Dynasty startup drafts are in full swing, and managers everywhere are feverishly laying the foundation for long-term success.

One of the more tricky positions to evaluate in a startup draft is running back. With so few workhorse options left in the league and more teams pivoting to a committee-style approach, how should fantasy managers decode these crowded backfields?

Here are three backfields you may need to make decisions on in your upcoming startup draft.

Tennessee Titans

Tyjae Spears (ADP RB21) vs Tony Pollard (ADP RB33)

The Titans drafted Tyjae Spears out of Tulane in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft to pair him with Derrick Henry. In his final collegiate season, Spears erupted with the following stat line:

  • 229 rushing attempts
  • 1,581 rushing yards
  • 19 rushing TDs
  • 22 receptions
  • 256 receiving yards
  • 2 receiving TDs

I'll save you some math — he averaged an absurd 6.9 yards per carry in that final season. No matter the level of competition, that's incredibly impressive.

On paper, he's nothing more than an average athlete (at best). However, the one area in which he excels? His burst score of 128.8 put him in the 90th percentile.

In his dynasty rookie profile, Eliot Crist wrote the following:

While he doesn’t have home-run speed (4.54 40-yard dash) his acceleration allowed him to hit big plays consistently. Spears' dynamic acceleration is shown consistently in the angles he takes in the open field. He sets defenders up and blows by them at the second level…He plays with toughness and competitiveness that makes him seem bigger than he is. He has strong contact balance, runs through arm tackles, and is not scared to mix it up.

The Day 2 draft capital certainly helped and Spears entered the 2023 season as the RB5 In our Rookie RB Model.

In his first season, he played in all 17 games but topped 10 rushing attempts just once. His best performance (two total TDs) came in Week 18 when fantasy leagues were already wrapped up, but it was still encouraging to see him consistently earn opportunities on the field.

Despite the lack of meaningful volume, Spears did show out really well in a few key areas that we like to see in our RBs — anything and everything to do with the passing game. Here's how he compared to Henry in those areas (I'll explain below):

Spears topped Henry in routes, targets, targets per route run, long down and distance snaps, and two minute snaps. Every single one of those metrics is directly correlated to involvement in the passing game. Will that continue this season? We'll have to wait and see, because Tony Pollard joined him in the backfield this offseason.

Pollard spent the early years of his career backing up Ezekiel Elliott and doing an admirable job. From 2019-2021 (Pollard's first three years), Elliott finished as the RB3, RB9 and RB7 in PPR formats. Despite playing second fiddle, Pollard did enough to catch the eye of managers everywhere.

Then, in 2022, the switch happened. Despite Elliott topping 800 rushing yards and scoring 12 rushing TDs, Pollard topped 1,000 rushing yards on 38 fewer carries and scored nine rushing TDs of his own. He also finished ahead of Elliott in end-of-season RB ranks (RB8 vs RB22).

In his first season without Elliott, Pollard set a career-high mark in rushing attempts by almost 60 but essentially matched his career-high in rushing yards. He was wildly inefficient compared to his previous years and now finds himself on a new team for the first time in his career.

As you can see above, their respective ADPs (Spears - RB21 / Pollard - RB33) aren't as close as the next two pairs of teammates but I still wouldn't overthink this one. If you are looking to secure a portion of the Titans backfield in dynasty, I would happily pay more for Spears rather than take the discount on Pollard.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Najee Harris (ADP RB24) vs Jaylen Warren (ADP RB25)

This is where it gets fun. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a similar situation to the Cowboys from a few years ago: an established veteran grinder who soaks up a ton of volume and is viewed as the primary option versus a younger, more efficient player who makes big plays in the passing game.

Najee Harris, the incumbent, is entering Year 4 and has not missed a regular season game in his career. In his rookie season, he handled an absurd 307 rushing attempts for 1,200 yards and seven scores to go along with an even more insane 74 receptions (94 targets) for 467 yards and three receiving TDs.

The rushing totals have dropped each subsequent year from 272 attempts in Year 2 to 255 this past season. Along with the drop in volume has come a drop in involvement in the receiving game. Harris tallied just 29 receptions on 38 targets last year.

He's also been inefficient. He failed to top 4.0 yards per carry in his first two seasons and only barely did so in 2023 (4.08 YPC).

Enter Jaylen Warren. He has only played in two seasons and is already 25 years old, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the more trendy players in dynasty formats. As a sophomore in 2023, Warren totaled:

  • 149 rushing attempts
  • 784 rushing yards (5.26 YPC)
  • 4 rushing TDs
  • 74 targets
  • 61 receptions

Similar to the Henry/Spears split, Warren was the preferred player in all areas involving the passing game.

Notably, the Steelers declined Harris' fifth-year option, which certainly raises some questions about his future in Pittsburgh. However, it does sound like the team is still open to working out some sort of contract extension or long-term deal. We'll see if it gets done.

If I had to make a decision in a dynasty startup draft, with their ADPs being side-by-side, I would draft Warren over Harris. While the latter does have the pedigree of volume and health (which is certainly important at a position of high attrition), I lean toward the tailback who can offer upside in the passing game. Warren has also demonstrated higher levels of efficiency and for now has more job security with the Steelers beyond this season.

Cincinnati Bengals

Zack Moss (ADP RB34) vs Chase Brown (ADP RB37)

A bit further down the draft board from the Steelers tandem is another uncertain AFC North backfield. The Cincinnati Bengals are entering their first season without Joe Mixon since 2016.

This backfield now belongs to Zack Moss and Chase Brown. Last season, Moss filled in for an injured Jonathan Taylor at the start of the season and handled essentially all of the backfield carries. Despite Taylor returning in Week 5, Moss still maintained control of the touches.

From Weeks 2-5, Moss carried the ball 89 times. Talk about a true bell cow who stepped up when his team needed it.

With the Bengals, Moss does figure to step into the RB1 role at least initially. He's a veteran with four years of experience and has appeared in at least 13 games in each season.

That leaves Brown as the clear-cut No. 2 option. The Bengals did not add to their backfield via the draft, so Brown should have every opportunity in the world to handle a decent amount of work.

Heading into last season, Geoff Ulrich broke down Brown in his dynasty rookie profile. Here are a few highlights:

There is a lot to like about Chase Brown from an athletic perspective. At the combine, he posted a 4.43 40 time, an elite vertical, and a surprising 25 on the bench, which has him comparing well with some of the biggest combine studs of past years.

In 2022, Brown showcased that athleticism on the regular. He was one of the leaders in explosive runs (10 yards or more) and missed tackles, and was a menace for opposing defenses once he got into the second level.

From a scouting perspective, Brown’s soft hands and route running have been noticed. Additionally, Brown seems to have good vision in the passing game as evidenced by his career 9.3 yards per catch mark at Illinois, which again was achieved from mostly low aDOT and behind the line of scrimmage targets.

As mentioned, Brown is an explosive athlete with a significant amount of untapped upside. During his rookie season, he didn't really get much run until Week 13 but from then on he managed to force his way onto the field each week.

Perhaps most impressive, he hauled in 14 of his 15 targets on the season for 156 yards and a score. That was good for 11.1 yards per reception. For his part, Moss has never been a prolific pass-catching option but certainly has the skill set. When forced to make a decision on the clock, give me Brown over Moss with the three-player difference in ADP. I prefer the younger, more explosive option on this Bengals offense.