, and a second-round rookie pick.
Honorable Mentions: Chase Brown, Kendre Miller, Roschon Johnson
Losers
Zack Charbonnet, SEA
Charbonnet was all set for a three-down role in the NFL. He had the body, speed, pass protection, and receiving chops to make it happen. The dynasty community would be blessed with at least three full-time running backs. Then Pete Carroll and the Seahawks decided to take him in the second round when they already had Kenneth Walker III. Now, he and KW3 will be forced into a timeshare. Considering Charbonnet has the receiving ability, he could likely win the larger workload, especially being the newer draftee with high capital. Yet, this is just too hard a running back room to figure out. The Seahawks will run the ball a ton, but with who? Instead of a mid-first-round pick, Charbs falls to the early second, at best.
Sean Tucker, TBB
Perhaps the biggest loser in the draft for running backs, Tucker’s shares are about equal to zero. After being hyped as a late-Day Two pick, Tucker fell entirely out of the draft. He went undrafted. It turns out that he has a heart issue that made teams extremely leery of drafting him. Those shocking developments catapulted his value to not late third-round or fourth-round. The one saving grace is that the Buccaneers signed him as a UDFA to a massive $155,000 bonus. That shows that Tampa Bay is serious about including him on the team. He’s worth a super late dart throw. He isn’t worth a fraction of what he was worth last week.
Evan Hull, IND
Hull can be a PPR monster in the NFL. He’s dynamic in the passing game and routinely makes highlight plays. So, the dynasty world hoped he would go to a team that passes the ball some, especially to their running backs. Or that he goes to a team that doesn’t have an established RB1. Instead, he goes to a rushing-oriented offense with JT at the helm of RB1 and now Anthony Richardson, a rushing-oriented quarterback. Hull’s stock took a massive nosedive. At best, he can be a Nyheim Hines kind of player in this offense. At worst, he barely sees the field. It’s too big a risk to take Hull until we know how Indy’s new-look offense shakes out.
DeWayne McBride, MIN
McBride was always going to be a two-down running back. His passing work is nonexistent in both blocking and receiving. However, he was so electric as a rusher that there was easily a chance for him to go in the top-four rounds. Instead, he fell to the sixth and went to the Vikings. That’s a good landing spot for him, as Dalvin Cook isn’t there for long. However, it’s still rough because he will wait a while and has no clear path to snaps immediately. McBride is one to watch, but his draft stock is in the dumps following that big a fall.
Tyjae Spears, TEN
Yes, the Titans did draft Spears in the Third Round. That was far earlier than I expected him to go. However, he must sit behind Derrick Henry for at least a year. Combine that with the latest medical news about his knee, and I want zero part of his shares. In case you missed it, Spears was announced not to have an ACL in one of his knees and already has severe arthritis. That’s a major warning sign, and I don’t believe he is healthy long-term. Get out on him while you can.
That’s it for the rookie running backs. Be sure to check the winners and losers of the other positions on the Dynasty Nerds website for both the veterans and rookies!
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As always, May the Force be with you…
