5 backup running backs who need to be added in dynasty leagues

The running back position has become less important over time in the NFL but is still a staple of the fantasy football game. More often than not, a solid backfield can win a manager their league and cause an inverse effect on those without.

With the shortest-lived career in football, running back can be a difficult field to navigate for dynasty league managers. The margin of error is thinner than most positions, as the line between the careers of Todd Gurley and Christian McCaffrey is thinner than most would believe.

The position receives less respect in the modern NFL, causing fewer rookies to be expected to make an immediate impact each year. Entering training camp, none of the 32 teams have a rookie listed as their projected starter to begin the 2024 season.

Regardless of their immediate impact, several rookies remain on the radar as potential future league-winners in dynasty leagues. With the preseason still months away, preview Fantasy CPR's five best backup running backs who need to be picked up in all 2024 dynasty league drafts.

Jonathon Brooks

As the first running back selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Jonathon Brooks is unsurprisingly the top rookie to keep an eye on in all league types. Brooks is currently listed as the backup to Chuba Hubbard with Miles Sanders also still on the roster but the team saw enough in the Texas product to spend a second-round pick on him.

In college, Brooks showed elite potential in a small sample size. After backing up Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson for two years, Brooks was handed the starting role in 2023 and posted 6.1 yards per carry and 113.9 yards per game before tearing his ACL late in the year. Despite the injury, scouts chose to see his limited usage as a positive trait due to having less mileage on his body.

Still just 20 years old, Brooks will likely spend his first year as a reserve. Carolina is still listing him as questionable as he recovers from the ACL surgery and Hubbard is expected to have full reign as the lead back. However, as Brooks showed in college, beginning his career on the bench may benefit him in later years.

Dynasty league managers may need to exercise patience with Brooks. It is hard to determine what approach the Panthers want to take with their young prospect but given his age, it would not be shocking to see Brooks eased into the game. But with Hubbard in the final year of his contract and the team seemingly done with Sanders, the payoff could be sooner rather than later.

On all accords, Brooks should be a first-round pick in dynasty leagues.

Chase Brown

In the limited time he saw in 2023, Chase Brown showed off glimpses of his potential. Backed by his elite speed, Brown posted 179 rushing yards and 156 receiving yards through 12 games as he gradually overtook Chris Evans for the change-of-pace role behind Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine.

With both Mixon and Perine out of the picture in Cincinnati, the Bengals brought in Zack Moss to fill the void, listing Brown as the backup. Entering his sixth year in the league, Moss has never topped 800 yards in a single season and is much less reliable than Mixon. Brown may not become the full-time starter in his second year, but he could easily force his way into a timeshare.

At the minimum, Brown should be the third-down back in 2024. Moss has never recorded more than 27 catches in a single season and Brown was touted to play that potential role for teams ahead of the 2023 Draft.

Brown has the potential to be a fantasy game changer but until that day arrives, he will be a high-upside stash. Once the Bengals recognized his speed and big-play potential, he began to receive set plays designed for him as a third-string rookie.

Blake Corum

Had he not torn his meniscus late in 2022, Blake Corum likely would have been the Heisman Trophy winner of that season instead of Caleb Williams. Imagine the world that would have been. It all turned out well for the power back, who returned for one final season of college football and wound up being a key part of the 2024 National Championship team with Michigan.

Corum does not have the elite size of a prospect but does own NFL-ready athleticism and vision. He benefitted from a stout offensive line at Michigan but nonetheless averaged 5.9 and 4.8 yards per carry on massive volume in his final two seasons.

Opening his career as the backup to Kyren Williams, Corum will need an injury to make an immediate impact. Scouts were also concerned with his size, as at 5'8", he profiles as more of a power back than a speedster. Regardless, Corum may be the most mature running back of the 2024 Draft class who could flourish under the right conditions.

Given the proven success many former Big Ten running backs have had, Corum is more than worth a pick in dynasty league drafts. For a player who has Ray Rice-like potential — from a football skills perspective only — take him as a steal in the mid to late rounds.

Braelon Allen

If there is a running back prospect from the 2024 Draft who jumps off the page with his physical stats, it is Braelon Allen. At 6'1" and 235 pounds, Allen raised eyebrows with an unofficial 4.4 40-yard dash time but chose not to participate in the speed or agility drills at the Combine.

Coming out of Wisconsin, Allen will look to continue the hefty reputation the school has for producing successful NFL running backs. The 20-year-old became the fourth former Badger to be drafted within the first four rounds in the last 10 years, joining Jonathan Taylor, James White and Melvin Gordon III.

Allen should be owned in dynasty leagues for his physicality alone but has been placed in the right situation to potentially succeed. He will begin his career backing up Breece Hall, a player who has an unfortunate history with injuries.

Even if Hall can manage a full season, New York is expected to have one of the top offensive lines in 2024 along with potentially the best defense in the league. With Aaron Rodgers back under center, the Jets could see themselves playing with a lead more often than not, creating many garbage time scenarios for Allen to get his feet wet.

Throughout the NFL Draft process, scouts repeatedly compared Allen to Derrick Henry. It took the player who is now referred to as 'King' a few years to find his footing. Don't miss out on the next potential fantasy stud.

Trey Benson

James Conner is about to enter his eighth season at age 29 and in turn, Arizona spent a third-round pick on Florida State product Trey Benson. As a Seminole, Benson never topped 1,000 yards in a season but posted averages of 6.4 and 5.8 yards per carry in his final two years with the team. He added 15 total touchdowns in 2023, the 19th most in Division I.

Though his yard production was not as notable as many of the other draft prospects, Benson received attention for his physical stature and explosiveness for a larger back. His body and play style are already NFL ready.

Conner is coming off a career year but the Cardinals have long known that he was never a permanent option for their backfield. His career resurgence with the team has been admirable but he has still never played a full season as a professional.

Benson is still a raw talent but can make an immediate impact. Arizona desperately wanted something out of Emari Demercado and Keontay Ingram in 2023 but could not get any consistency from either player. That role will now belong to Benson, who ranked first overall amongst running backs at the 2024 Combine and projects to have a lengthy career in the NFL.