Best Fantasy Football Fits For The Top 2023 Running Back Prospects

With the NFL Draft less than a month away, the team all of these exciting new players will end up being on is one of the most talked about subjects in fantasy football. Where do we want them to go? Where’s the best fit? Where’s the worst fit? What happens if they go here vs. there? It’s fun to envision the what-if scenarios.

In this series of articles, I look at two of the best fits for each of the top running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. I attempted, to the best of my ability, to consider where each team was selecting and where each player is currently being valued at. For example, it doesn’t make much sense to say the Dolphins are one of the best fits for Bijan Robinson because they don’t have a first-round pick. It’s highly unlikely he ends up there.

The goal was to identify certain teams for each player who had a need at their position and were in a good spot to select them based on their expected draft range. From that allotment of teams, I selected the two I thought were the best fit. Quarterbacks weren’t included here because they’re widely expected to go in the first four picks and there’s way more certainty on where they’re going to end up. Today, we’ll be starting with the running back position, with the receivers and tight ends to follow.

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Bijan Robinson – Texas

Bijan Robinson is a do-it-all running back. As far as prospects go, he’s in the same breath as Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott -- he’s that good. During the past two years at Texas, he racked up over 2,700 rushing yards and scored 29 touchdowns. He also chipped in with the passing game by compiling 60 targets, 45 receptions, and 607 receiving yards. He’s widely viewed as one of the best prospects in this draft and a surefire first-round pick.

• Philadelphia Eagles
  • This is a no-brainer. The Eagles have a top-three offensive line, a top-five overall offense, and a gigantic hole at running back. They lost Miles Sanders to free agency and to this point have only signed Rashaad Penny. He’s a fantasy football darling because of his efficiency in small samples, but he’s never played a full season in the NFL and has never had more than 120 carries in any NFL season. He’s also coming off a broken leg, which is just one of the many injuries he’s suffered over the years.
  •  Sanders handled 279 touches last year and finished with 1,347 total yards and 11 touchdowns. If Robinson were to be drafted by the Eagles, he would almost certainly walk into a lion’s share of that role. Given the surrounding talent around him, he will likely produce at a higher level than Sanders himself did. If Robinson is drafted by the Eagles, he’s a top-five fantasy football running back.

• Atlanta Falcons
  • This one might come as a surprise, but the Falcons ran the ball a lot last year. Okay, that one doesn’t come as a surprise, but they were incredibly effective at it. PFF ranked the Falcons’ offensive line as being the fifth-best for the 2022 season and the vast majority of that line will return in 2023. The team finished first in team rushing attempts, third in rushing yards, and 10th in rushing touchdowns.
  • Yes, the Falcons technically have Tyler Allgeier, who was really good as a rookie, but he has very little draft capital attached to his name and there’s no one behind him. Cordarrelle Patterson is a free agent, making the position one the team is likely to address yet again this offseason. If the Falcons were to select Robinson, he would instantly leapfrog Allgeier and become the team’s bell-cow running back. Allgeier would still be involved, but not to the point where it would impede Robinson from getting 275+ touches. If Robinson were to end up in Atlanta, he’s an easy top-10 running back.

 

Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama

In his first two seasons of college ball, Jahmyr Gibbs immediately showcased his dual-threat ability out of the backfield. As a true freshman, he finished with 768 scrimmage yards, which included 23 receptions and 301 receiving yards. As a sophomore, he improved on those totals, finishing with 1,216 scrimmage yards. He had 36 receptions and 470 yards through the air.

Before his junior season, he transferred to Alabama, where he continued to dominate in both facets of the game -- on the ground and through the air. He finished with 926 rushing yards on just 151 carries and earned 52 targets, catching 44 of them for 444 yards. He’s the best receiving back in the draft, but there are questions about his ability to handle a significant workload in the pros due to his size.

• Kansas City Chiefs
  • This should come as no surprise. The Chiefs have just Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire under contract and neither of them has been very good as a receiver. Enter Jahmyr Gibbs. The Chiefs don’t need a bruiser in the backfield or someone who needs 300 touches to be effective because that just takes the ball out of Patrick Mahomes’ hands.
  • Gibbs’ skill set fits perfectly with how the Chiefs want to run their offense. Last year, Jerick McKinnon had 71 targets, 56 receptions, and 512 receiving yards. CEH chipped in with 23 targets and Pacheco had 14. Gibbs would walk in and handle pretty much 100% of that receiving work. He’d be a significant upgrade in that department. The Chiefs also are somewhat lacking talent at receiver, and adding the best pass-catching running back would help offset that.

