There will be real, meaningful football on our televisions this time next week. This will bring great joy and happiness to football fans and fantasy diehards alike, but there will also be an inevitable reminder that we don't know nearly as much as we think we do about rosters around the league.

Perhaps no position faces more general uncertainty than running back. There are only a few true workhorses out there in the year 2024, leading to committee situations of varying shapes and sizes in more backfields than not across the league.

That brings us to today's goal: What are the biggest outstanding questions facing the RB position ahead of the 2024 regular season?

As always: It's a great day to be great.

What exactly is the Cowboys' plan?

Jerry Jones has put together a 2018 dream team between the franchise's No. 3 all-time leading rusher Ezekiel Elliott and longtime Vikings stud Dalvin Cook. The only problem: Neither 29-year-old veteran was exactly what the kids might call "good" the last time we saw them tote the rock:

Zeke and Cook among 68 RBs with 50+ carries in 2023

  • PFF rush grade: Zeke (69.2, 49th), Cook (51.5, 69th)
  • Yards per carry: Zeke (3.5, 57th), Cook (3.2, 61st)
  • Yards after contact per carry: Zeke (2.5, 53rd), Cook (2.2, 66th)
  • Missed tackles forced per carry: Zeke (0.13, 54th), Cook (0.18, 33rd)
  • Explosive run rate: Zeke (4.3%, 63rd), Cook (5.9%, 59th)

Not great! An optimist could point out that guys like Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley and Alvin Kamara also had quite terrible efficiency numbers, but that doesn't exactly change the reality that the team's "all-in" approach yielded two objectively washed old men to replace 2023 bellcow Tony Pollard.

Maybe Rico Dowdle or Deuce Vaughn rise to the occasion and earn fantasy-friendly roles in this seemingly wide-open backfield. Or maybe this winds up being a jumbled four-back mess behind an offensive line expected to start *two* rookies.

This offense hasn't done much other than score a LOT of points with a healthy Dak Prescott in recent history; whoever winds up rising to the top of this RB depth chart will at a minimum carry some TD-aided upside in fantasy land.

Are we POSITIVE these rookies are locked into the RB2 role?

Betting on Day 3 RBs to immediately assume clear-cut No. 2 roles is risky business. It almost never works out for people, yet they somehow delude themselves into thinking it might work.

*Arrested Development meme* But what if it might work for us?

  • Bills RB Ray Davis: Nobody is debating James Cook's status as the featured RB, but Davis' stranglehold on the No. 2 job is dependent on how the team views incumbent backup Ty Johnson. Davis has the size (5-foot-8, 211 pounds) and receiving ability (94-762-12 career receiving in college) to theoretically work as a three-down RB should Cook miss any time.
     
  • Jets RB Braelon Allen: The big, big man (6-foot-1, 235 pounds) earned praise from beat reporters throughout training camp and is the frontrunner to work as Breece Hall's direct backup, although it remains to be seen if he'll be THE No. 2, or if guys like Israel Abanikanda (PFF's highest-graded preseason rusher) and/or Isaiah Davis (split reps with Allen and the starters in the second week of the preseason) complicate matters.
     
  • Giants RB Tyrone Tracy: Worked well ahead of Eric Gray in the first week of the preseason before suffering what initially looked to be a serious lower-body injury … only to quickly return to action and accordingly earn the nickname "Paul Pierce" from his teammates. Tracy's explosive pass-catching profile could prove quite useful in a Giants offense lacking in proven playmakers.
     
  • Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving: It's been rough sledding for Rachaad White on the ground over the years, and suddenly he might be facing his stiffest competition yet. Chase Edmonds landed on the IR, leaving Irving's primary competition as Sean Tucker for the backup role in an offense that was the league's most-willing group to feature a single workhorse RB in 2023.

What sort of split are the Bengals envisioning?

Both Chase Brown and Zack Moss are solidified atop the Bengals depth chart after Samaje Perine took his talents to Kansas City in free agency.

But the question remains: What exactly will this committee look like? Will Trayveon Williams be annoyingly involved as a pass blocker in pass-first situations ahead of Brown? Will Moss have a Joe Mixon-esque early-down role, or will things be split more 50/50? Who is the lead goal-line option? Do the Bengals trust Moss at all as a pass-catcher?

