Throughout the season, Jonathan Fuller and Sam Wallace will be breaking down the latest trends across the dynasty landscape to help you stay a step ahead of your league mates—both rebuilders and those in win-now mode.
Chase Brown, RB - Bengals
Jonathan
The Bengals moved on from Joe Mixon this past offseason and seem to have found a gem in Chase Brown, who they took in the 5th round of the 2023 NFL Draft. After a quiet rookie season, Brown has emerged this year to become the team's leading rusher. Since Week 4, Brown has had double digit carries in every game and has scored six times. He's been a solid RB2 during that stretch and should maintain that value for the rest of this season.
The Bengals did make a move at the trade deadline to bring in Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears, but that is almost entirely due to the Zack Moss injury rather than anything to do with Brown. Cincinnati needs depth and Herbert provides it, but I fully expect Brown to continue to be the top option in their backfield down the stretch.
Looking beyond 2024, the Bengals are definitely a candidate to add an RB via the draft or free agency this offseason. We've seen plenty of late-round RBs play well and still get replaced (James Robinson anyone?) so I don't think Brown's job is safe, which is why I would hesitate to value him like someone who is going to clearly be a lead RB for multiple seasons.
This makes Brown a solid addition for dynasty teams that are contending this season, but not much more than that. I would be willing to part with a 2025 second and third round pick to add him to the right roster, but I also think there are likely better values to be had at the RB position. If you can acquire an older veteran like Aaron Jones or James Conner for less than what it would cost you to trade for Brown, I think that will be a better long-term move since I'm not convinced Brown will hold onto this job beyond this season.
Sam
The 2024 class of RBs might have been a bit underwhelming, but we're starting to see some potential stars emerge from the current sophomore class of tailbacks.
Chase Brown landed with the Bengals last season and tallied just 44 rushing attempts across 12 games as a rookie. However, he's taken a big step this year following the departure of Joe Mixon and subsequent addition of Zack Moss.
Coming into the league, Brown posted one of the best speed scores of anyone in his class, and he's flashed that speed and versatility on numerous occasions at the NFL level.
Despite sharing the backfield with Moss for much of the early portion of this season, Brown has averaged 16.6 PPR over his last six games. With Moss sidelined in Week 9, Brown erupted to the tune of 27/120 on the ground to go along with 5/37 through the air.
Talk about a true workhorse, league-winning type profile. To cap it off, Moss (neck) remains without a timetable to return.
This backfield belongs to Brown for the foreseeable future. I actually wouldn't mind buying high simply to have him on my roster. His dynasty stock is pointed up and his skill set perfectly complements what Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase can do down the field.
Tank Bigsby, RB - Jaguars
Jonathan
I'm not ashamed to admit that I did not see the rise of Tank Bigsby coming this season. He was an average prospect, ranking 7th in Dwain's rookie RB super model for 2023, but then he proceeded to have one of worst rookie seasons in recent memory.
To his credit, Bigsby has looked like a new man in 2024, posting borderline elite rushing metrics with 5.5 yards per carry (7th among RBs) and 4.4 yards after contact per attempt (1st among RBs). He has now forced a committee situation with Travis Etienne that could be a 50/50 split when both are healthy. I've seen enough to say Bigsby is a legit NFL running back who deserves to be on the field, even if he is probably performing toward the top of his range of outcomes this season.
If Bigsby had a clear runway to being the top back in Jacksonville next season, he would be extremely valuable in dynasty leagues. However, the Jaguars did pick up the 5th year option on Etienne's deal, so he is likely around for at least one more season in Jacksonville. There is a chance Jacksonville could trade Etienne away this offseason if they decide to commit to a rebuild, but I don't think that is a high probability event.
In my opinion, Bigsby's dynasty value has a very wide range of outcomes, which is something I like to bet on if the cost isn't too high. A late second round pick would be fair, although I'm not sure that gets a deal done if he is still rostered by the manager that originally drafted him. Be patient, and if Bigsby continues to look solid but is stuck in a committee role, he'll be a great trade target this offseason when all your league mates have rookie fever.
Sam
After a decent start to the season, it's been a relatively disappointing campaign for Travis Etienne and the rest of the Jaguars offense. He injured his hamstring and essentially missed three games (Weeks 6-8).
His lack of production has allowed second-year option Tank Bigsby to cement himself as a key component of this backfield. Many of us were in on Bigsby last year…it looks like we might have just been a year early.
In his first seven games, Bigsby topped 70 rushing yards five times and scored four rushing TDs. He might not offer much of anything in the passing game, but he's been a reliable, dependable option for Trevor Lawrence and this offense when he's had the opportunity.
From a season-long perspective, neither of these RBs are pulling away from the other. However, the investment in Etienne, and lack thereof for Bigsby, makes the latter much more appealing, especially considering he's three years younger.
As long as both are healthy, they'll cap his upside. However, from a dynasty perspective, Bigsby's age and early-season success should give managers some level of optimism heading into the future.
Bigsby is worth price-checking now that Etienne is back in the fold. He could be a nice late-season trade target once his value comes back down and you start looking to next season.
Zach Charbonnet, RB - Seahawks
Jonathan
We saw a small sample of why Zach Charbonnet is an elite handcuff in fantasy football. When Kenneth Walker missed time in Weeks 2 and 3, Charbonnet consolidated the backfield work and had a 90% snap share and 78% rush attempt share. He also delivered two strong fantasy performances, showing that he can handle an RB1 workload and deliver on it.
The downside is that when Walker is healthy, Charbonnet isn't someone you want to be starting. This makes him particularly difficult to value in dynasty leagues because he has tremendous upside, but it is entirely contingent on another player missing time. As a handcuff, he should be most valuable to the Walker manager, which adds another wrinkle to his dynasty value.
On dynasty rosters where I have Walker and am contending for a championship, I'm willing to value Charbonnet above what his production suggests. I wouldn't trade a first round pick, but I would be willing to part with a second and third round pick or even two second round picks in order to get Charbonnet on those rosters.
For teams without Walker, Charbonnet is a fine depth piece, but I wouldn't want to trade anything more than a late second round pick or bench WR in order to add him to my roster.
Sam
While Zach Charbonnet hasn't quite had the same weekly standalone value that both Brown and Bigsby have offered this season, there's evidence that he's one of the most high-value handcuff options in the league.
Kenneth Walker missed Weeks 2 and 3. In his stead, Charbonnet posted truly elite numbers. He saw over 40 opportunities across those two games, and his underlying metrics are that of a bell cow, workhorse option.
He was on the field for 90% of the snaps and handled more than 75% of the rushing attempts. He handled every attempt inside the five yard line and even tacked on a 12% target share for good measure.
Geno Smith and Co. have been successful in airing it out down the field, and Walker remains a top-end option at RB. Even so, dynasty managers should cast a careful eye in Charbonnet's direction as a viable deep-end flex option with RB1 (top 12) upside should anything happen to the incumbent.
We know the RB position can have a high rate of attrition and fortunes can change at any time. Charbonnet is someone you need to have on any and every dynasty roster.