• Cincinnati Bengals
  • There have been rumors that Joe Mixon could be a cap casualty. Typically once that conversation starts, the player’s length of stay on the team isn’t very long. While it seems likely that Mixon will be a Bengal for one more year, the team could start looking to replace him as soon as this year.
  • The Bengals lost Samaje Perine in free agency and gave 129 targets to their running back position last year. Mixon has never been a great pass catcher and Jahmyr Gibbs would step into that role and handle the vast majority of the passing work right from the start. With Joe Burrow in Cincinnati long term, the team may have more interest in a pass-catching running back like Gibbs moving forward, as opposed to the plodding sort.

 

Zach Charbonnet – UCLA

In his freshman season at Michigan, Zach Charbonnet finished with 726 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Following a really disappointing sophomore season where he received just 19 carries, he transferred to UCLA. He absolutely showed up in his two seasons there, racking up 2,496 rushing yards and 27 rushing scores. He also chipped in with 61 catches and 518 receiving yards. He’s 214 pounds and scored an 8.62 on the RAS (relative athletic score) chart. He profiles as a three-down running back with a solid all-around skill set.

• Arizona Cardinals
  • The depth chart at running back in Arizona is looking awfully bare. It’s essentially just James Conner, who is no spring chicken anymore and he’s had his share of injuries in the past. He’s certainly not the long-term answer. With starting quarterback Kyler Murray likely to miss a few games to start the season, leaning on the running backs may become even more important this season. That makes it crucial for Arizona to add another running back. It’s also true from a talent and numbers standpoint.
  • Charbonnet is one of the best do-it-all running backs in the draft, and coincidentally, many film analysts compare his game to Conner’s. He’s a tough, hard-nosed back who is very much a north-south runner. He’s not a great receiver but can get the job done. Conner and Charbonnet could tag-team in 2023 when the Cardinals may need to lean on their running backs more. Then, Arizona could cut Conner in 2024 and give the full-time job to Charbonnet with a fully healthy Murray under center next season.

• Miami Dolphins
  • The Dolphins have decided to re-sign Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., which doesn't sound that great. However, the Dolphins running backs were plenty productive last season. They combined for almost 1,500 rushing yards and nine scores. Still, despite the committee-based approach being productive, Mostert and Wilson are not long-term answers and they’ve both struggled with injuries in the past.
  • The Dolphins didn’t sign Wilson or Mostert to any long-term contracts, which means the team could continue using a committee-based approach in 2023 while Charbonnet gets his feet wet and learns the playbook. And by 2024, he’d be ready to step into the full-time role and be a bell-cow running back for Miami.

 

Devon Achane – Texas A&M

Devon Achane, despite being just 188 pounds, was a big problem for opposing defenses in the Big 12. In 2021, Achane had 910 rushing yards on just 130 carries, an insane 7.0 yards-per-carry average which led all of the FBS. He scored nine rushing touchdowns. He also finished with 24 receptions, 261 receiving yards, and another receiving score.

This past season, Achane took on an even bigger role for the Aggies. He finished his final season at College Station with 196 carries for 1,102 yards and a 5.6 yards-per-carry average. He scored eight touchdowns. He also played a role in the passing game again, securing 36 receptions for 196 yards and three touchdowns. On top of being a football standout, he ran track for Texas A&M.

• Denver Broncos
  • At just 188 pounds, Devon Achane is not going to be an in-between-the-tackles kind of runner at the next level. It would be incredibly optimistic to assume he’s going to handle 200+ carries. He needs to be used creatively to get the most out of him, but that’s why he fits so well in Denver. Sean Payton and Joe Lombardi have long been known to use two-running back systems. Payton was in New Orleans with Mark Ingram II and Alvin Kamara, and Joe Lombardi used Austin Ekeler masterfully out of the backfield in LA.
  • Javonte Williams is unlikely to be ready early this season and there have been reports that it may take him a while to get back. He sustained multiple ligament tears, similar to J.K. Dobbins. The team signed Samaje Perine, but if Williams isn’t healthy, a Perine and Achane backfield duo could more than handle getting the job done. Then in 2024, Perine would be cut, leaving the backfield in the hands of a healthy Javonte Williams and Devon Achane. This gives me very strong Ingram and Kamara vibes.