Cincy ranked seventh in scoring in each of the last two seasons they had a fully healthy Joe Burrow; there should be plenty of fantasy-friendly production to go around inside this new-look backfield. While a true 50/50 split would probably render each as borderline RB2s, someone emerging as the clear-cut front-runner could produce a legit RB1 in fantasy land—something the Bengals have enabled in each of the past three seasons.

Is the Tank Bigsby hype real this year?

The 2023 third-round pick was lauded throughout training camp as a rookie before averaging 2.6 yards per carry and turning two of his four targets into interceptions.

Fast forward to the present day … and Bigsby has (again) received all sorts of praise throughout August and (again) appears set to work as the Jaguars' No. 2 RB behind Travis Etienne.

If last season taught us anything, the difference in Bigsby's early-season involvement could be the difference in ETN working as a high-end RB1, or just another RB2.

Etienne 2023 usage splits:

  • Weeks 1-8: 81% snaps, 72% rush attempts, 64% routes
  • Weeks 10-18: 66% snaps, 63% rush attempts, 53% routes

Overall, Etienne ranked first in touches (178) and second among all RBs in PPR points (163.9) during the first eight weeks of 2023 compared to 14th (147) and 15th (118.5) during his final nine games. Not a horrific dropoff, but also not quite elite usage behind an offensive line that has hardly earned the benefit of the doubt in recent years.

How are the Dolphins planning on divvying up touches?

Here were the Dolphins' RB splits in an eight-game sample that featured both De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert healthy:

  • Achane: 239 snaps, 83-640-7 rushing, 34 targets, 23-175-2 receiving
  • Mostert: 236 snaps, 96-416-9 rushing, 20 targets, 18-123-2 receiving

However, rookie RB Jaylen Wright has impressed in training camp and could feasibly find his way into some work himself. Or maybe Achane's incredible rookie season leads to more usage in 2024, particularly with the WR room presently banged up. Of course, Mostert continues to be viewed as the de facto starter, so it'd also make sense if he continues to be fed as long as the wheels don't fall off.

Ultimately, the Dolphins averaged more expected RB PPR points per game than any other team in 2023; this is one of the few situations in the league capable of consistently enabling TWO high-end fantasy backs—and Achane is the only party involved currently costing anything close to a high-round pick.

Just how well-fed will Jerome Ford and Chuba Hubbard be early on?

The absence of both Nick Chubb (knee) and Jonathon Brooks (knee) leaves Ford and Hubbard as the expected featured backs in Cleveland and Carolina for the time being.

But to what extent? Ford was the lead back after Chubb went down last season, but regularly ceded goal-line touches to Kareem Hunt and overall ranked as the RB29 in expected PPR points per game. Hubbard racked up 19, 25, 25, 24, 17, 15, and 25 touches during the final seven games of 2023, but that was under a different coaching staff.

Almost any RB is capable of earning RB1 treatment in fantasy land with a legit 80%-plus snap every-down role; either player getting that sort of workload would be an early-season godsend for fantasy managers. Then again, this is hardly a given, and multi-back committees could also render both parties as lower-end RB2 types inside of offenses not exactly expected to blow up scoreboards.

Are the Chiefs ready to give Isiah Pacheco a true three-down role?

The newfound addition of Samaje Perine has added some doubt to Pacheco's receiving upside. While Pacheco only averaged 0.5 fewer targets per game with Jerick McKinnon in the lineup last year, fantasy managers obviously want as many opportunities as possible for our RBs, so any extra competition isn't ideal.

That said: One can argue Pacheco *still* has one of the better combinations of talent, volume, environment, and age/injury of any RB out there:

  • Talent: The NFL's reigning ninth-ranked RB in rushing yards over expected per carry might not run all that pretty, but it's tough to deny the effectiveness at this point.
  • Volume: Andy Reid is on record saying Pacheco is ready to fill the third-down role, and why not? The man has caught a ridiculous 75 of 82 (91%) career targets.
  • Environment: Last year was the first time the Chiefs ranked outside the NFL's top-six scoring offenses since 2016. Chiefs RBs ranked seventh in expected PPR points per game in 2023 anyway.
  • Age/injury concerns: Pacheco turned 25 in March and has only missed two of 41 games due to injury since entering the league.

Pacheco earning a Kareem Hunt-esque every-down role could quickly vault him into weekly top-eight consideration at the position, but a more moderate ~60% snap rate would lead to middling RB2 treatment. We'll have a much better idea of which outlook seems more plausible next Thursday night!

