Footballguys staff got together to play a game of Buy, Hold, or Sell. They grouped and examined three similarly valued Dynasty players and placed them into each category.
The team looked at potential running back ones in Superflex Dynasty formats. The running backs:
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The Results (number of votes in parentheses)
- Buy: Jonathon Brooks (5), Kyren Williams (0), Isiah Pacheco (0)
- Hold: Jonathon Brooks (0), Kyren Williams (2), Isiah Pacheco (3)
- Sell: Jonathon Brooks (0), Kyren Williams (3), Isiah Pacheco (2)
Each Staffer's Responses
Ryan Weisse
- Buy: Jonathon Brooks
- Hold: Isiah Pacheco
- Sell: Kyren Williams
After his electric 2023, Williams is an easy sell for me. You likely got him for cheap in last year's rookie draft or off waivers. If a league mate values him as a top-10 option, sell. I'll buy Brooks, considering I can't remember when the dynasty world valued the 1st selected running back so low. He shouldn't cost a lot, but if he returns to pre-injury form, he'll be an asset for years. While solid, Pacheco doesn't have the trade value. His upside is limited since he does little in the passing game, but there are worse options to have as your RB2.
Andy Hicks
- Buy: Jonathon Brooks
- Hold: Kyren Williams
- Sell: Isiah Pacheco
A rookie running back in an offense needing a strong running back versus unexpected late draft picks starting and performing well. Brooks is three years younger than both. In dynasty terms, it’s a no-brainer.
One-year wonders like Kyren Williams happen all the time in the NFL. Teams drafting another back in Blake Corum also sends a warning sign. That said, the offense moved well with Williams last year and didn’t as well without him. With all the other pieces returning, Williams deserves the benefit of the doubt.
It's just a hunch that Kansas City finds Pacheco less valuable than the other two backs. He holds good value now, but I fear the rug could be pulled out from under him at any moment, mainly if a new contract is discussed.
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Jason Wood
- Buy: Jonathon Brooks
- Hold: Isiah Pacheco
- Sell: Kyren Williams
Kyren Williams is the highest-regarded of this trio in the 2024 redraft rankings, which makes him a must-sell. The Rams coaching staff bears no loyalty to tailbacks, and Blake Corum is a younger version of Williams with more draft pedigree. Pacheco isn’t a special player, but the Chiefs did nothing in the offseason to create competition for the role. He’s got at least one more season as the feature back on an elite offense. Brooks is the keeper here but bears plenty of risk because of the problematic status of the Panthers organization.
Matt Waldman
- Buy: Jonathon Brooks
- Hold: Isiah Pacheco
- Sell: Kyren Williams
I am buying Brooks, selling Williams, and holding Pacheco. Brooks is likely a year from fantasy relevance due to his ACL tear. Talent-wise, I grade Brooks in the RSP on par with Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Panthers' offensive line appears headed in the right direction on paper, and Brooks is an all-around talent who should earn the lead role by 2025. If Bryce Young and the line display promising development this year, Brooks will be at the right place at the right time.
Williams should have another strong year as the lead back in the Rams offense. Still, he's a present-day version of Chester Taylor, a journeyman contributor from Toledo who delivered fantasy starter production the year before Adrian Peterson arrived in Minnesota and remained a fantasy factor during Peterson's rookie year. Williams is a good football player but not a special running back. Blake Corum has more promise as the lead option. Expect Williams to remain a fantasy starter this year but earn more of his workload as a receiver and less as a runner. Next year, Corum will likely take over. I'd trade Williams before the season for a starter or emerging player.
Pacheco is on a good offense seeking a complement for him in the backfield because this is likely Clyde Edwards-Helaire's final year. Pacheco has promise as a receiver, and he's a physical runner who attacks creases with the ferocity we want to see from starters in the NFL. His fantasy ceiling may never climb beyond low-range RB1 territory, but he's a good RB2 with surrounding talent to insulate him from too many bad weeks.
Jeff Bell
- Buy: Jonathon Brooks
- Hold: Kyren Williams
- Sell: Isiah Pacheco
It is tough not to list Brooks as a rookie and the top back in the draft as a buy. As others have mentioned, his value is lower than that of a usual rookie of his caliber, plus his ACL injury creates a potential buy dip.
Williams is a difficult sell. Blake Corum has generated plenty of negative momentum, and the return will never match the potential he brings should his usage come close to mirroring 2023. Sean McVay and the Rams have selected a running back in the last seven drafts. Corum could be as much about the team sitting an injury away from relying on Ronnie Rivers or a street free agent as it is about Williams losing time.
Pacheco profiles as the most sure asset out of the group. Pair that with a Chiefs offense that gives him a high ceiling, and he is likely at a value peak. Running backs, and in particular late Day 3 selections, have a tendency of irrelevance much sooner than we expect.