• Atlanta Falcons
  • If the Falcons elect to pass on Bijan Robinson early in the first round, which they should, selecting Devon Achane makes a lot of sense for them. They need to replace Cordarrelle Patterson, who operated as their primary pass-catching running back last year. Rookie Tyler Allgeier looked like a strong runner, but he isn't nearly as much of a receiving threat out of the backfield as Achane.
  • The Falcons largely employ just Drake London and Kyle Pitts as weapons in the passing game, and Achane would give the team an option out of the backfield. Allgeier could continue operating as the short-yardage and early-down back, while Achane would fit seamlessly into the pass-catching role.

 

Zach Evans – Mississippi

Zach Evans started his college career at TCU. Although he missed six games in 2021, he still led the team in rushing with 648 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged a very impressive 7.0 yards per carry. He transferred to Mississippi after the 2021 season and once again was hampered by injuries.

He played in 12 games and finished with 936 yards on just 144 carries while finding the end zone nine times. Over the past two seasons, Evans has just 22 receptions for 249 yards. While he’s struggled to stay on the field, Evans offers top-notch speed and averaged a ridiculous 6.9 yards per carry for his college career. He’s an explosive player, but he may be best suited for some kind of running-back-by-committee role. To be fair, that’s most running backs nowadays.

• Los Angeles Chargers
  • For the past few years, the Chargers have been on the lookout for a legit No. 2 running back behind Austin Ekeler. That’s never been more important than now with Ekeler having received permission to talk to teams about a trade. He wants a new contract, and if he doesn’t get one, there’s a real chance he could hold out. Joshua Kelley was average last year, but Isaiah Spiller was disappointing as a rookie. With Ekeler’s short-term and long-term availability with the team in question, the Chargers are likely going to be forced to add another running back in the draft.
  • Evans was an extremely productive player at Mississippi and would have the opportunity to work into a lead-back role possibly as early as 2024. Evans has the high-end speed needed to hit the home run and averaged an impressive 6.9 YPC in his college career. He’d provide more juice behind Ekeler and provides the team with necessary insurance as Ekeler's future is currently up in the air.

• Dallas Cowboys 
  • The team recently released Ezekiel Elliott and franchised Tony Pollard, who is coming off a broken leg in their playoff loss to the 49ers. While we all want to see Pollard in a lead-back role, drafting Evans would hardly stop that from happening. Dallas does, however, need more depth at running back, even though Pollard is expected to be ready for training camp.
  • The fact that Pollard is not signed long-term only makes the running back position more of a need for Dallas. Despite Elliott’s well-documented age and waning effectiveness, he still handled 250 touches in 2022. Pollard simply cannot carry that much of a workload, which is why Evans makes for a logical fit for the Cowboys.

 

Israel Abanikanda – Pittsburgh

Israel Abanikanda saw his first regular action for Pittsburgh in 2021. He finished his second season with 651 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The following season, he became the team’s starting running back and wasted no time making a name for himself. He rushed for 1,431 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. He also had 12 receptions for 146 receiving yards.

While he didn’t perform at the Combine, he recently put on a show at Pittsburgh’s pro day, reportedly running the 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds. That kind of speed rarely shows up in running backs weighing 215 pounds. He looks to be one of the most athletically-gifted running backs in this class and has the size to be a three-down RB.