Which Broncos RB will have the most fantasy-friendly role?

The Broncos have produced the third- and fourth-best backfields in expected PPR points per game over the past two seasons despite ranking 26th in actual offensive points per game. This is thanks to the backfield seeing all sorts of fantasy-friendly targets, something that again seems to be on the table with low-aDOT QB Bo Nix now under center.

But just one question: Which Broncos RB will be the main recipient of said targets? Rookies Audric Estime and Blake Watson don't tentatively expect to be in the pass-down equation, leaving it between Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. The former back deserves credit for catching 47 passes last year, but the latter made more out of his opportunities and could feasibly be the next man up in two-minute situations with Samaje Perine finally out of the picture.

It'd be shocking if Williams isn't the lead back, but it's hardly a guarantee he soaks up a heavy majority of the work. Ten to 12 carries and five-plus targets per game for McLaughlin could provide some SERIOUS PPR-induced goodness — he's my bet for the cover of Week 2 waiver wire articles, as the rising second-year talent is still rostered in just 33% of ESPN leagues at the moment.

Who is Jim Harbaugh's RB1 in Los Angeles?

The Harbaugh-Greg Roman partnership is fully expected to run the piss out of the football in 2024, although it remains to be seen if Gus Edwards or J.K. Dobbins will emerge as the front-runner. Hell, maybe rookie Kimani Vidal gets a chance sooner rather than later should the ex-Ravens veterans underwhelm from an efficiency standpoint.

The Chargers are fresh off leading the NFL in preseason rushing yards before contact per carry. "It's just the preseason" aside, basically every offense Roman has led has indeed regularly opened up highways for its RBs:

  • 2011 49ers: 1.7 rush yards before contact per carry (21st)
  • 2012 49ers: 2.7 (1st)
  • 2013 49ers: 2.2 (7th)
  • 2014 49ers: 2 (15th)
  • 2015 Bills: 2.5 (1st)
  • 2016 Bills: 2.5 (1st)
  • 2019 Ravens: 2.3 (1st)
  • 2020 Ravens: 2.4 (1st)
  • 2021 Ravens: 1.8 (2nd)
  • 2022 Ravens: 2.1 (2nd)

The money certainly leans to Gus Bus being the lead back, although even 90% of Dobbins might be the best back on the squad. There WILL be quite a bit of rushing production in Los Angeles – we just need to figure out who the primary recipient will be.

How featured will the NFC North's new RB1s really be?

Each of the Bears (D'Andre Swift), Packers (Josh Jacobs), and Vikings (Aaron Jones) paid relatively pretty pennies to bring in new No. 1 RBs this offseason. The former and latter backs are expected to be leaders of their respective committees, although it remains to be seen if that produces something closer to a 50% or 70% snap rate. Meanwhile, Jacobs looks like a potential early-season STAR inside the Packers' injury-riddled backfield.

Each RB has flashed RB1-level fantasy upside at different points of their careers, but it's always a bit murky projecting usage on a new team. Each could quickly become a top-15 staple with a full-time role, while fantasy managers could also be at the panic station in a hurry should a more evenly split rotation emerge than expected. Only one way to find out!

Are the Seahawks about to HEAVILY feature Kenneth Walker?

Offseason chatter has heavily leaned into the idea that Walker should work as the Seahawks' lead back, but again, it comes down to what extent. A 60/40 lead over Zach Charbonnet might not go overly far in fantasy land behind a suspect offensive line in an offense with middling high-end scoring potential, but something more in the 80% range could quickly take Walker from a mid-tier RB2 to someone who needs to be in fantasy lineups of all shapes and sizes.

What are the Rams' REAL plans for Kyren Williams?

You may have heard Sean McVay anointed Williams as the Rams' punt returner for 2024. While this isn't exactly wild (Kyren returned punts during the first three games of 2023), the addition of Blake Corum makes something closer to a 1.A/1.B committee a bit more likely than last year.

Now, Williams was the RB2 in both realized and expected PPR points per game last season; even a somewhat reduced role could still land him in the low-end RB1 range where he's been drafted most of the offseason. Still, something closer to a true 50/50 split could instantly send shockwaves through the fantasy community and leave some VERY happy Corum drafters out there.