• Tennessee Titans 
  • Israel Abanikanda is a big back at 215 pounds. While Derrick Henry is still a Titan as of right now, there were rumors that he could be traded. That seems unlikely at this point but Henry is in the final year of his contract. Given the Titans are seemingly entering into a rebuilding phase, it’s unlikely he’ll be extended. He’ll turn 30 at the end of the 2023 season, so it’s important the team looks to add depth behind him and starts planning for a future without Henry.
  • Abanikanda brings some of the same tough-minded running that Henry does. The former Pittsburgh Panther would become one of the best running back handcuffs in the NFL and would be the favorite breakout candidate for the 2024 season.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
  • Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette both struggled mightily in 2022. That was likely due to their own inefficiency and the plethora of injuries along the Tampa Bay offensive line. The team has virtually no depth behind White at this point, and it’ll be important that they can put together a strong running game without Tom Brady under center.
  • White was an exceptional pass catcher in college and he showcased some of that ability as a rookie as well. Abanikanda and White would complement each others' talents well and form a strong 1-2 punch in Tampa Bay. The former Pittsburgh standout would also provide insurance just in case White’s struggles in 2022 weren’t due to the offensive line and was more of a talent problem.

 

Tyjae Spears – Tulane

Tyjae Spears was set to be the starting running back for Tulane in 2020, but an early-season knee injury ended his campaign. He came back and earned the starting job again in 2021, rushing for 863 yards and nine touchdowns. The following season is when he truly broke out. He finished his 2022 season with 1,581 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 256 yards.

He put an exclamation point on his college career by running for 205 yards and four touchdowns en route to becoming the MVP of the Cotton Bowl this past year. He weighed in at just over 200 pounds at the Combine and recorded a 7.43 RAS.

• Cincinnati Bengals
  • Jahmyr Gibbs was listed as one of the best fits for the Bengals because of how often they passed the ball to their running backs last year. They lost Samaje Perine this offseason, and Joe Mixon is likely gone after this season. If the team would prefer not to use a first-round pick on Gibbs, they could elect to target Tyjae Spears.
  • Spears is a well-rounded running back who could help offset the loss of Perine in free agency. If Mixon is truly gone next year, Spears has the talent to become a starting running back.

• Arizona Cardinals
  • Zach Charbonnet was listed as one of the best fits for the Cardinals, but with a roster featuring a ton of holes that is unlikely to compete in 2023, they may not want to use a high draft pick on a running back. This makes a lot of sense. Still, with pretty much just James Conner on the roster, they need to add depth at running back.
  • Spears would be a good consolation prize to Charbonnet and would come at a significantly cheaper cost. He could work as a change-of-pace back behind Conner in Year 1, helping to spell him in order to keep him healthy for the 2023 season. Next year, Spears would have the opportunity to earn the starting role in Arizona with Conner’s likely departure.

 

Deuce Vaughn – Kansas State

Despite being just 5-foot-5, 179 pounds, that didn’t stop Deuce Vaughn from being one of the most productive college backs in the country. He was the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, finishing the season with 642 rushing yards, 434 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns.

As a sophomore, he had 1,404 rushing yards, 468 receiving yards, and 22 total touchdowns. In 2022, he led the country in all-purpose yards with 1,936. The production profile is off the charts, but the size is a concern. His landing spot will be crucial to his NFL success.

• Carolina Panthers
  • Vaughn needs to be used in a very specific way because he’s only 179 pounds. He’s not someone that is going to be given 12-15 touches per game because he’s simply not going to be able to handle that at the NFL level. The Panthers signed Miles Sanders this offseason, who has been downright poor at catching the football ever since his rookie season. This is a skill set that Vaughn has, and he could complement Sanders well in that regard.
  • Frank Reich was in Philadelphia with Darren Sproles, a player many compare Vaughn to, so he knows how someone with Vaughn's kind of electric skill set and concerning size has to be used. The Panthers' offense is certainly on the lookout for more offensive weapons, and Vaughn could be exactly that for them.

• Kansas City Chiefs
  • The Chiefs were listed as one of the best landing spots for Jahmyr Gibbs. If the team decides they’d rather not use a first-round draft pick on a running back again because it didn’t work out so well last time, they could elect to complement Isiah Pacheco’s hard-nosed running with someone like Vaughn. The Kansas State product has the speed to turn the corner on outside runs and is a more adept receiver out of the backfield.
  • Jerick McKinnon remains a free agent, and Vaughn has the skill set to come in and replicate what McKinnon did for the Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City also lost Mecole Hardman, who wasn’t so much a receiver as a gadget player for head coach Andy Reid. He’d use him on jet sweeps and receiver screens a lot, wanting to get the ball to him early and let him work in space. That same package of plays could work well for Vaughn.

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